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This is a readable account of his exploits, but it credits him with superhuman ability, and relates incidents that could not have happened. In Mr. Giffen’s belief, Murrieta’s true history has not yet been told and at this late date, it is unlikely that it ever will be. It may be interesting to collectors of Murrietana, to note that in 1880, a play was produced at the Adelphi Variety Theatre, San Francisco, purporting to picture the life of Murrieta. It was called “The Scarlet IX.”
Stories of two California bandits of a much later date, Evans and Sontag, are related in “The 25th Man”, published in 1924. The author, Ed Morrell, gives a readable account of his experiences with these outlaws, bearing however a bit heavily on the first person. The exploits of Evans and Sontag were also offered to the public in dramatic form, at the National Theatre, San Francisco, in the early nineties, some of the bandit’s children having been engaged as a sort of “added attraction.”
C. B. Glasscock’s “Bandits and the Southern Pacific” (New York, 1929) is also an interesting narrative. “Old Waybills”, by Alvin F. Harlow (New York, 1934) while primarily concerned with the pioneer express companies, gives entertaining accounts of Black Bart, Jesse and Frank James, Sam Bass and the Daltons, and indicates a sincere effort to gather the facts. The books of Owen P. White have added much to present-day popular knowledge of the outstanding killers and peace officers of the Old West. His “Them Was the Days” (New York, 1925), “Trigger Fingers” (New York, 1926), and “Lead and Likker” (New York, 1932) make exciting reading and present a true picture so far as the truth can now be known. “Triggernometry” by Eugene Cunningham (New York, 1935) is another sincere endeavor to treat the gunmen as human beings rather than supermen.
Returning to books about individual bandits, one of the best is “Wild Bill Hickok—Prince of Pistoleers”, by Frank J. Wilstach (New York, 1928), this work also containing many illustrations of more than passing interest. “Wild Bill” (James Butler) Hickok has been much written about. Probably the best account of his connection with the famous McCanlas affair was published in the NEBRASKA HISTORY MAGAZINE for April-June, 1927. In it, the story of Colonel Nichols, published previously in HARPER’S MAGAZINE of February, 1867 (and copied practically by every biographer of Hickok) is disproved.