Robert Conrad :: Character Guides

Born July 2, 1842, James West went to college where he was mentored by archaeology expert Professor Robey. He then served in the Union Army during the Civil War, attaining the rank of Captain. About a decade later, President Grant recalls him to service as a special agent to discover why someone might wish to start a war between the United States and Mexico.

Unlike his partner Artemus Gordon, Jim relies on his fists to get him past his enemies, or his seductive wiles to charm the ladies. He also has a knack for safecracking picked up in his travels. He travels in style aboard the Wanderer, a specially-equipped private train with richly appointed compartments containing a wide array of special devices and gear. Jim commonly leaves the train with a lockpick in his lapel, a flat-bladed throwing knife in the back of his suit coat, a breakaway two-shot derringer he can assemble from pieces contained in his bootheels, a grappling hook and line that can be fired from his revolver, and a powerful ring that can even cut through iron bars. On occasion, he supplements this gear with more specialized equipment.