Bald Knobbers: Chronicles of Vigilante Justice

by Vincent S. Anderson

Overview

At the close of the nineteenth century in the Ozark Plateau, lawlessness ruled. Lawmakers, in bed with moonshiners and bootleggers, fueled local crime and turned a blind eye to egregious wrongdoing. In response, a vigilante force emerged from the Ozark hills: the Bald Knobbers. They formed their own laws and alliances; local ministers donned the Knobber mask and brought justice" to the hills, lynching suspected bootleggers. As community support and interest grew, reporters wrote curious articles about Knobber exploits. Join Vincent S. Anderson as he uncovers these peculiar reports including trials, lovers' spats ending in coldblooded murder and Ozark vigilante history that inspired a folk legend."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626192010
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Series:	True Crime
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Vincent S. Anderson is a veteran of the US Air Force and librarian living in Gassville, Arkansas. He runs a history blog called Ozarks History and is a member of the Arkansas Genealogical Society and President of the Baxter County Genealogical and Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Dedication 5

Introduction 9

Part I Taney County

1 The Origin of the Bald Knobber Idea 13

2 The Murder of J.M. Everett 17

3 Organized as a Secret Society 20

4 The Knobbers Begin Work Mildly 25

5 The Knobbers' First Lynching 27

6 Taney Court House Burned 34

7 No-Account Killing of Buck Mercer 36

8 Andrew Coggburn: Shot to Death by the Knobber Chief 37

9 The Anti-Baldknobber Militia 42

10 Murdered for Money to Get Married With 45

11 Sam Snapp: Murdered by a Bald Knobber 47

12 Reuben Pruitt: Shot Dead by a Bald Knobber 49

13 A Duel in the Scrub Oaks 50

14 A Bald Knobber Romance 52

15 Knobber Chiefton Dies-With His Boots On 57

16 Split in the Order of Pistols 61

17 Difficulty in Getting a Sheriff 65

18 Trials & Acquittals 67

19 A Boy Who Died Rather Than Suffer Dishonor 69

20 Knobber Wife Insane: An Awful Tragedy 71

Part II Christian County

1 Convicted by His Ass 75

2 Whipped Before He Was Murdered 80

3 The Murder of Edens and Green 83

4 The Civil Authorities Interested at Last 86

5 Joe Inman Confesses: Shot Down Out of Sport 89

6 Mathews Confesses to the Butchery 94

7 Rev. CO. Simmons: Grieved in Spirit 96

8 Lured by His Sweetheart 99

9 Charlie Graves Makes a Clean Breast 101

10 The Blessings of Liberty-From Jail 105

11 Bald Knobber Prisoners & Crazed Wife 107

12 Trial of Gilbert Applegate 113

13 Applegate Acquitted 122

14 Quintuple Lynching 124

15 How the Matter Stands: December 18th, 1888 126

16 Set Free by Friends 130

17 Prisoners at Large & Starved 132

18 Bungling Work of an Execution 134

19 A Knobber Melodrama 139

20 Knobbers and the Anti: Waging War 140

21 The Bald Knobbers Reign 143

22 Murder of Mrs. John Wesley Bright 147

23 Accomplice Betrays Secrets 150

24 Tragedy Ends in a Farce 153

Part III Life in the Ozarks

1 A Bald Knobber's Cabin 157

2 Plucky Woman Saved Her Husband 167

3 Knobber Wives Refuse Discouragement 169

4 Meet Sarah Walker 171

Conclusion: I'd Been Born Again 173

Appendix: The Ballad of the Bald Knobbers 175

Bibliography 179

Index 185

About the Author 191