Caleb Quinn

Born in the dust-ridden Badlands of the American Midwest, Caleb Quinn was son to struggling Irish immigrants. On the edge of the frontier, sickness, famine, and death were common sights, and pioneers contended for whatever scraps they could claim while tycoons feasted. Caleb's father, once an engineer, had few options to ply his trade as businesses posted a common sign: No Irish Need Apply. His antiquated tools laid untouched for years until Caleb uncovered them. Noticing his son's interest in the trade, he gifted him his old wrench. The devices Caleb made under his father's guidance had quaint applications, but when his father was away, they took a grim turn. He hid plans for a mask that would gouge barbed needles into a human's eyes and rip them from their sockets, complete with sketches of it fitted on boys who bullied him. With age, Caleb's engineering abilities became marketable and employers put their discrimination aside. Henry Bayshore, the owner of United West Rail, hired him. Caleb first invented a gun that shot railroad spikes into the ground. Next, he made a steam-powered tunnelling drill. But as Bayshore feigned indifference, the devices began turning up at other companies, the patents stolen from Caleb and sold. Rage overwhelming him, he burst into Bayshore's office and smashed his face into a bloody stew. As he was pulled away, he pushed his specialised gun to his boss' gut and squeezed the trigger. A railroad spike ploughed through skin and viscera, nailing Bayshore to his desk. The only thing that saved Caleb from hanging was Bayshore's unlikely survival. For fifteen years, Caleb was confined to Hellshire Penitentiary, the nation's first private prison.