Overview
When a thirteen-year-old boy strikes out on his own in 1885, leaving his Civil War– ravaged Mississippi homeland for the wild Red River borderland between North Texas and Indian Territory, the American West is a land beyond the reach of the law. Crime thrives in the absence of law officers, courtrooms, judges, and jails. Vigilante justice, the posse, and the hangman’s noose fill the void. But by the time the young man—now a veteran outlaw—dies by the gun in 1929 after a tempestuous career, the Old West has been largely tamed, its official legal systems firmly in place. Veteran defense attorney and prosecutor Bill Neal takes readers from Mississippi to the frontiers of West Texas, Indian Territory, New Mexico Territory, and finally the frozen Montana wilderness through a series of linked, true-life tales of crimes and trials. Tracing the struggles of incipient criminal justice in the Southwest through an engaging progression of outlaws and lawmen, plus a host of colorful frontier trial lawyers and judges, Neal reveals how law and societymatured together.
Full Product Details
Author: Bill Neal
Publisher: Texas Tech Press,U.S.
Imprint: Texas Tech Press,U.S.
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.520kg
ISBN: 9780896729827
ISBN 10: 0896729826
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 15 September 2016
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Our criminal justice system-and how it evolved on the frontier-is often overlooked in many histories of the West. In this volume, Bill Neal cleverly weaves detailed facts about actual isolated incidents into an adventure told through the drama of the yarns of those bygone days. Neal narrates the story of a 13-year-old boy, who, in 1885, strikes out on his own, becomes an outlaw and dies by the gun many years later-well into the 20th century. This interesting book offers the historian a rich read that is enhanced by period photos of the actual subjects and locator maps of the anecdotal tales. You'll find this a fascinating take on Old West history.-True West
Author Information
As a practicing criminal lawyer, Bill Neal spent more than four decades frequenting county courthouses in West Texas and hearing tales of sensational crimes and celebrated trials ofbygone years. A two-time winner of the Rupert N. Richardson Award, Neal has garnered honors from the National Association for Outlaw and Lawmen History, the West Texas Historical Association, the Writers’ League of Texas, and the Western Writers of America. He and his wife, Gayla, live in Abilene, Texas.
