The Story of the Outlaw: A Study of the Western Desperado

by Emerson Hough

In dealing with any subject of early American

history, there is no authority more incontestable than Mr. Alexander Hynds, of Dandridge, Tennessee, whose acquaintance with singular and forgotten bits of early frontier history borders upon the unique in its way. Neither does better authority exist than Hon. N. P. Langford, of Minnesota, upon all matters having to do with life in the Rocky Mountain region in the decade of 1860-1870. He was an argonaut of the Rockies and a citizen of Montana and of other Western territories before the coming of the days of law. Free quotations are made from his graphic work, "Vigilante Days and Ways," which is both interesting of itself and valuable as a historical record.

The stories of modern train-robbing bandits and outlaw gangs are taken partly from personal narratives, partly from judicial records, and partly from works frequently more sensational than accurate, and requiring much sifting and verifying in detail. Naturally, very many volumes of Western history and adventure have been consulted. Much of this labor has been one of love for the days and places concerned, which exist no longer as they once did. The total result, it is hoped, will aid in telling at least a portion of the story of the vivid and

significant life of the West, and of that frontier whose van, if ever marked by human lawlessness, has, none the less, ever been led by the banner of human liberty. May that banner still wave to-day, and though blood be again the price, may it never permanently be replaced by that of license and injustice in our America.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER			PAGE
I		The Desperado	[1]
II		The Imitation Desperado	[14]
III		The Land of the Desperado	[22]
IV		The Early Outlaw	[35]
V		The Vigilantes of California	[74]
VI		The Outlaw of the Mountains	[98]
VII		Henry Plummer	[105]
VIII		Boone Helm	[127]
IX		Death Scenes of Desperadoes	[137]
X		Joseph A. Slade	[145]
XI		The Desperado of the Plains	[154]
XII		Wild Bill Hickok	[167]
XIII		Frontier Wars	[187]
XIV		The Lincoln County War	[196]
XV		The Stevens County War	[227]
XVI		Biographies of Bad Men	[256]
XVII		The Fight of Buckshot Roberts	[284]
XVIII		The Man Hunt	[292]
XIX		Bad Men of Texas	[313]
XX		Modern Bad Men	[340]
XXI		Bad Men of the Indian Nations	[371]
XXII		Desperadoes of the Cities	[393]

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