Historical Books and Other Writing’s

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Volume 2, is 33% larger than the first volume, plus the addition of six women outlaws and three lady marshals, as well as a brief look into the  life in a mining camp--Austin, Nevada in early 1860s.  Most of the outlaws and gunmen are little known today but were notorious in their time.  Like the first book we touch upon around forty plus gunslingers.

The purpose of this book is to tell their stories, the true story, in a condensed manner, for easy reading while being as factual as I can make it. It is these men and women who once tried to rule the western frontier and those lawmen and women that stopped them. Their actions and deeds is what has created the legends and created the Wild west. Legends aside, we speak of the facts which is far more interesting that fiction. 

Included, within these pages, are six women outlaws and three Ladies U.S. Marshals. Twelve chapters in total, short biographies including Moman Pruiett (lawyer to the outlaws) considered the greatest lawyer of his time; Mike Meager; Clay Allison; Bill Fossett; Dave Mather; Virgile Earp; Pat Sughrue; Henry Plummer; X Beidler, Johnny Bull; life in Austin, Nevada. Of the ladies we Rose Dunn; Little Britches (Jennie Stevens); Cattle Annie (Anna McDoulet); Pearl Hart; Mamie Fossett, Sara Burche, Florence Miller, Belle Starr, and many more, Also we have a chapter on the Vigilante Committee of Montana that lynched twenty-two men, in thirty days some guilty some not, a few lawmen.

The women all had short careers. The three women deputy marshals were pioneers in law enforcement, they worked as the men counter parts, chasing down outlaws.

 

 

 

Snippets   from Chapter 1,

Moman Pruiett

....Moorman was a rough kid, he relished fighting.  He was not interested in school. By the age of sixteen, he had received only ten months of formal education, yet, he was bright, very bright.  He was fond of  hell raising, in trouble nearly daily, and eager to be known as a tough kid.  Moman knew poverty his family was never well to do, so he worked and contributed his income to the  family.  Among other jobs, Pruiett, polished shoes.  Sixteen years old, Moorman found himself in prison.  His crime was forgery.  His sentence was two years of hard labor.  His mother, Betty, started a campaign to have her son released.  Six months into his incarceration, she had convince the Governor to pardon her son.  Upon his release, the family moved to Paris, Texas.  There Moorman secured a position cleaning the offices of attorney Jake Hodges.  He  was allowed access to law books, interested, the lad now eighteen years, studied the books in his spare time.  Having not learned his lesson, Pruiett was still managing to get himself in trouble.  Once more Moorman Pruiett was arrested, this time for theft.  Tried, found guilty, he received five years confinement.  Angrily, touting his innocence, he looked at the jury and vowed (in his own words, from his biography)   “You’ll all regret this. Ever’ damn one of you will “you’ll regret it.....As sure as I live I’ll make you sorry.  I’ll empty your damned jails, an” I’ll turn the murderers and thieves a loose in your midst. But I will do it in a legal way".  

Moorman’s mother came to the rescue, Betty, as before pleaded for her son.  This time it took two years before she could get the Governor to pardon her son.  Too late for family members.  Moorman’s grandmother denounced him for disgracing the family name so Moorman. Moorman the family name on his mothers side.  

 

 .....He specialize in criminal defense in two areas murder and horse thievery.  This is all he wanted and all he would take as a lawyer.  Moman’s voice was deep, beautiful, some say, powerful.  He could modulated his voice raise it to its highest pitch then lower and mesmerize his audience, the judge and jury.  Both the judge and jury were entertained, they loved to watch him in action.  Pruiett knew he had a gift, a gift that he cultivated.  He could talk equally well to both the uneducated back woodsmen and the educated.  He could make them laugh and cry.  His antics, such as chewing tobacco as he spoke  then would expectorate to hit home to make a point.  When not chewing tobacco he would smoke cigars, the bigger and smellier, the better.  These antics and his props all contributed to a “circus atmosphere” that he carefully crafted.  But, in the end, it was his voice and his intelligence and impressive, retentive memory that seduced the courts...

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

Rose Dunn, The Rose of Cimarron

 

The  Rose of Cimarron, who’s real name was Rose Dunn, was a teenager when she entered the world of outlawing.  She was born near Ingalls, Oklahoma in 1879; the actual birthday is in question.  Rose was pretty, with a calm, quieting demeanor and formally educated at a convent in Wichita, Kansas, although her family was dirt poor.   There is no evidence as to how the family scarped the money together, for her education she may have had a benefactor; more likely the parents were determined to provide Rose a head start in life.  Besides her parents, she had two brothers.  The family was close knit.  By the time she was twelve, her brothers had become “minor” outlaws.  It was due to her brothers’ influence that she took to the other side of the law, they were her mentors.   She was an accomplished rider, roped well and became handy with guns.   One day the brothers introduced her to George Newcomb, better known as “Bittercreek” Newcomb, a member of the outlaw Gang know as “The Dalton Gang.”  "...To wild for the Dalton Gang, Newcomb would be a "charter member" of the famed "Wild Bunch."

 

Pearl Hart, stage coach robber

 

"Pearl was dressed up in men’s clothing when she and Joe stopped a coach.  Hart was armed with an .38 while Boot had a Colt .45.   It was May 30, 1899, at a watering point near Cane Springs Canyon, about 30 miles southeast of Globe.  The stage was headed in the direction of Florence, located north-east of Globe.  The two towns are fifty-four miles apart. It’s wide open country, and would be easy “pickens,” they reckoned.  The robbery was successful.  They took over $400.00 and three guns in addition to one of the passenger’s pocket watch, then made their escape.  Before doing so, Pearl had some compassion for the passengers, she gave each one dollar so they could eat when they reach Florence.  Meanwhile, after the two rode off, the stage driver unhitched one of the horses and made it back to Globe to alert the Sheriff.   The couple  did their best to confuse any posse coming their way.  Their route was zig-zagged or circuitous in nature.  A posse was hot on their trail. ..."

 

Chapter 10

Henry Plummer, Sheriff of the Country

 

"Jake Cleveland never got over the lost of Electa to Plummer, not that Electa was ever interested in him, yet, the grudge against Plummer simmered and grew it a boiling point.  Repeatedly, Cleveland openly bragged about his desire to kill Plummer.  Henry ignored him.  The day of reckoning came at the bar in the Goodrich Hotel.  Drunk, loud, and belligerent, as usual, Cleveland started threatening an unarmed man named Jeff Perkins.  The argument was silly, it was over a loan that Perkins had already paid back.  Henry happened in, witnessing the abuse of Mr. Perkins, Plummer  decided to stepped in to stop the badgering, telling Jake that he was tired of his nonsense.   Although warned, Cleveland continued his ranting threats.  Perkins, left the bar, to retrieve his derringer.   Henry pulled his gun, firing a shot into the ceiling beam to get Cleveland’s attention and end the barrage leveled at both he and Perkins.  It did not. ..."