T-Head Dead – A Jesse Ramos Novel (Second Edition)Shortly before midnight, the dead body of the county DA is found at the end of a fishing pier. Corpus Christi Police Detective, Jesse Ramos is called in to do the investigation. There were no witnesses to the murder.As Jesse starts his investigation, he quickly realizes he is up against powerful outside forces that orchestrated the murder. Being a street-smart Corpus cop, he is no match for the faceless powe...

Hip-Pocket History of the Old West (Series) Compact, concise accounts that cover odd or little-known facets of the American West. Historically accurate, but told in an easy to read format, with just a twist of humor. Informative, yet entertaining, the Hip-Pocket History series provides little nuggets without having to wade through a 400-page book of dry academic ostentatiousness.Gambling played a major role in the lives of the men that drove the we...

Hell Bound is a story of redemption.When the notorious faro dealer, Peyton Bonner, wins a Fort Worth hotel in a Denver poker game, he returns to Texas to claim his ownership. After being shot at the train station, he is forced to face the demons of his past.Peyton Bonner has become a mythological legend that was manufactured by the pulp writers and newspapers when he refused interviews or photographs. With each man he killed defending himself at hi...

The Vaudeville Theater Ambush of 1884 went down in history as one of the most famous gunfights in San Antonio, but the killing that night of Ben Thompson and John King Fisher, two of the most notorious pistoleers of the day, became something of a mystery. The two men entered the theatre just before midnight on March 11, and less than an hour later, both lay dead, shot down in what for all accounts was a true massacre. The responsible gunmen never were prosecuted for their crimes, and Thomp...

Without a doubt, George Devol was the most notorious of the Mississippi riverboat gamblers. He mastered the fine art of card manipulation at an early age and by the time he reached twenty he was an accomplished card sharp.Devol could stack a deck, deal seconds or from the bottom of the deck. Though he had large hands, he could nimbly palm cards or insert cards with ease. He knew all the tricks to skin wealth plantation owners, merchants, businessmen, soldiers, and ...

Gambling played a major role in the lives of the men that drove the western movement of Americans across the continent during the nineteenth century. Wherever there were men with money there was gambling. Saloons and gambling halls had a large array of games to entice customers to take a chance of walking out a winner - a very little chance.The soft slap of cards, the click of dice, and the rattle of a roulette wheel greeted players as they walked into the top salo...

Willis Newton: The Last Texas Outlaw (Second Edition). This the true story of Willis Newton and his outlaw gang who robbed trains and over seventy banks—more than Jessie James, the Daltons, and all of the rest of the Old West outlaws—combined. Their biggest haul occurred in 1924 when they robbed a train outside of Rondout, Illinois—getting away with $3,000,000. They still hold the record for the biggest train robbery in U.S. history.G.R. Williamson intervi...

The gambler, John Jackson Cozad, was a dreamer, a visionary, a land developer, and above all else, a paradox. He raked in fortunes at the faro tables across the West—yet he aspired to develop a vice-less community devoid of saloons, gambling halls, and bawdy houses.He was a major winner at the faro tables in all the elaborate saloons and gambling halls, so much so, that he was soon banned from playing when his identity was revealed. He made all of the gambling hunt...

One of the most mysterious of the petticoat dealers that roamed the Old West was the voluptuous Lottie Deno.She was a dazzling beauty, wore the finest clothes, and conducted herself as a refined Southern belle. Yet, she told no one her real name; "Lottie Deno" was a nickname given to her by other gamblers. She raked in big winnings night after nights—she traveled with a leather-bound trunk that was stuffed with cash.Using all of her feminine wiles, she orch...

John King Fisher - King of the Nueces Strip (Second Edition)Known as two of the best pistol fighters of their day, Ben Thompson and John King Fisher have remained an enigma in the chronicles of the Western Frontier.While other gun fighters have achieved notoriety through the stories told in the pulp magazines and newspapers of the day these two men have been largely ignored.Both were credited with killing a string of men during their lifeti...

Notorious Gamblers of the Old WestTexas historian, G. R. Williamson, tells the "unvarnished truth" about one of the integral facets of the American West – gambling. Rich in detail and jargon, yet written in an easy to understand style, the book tells how the games were played, legitimately and otherwise; it presents the stories of some of the infamous gamblers and con men of the era; and it covers the notorious saloons and gambling houses where fortunes we...

The Notorious Texas Pistoleers – Ben Thompson & King Fisher(Second Edition)Known as two of the best pistol fighters of their day, Ben Thompson and John King Fisher have remained an enigma in the chronicles of the Western Frontier.While other gun fighters have achieved notoriety through the stories told in the pulp magazines and newspapers of the day, these two men have been largely ignored. Both were credited with killing a string o...