Book Description

"Though the exploits of Western bad men have been greatly exaggerated in novels and films, many of these guys were pretty nasty characters, killing and stealing without remorse. This 1906 title profiles many of the real baddies and the legendary lawmen who brought them to justice." -Library Journal "His book is distinguished by a scrupulously careful moderation of statement." -The New York Times "The pages exhale the smell of blood and hemp. The realism is almost too raw for literature." -Literary Digest "Historically exact [and] filled with shocks and thrills of no ordinary caliber." -The Spectator The Desperado-Analysis of His Make-up The Imitation Desperado-The Cheap "Long-Hair"-A Desperado in Appearance, a Coward at Heart The Land of the Desperado-The Frontier of the Old West-The Great Unsettled Regions-The Desperado of the Mountains- The Desperado of the Early Railroad Towns. The Early Outlaw-The Frontier of the Past Century-The Bad Man East of the Mississippi River-The Great Western Land-Pirate, John A. Murrell-The Greatest Slave Insurrection Ever Planned. The Vigilantes of California-The Greatest Vigilante Movement of the World-History of the California "Stranglers" The Outlaw of the Mountains-The Gold Stampedes of the '60's-Armed Bandits of the Mountain Mining Camps. Henry Plummer- The Head of the Robber Band in the Montana Mining Country Boone Helm-A Murderer, Cannibal, and Robber-A Typical Specimen of Absolute Human Depravity. Death Scenes of Desperadoes-How Bad Men Died-The Last Moments of Desperadoes -Utterances of Terror, of Defiance, and of Cowardice. Joseph A. Slade-A Man with a Newspaper Reputation- A Product of Courage Plus Whiskey, and the End of the Product. The Desperado of the Plains-Lawlessness Founded on Loose Methods-The Rustlers of the Cow Country-Excuses for Their Acts-The Approach of the Commercial West. Wild Bill Hickok-The Beau Ideal of the Western Bad Man; Chivalric, Daring, Generous, and Game . Frontier Wars-Armed Conflicts of Bodies of Men on the Frontiers-Political Wars; Town Site Wars; Cattle Wars-Factional Fights. The Lincoln County War-The Bloodiest, Most Dramatic and Most Romantic of all the Border Wars-First Authentic Story Ever Printed of the Bitterest Feud of the Southwest. The Stevens County War-The Bloodiest County Seat War of the West-The Personal Narrative of a Man Who Was Shot and Left for Dead-The Most Expensive United States Court Case Ever Tried. Biographies of Bad Men-Desperadoes of the Deserts-Billy the Kid, Jesse Evans, Joel Fowler, and Others Skilled in the Art of Gun Fighting. The Fight of Buckshot Roberts-Encounter Between a Crippled Ex-Soldier and the Band of Billy the Kid-One Man Against Thirteen. The Man Hunt-The Western Peace Officer, a Quiet Citizen Who Works for a Salary and Risks His Life-The Trade of Man Hunting-Biography of Pat Garrett, a Typical Frontier Sheriff. Bad Men of Texas-The Lone Star State Always a Producer of Fighters-A Long History of Border War-The Death of Ben Thompson. Modern Bad Men-Murder and Robbery as a Profession-The School of Guerrilla Warfare-Butcher Quantrell; the James Brothers; the Younger Brothers. Bad Men of the Indian Nations-A Hotbed of Desperadoes -The Dalton Boys-The Most Desperate Street Fight of the West. Desperadoes of the Cities-Great Cities Now the Most Dangerous Places-City Bad Men's Contempt for Womanhood-Nine Thousand Murders a Year, and Not Two Hundred Punished-The Reasonableness of Lynch Law.