Synopses & Reviews
The only thing wilder than Oklahoma in the late nineteenth century are the tales that continue to surround it. In the days of the Wild West, Oklahoma was teeming with assassins, guerillas, hijackers, kidnappers, gangs, and misfits of every size and shape imaginable. Featuring such legendary characters as Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, Belle Starr, and Pretty Boy Floyd, this book combines recorded fact with romanticized legend, allowing the reader to decide how much to believe. Violent and out of control, the figures covered in 100 Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen often left behind numerous victims, grisly accounts, and unforgettable stories. Included are criminals like James Deacon Miller, the devout Methodist and hired assassin. Righteous and devious, he often avoided the gallows by convincing others to admit to his murders. Rufus Buck, a man of Native American descent, targeted white settlers. His crimes against them became so heinous as to cause the Creek nation to take up arms against him. The answer to criminals such as these came in the form of Hanging Judge Parker and other officers of the law. Although they were greatly outnumbered, they provided some balance to the chaos. This historical compilation covers every memorable outlaw and lawman who passed through Oklahoma.
Synopsis
The period between 1839 and 1939 bore witness to the sometimes atrocious, sometimes humorous exploits of renegades and regulators in and around Oklahoma. The 100 profiles and biographical essays in this volume of popular history include Bonnie and Clyde, Belle Starr, Machine Gun Kelly, the James brothers, the Youngers, the Doolins, the Daltons, and numerous other well-known and unknown criminals and officials. From the revelry of whiskey towns to the shootouts, massacres, and misunderstandings of wild Oklahoma, Dan Anderson and Laurence Yadon present interesting and little-known facts about this romanticized era. Characters include such unlikely personalities as Jim Miller, the devout Methodist assassin, and Bud Trainor, a gang operator turned deputy U.S. marshal. Another, Lloyd Barker, the founder of the Central Park Gang, became the assistant manager of a snack shop and was later gunned down by his wife.
Synopsis
This book includes difficult-to-find information about significant Oklahoma outlaws who lived and worked during the 100-year period from horseback to Cadillac. While criminal history within Oklahoma is the focus, famous crimes committed elsewhere by Oklahomans, such as the Barker Gang, Wilbur Underhill, and Machine Gun Kelly, as well as Oklahoma connections to legendary outlaws like Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger, and Baby Face Nelson are also mentioned.