Historic desperadoes tell their tales of holdups, shootouts and desperate flights from the law in this chronicle illustrated with many rare photographs. From the famous 1892 shootout at Young’s cabin as told by Chris Evans—a murderer, train robber and fugitive—and his partner John Sontag and the hanging of the notorious Jim Stuart by San Francisco vigilantes determined to retake their city from hordes of Australian convicts, robbers, and killers to the ill-starred adventures of Tom Bell, Tiburcio Vasquez, and Charles Dorsey and the harrowing and sometimes hilarious antics of the California highwaymen stage robbers Jim Smith and Dick Fellows, readers will vicariously experience the riveting lives of another time period.
Anonymous
Posted December 28, 2001
This book contains quotes from the outlaws, often explaining why or how they committed the crimes, and the words of the lawmen, who hunted and captured or killed them. The writing, though uneven in places, oddly matches the style of the outlaws. And the reproduction of the only known photograph of a stage coach robbery in progress is remarkable as a comment on the bandit and the intrepid photographer, Anton Veith, who took it. References to all accounts and other photographs are abundant. If you are interested in the history of California, this book would be worthwhile addition to your collection.
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Overview
Historic desperadoes tell their tales of holdups, shootouts and desperate flights from the law in this chronicle illustrated with many rare photographs. From the famous 1892 shootout at Young’s cabin as told by Chris Evans—a murderer, train robber and fugitive—and his partner John Sontag and the hanging of the notorious Jim Stuart by San Francisco vigilantes determined to retake their city from hordes of Australian convicts, robbers, and killers to the ill-starred adventures of Tom Bell, Tiburcio Vasquez, and ...