The Life And Adventures Of David Lewis: The Robber And Counterfeiter, The Terror Of The Cumberland Valley

by C. D. Rishel

Overview

C. D. Rishel's gripping biography of David Lewis reads like a dime novel brought to life—a tale of crime, charisma, and lawlessness in early 19th-century America. Known as the "Robin Hood of Pennsylvania," Lewis was both feared and admired as a master counterfeiter, highwayman, and jailbreaker whose exploits captured the public imagination across the Cumberland Valley and beyond. Drawing on local lore, newspaper accounts, court records, and eyewitness testimony, Rishel reconstructs a life of defiance and daring—from Lewis's humble beginnings to his transformation into a notorious outlaw. The book delves into his gang's operations, clever disguises, repeated escapes from jail, and eventual downfall, all set against the backdrop of a restless and often lawless American frontier. Yet beyond the legend, Rishel also explores the social conditions that allowed such figures to rise: economic hardship, weak law enforcement, and a fascination with criminal celebrity. Combining historical rigor with storytelling energy, this account offers readers both a valuable primary source on early American crime and a compelling human drama. For fans of true crime, frontier history, or folklore, Lewis's tale remains an enduring part of the nation's outlaw mythology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781779791429
Publisher:	Bonhopai Books
Publication date:	06/24/2025
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	100
File size:	800 KB

About the Author

 C. D. Rishel was a regional historian and popular writer who brought to light the storied criminal underworld of early America through his book The Life and Adventures of David Lewis: The Robber and Counterfeiter. Little is known about Rishel's personal life, but his work reflects a fascination with American folk criminality, particularly in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic frontier during the early 19th century. David Lewis, often called the "Robin Hood of Pennsylvania," was a counterfeiter and highwayman whose exploits became the stuff of legend. Rishel's biographical account, which merges fact, folklore, and local storytelling, was part of a broader literary trend that romanticized frontier outlaws and social rebels. His writing helped preserve local memory and folklore during a time when oral traditions were giving way to written records, offering a vivid—if at times embellished—portrait of frontier lawlessness and rural mythmaking. 

C. D. Rishel was a regional historian and popular writer who brought to light the storied criminal underworld of early America through his book The Life and Adventures of David Lewis: The Robber and Counterfeiter. Little is known about Rishel’s personal life, but his work reflects a fascination with American folk criminality, particularly in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic frontier during the early 19th century. David Lewis, often called the "Robin Hood of Pennsylvania," was a counterfeiter and highwayman whose exploits became the stuff of legend. Rishel’s biographical account, which merges fact, folklore, and local storytelling, was part of a broader literary trend that romanticized frontier outlaws and social rebels. His writing helped preserve local memory and folklore during a time when oral traditions were giving way to written records, offering a vivid—if at times embellished—portrait of frontier lawlessness and rural mythmaking.