Robbers, Rogues and Ruffians

Collected here are authentic accounts of some of the most colorful outlaws and desperadoes of the western frontier, based to a large extent on 19th-century newspaper accounts of their activities and interviews with pioneers who knew some of them. Many of their stories are related here for the first time in book form. The cast of characters is a large and varied one, ranging from Charles Kennedy, an evil innkeeper who murdered and robbed his overnight guests and buried them under the floor; to Col. Juan de Lacerda, the handsome King of the Gypsies, whose treasure-hunting activities were interrupted by his infatuation with a storekeeper's daughter. Other frontier characters whose stories are told include: Davy Crockett, grandson and namesake of the Alamo hero, who for months terrorized a New Mexico town and its sheriff until a shotgun blast ended his brief career. Clay Allison, rancher and gunman, who took his revenge on a quack dentist by pulling one of the dentist's teeth. Bronco Sue, an adventuress who used her feminine wiles to get away with murder. Bronco Bill, notorious desperado and train robber, who died when he fell off a windmill. Milt Yarberry, a trigger-happy town marshal who was hanged before an enthusiastic crowd of citizens. Joel Fowler, whose drunken sprees eventually exhausted the patience of vigilantes. The Black Jack Gang, which sometimes paid victims for items taken from them at gunpoint. The book winds up with a detailed account of the life and death of Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum. Generous quotations from early newspapers reveal the wit and humor of frontier journalists in describing dramatic and violent events of the day. The book is illustrated with twelve vintage black-and-white photographs from photo archives, and contains a foreword by Tony Hillerman, well-known Western author and novelist. - Jacket flap.