Early Oklahoma was a haven for violent outlaws and a death trap for deputy U.S. marshals. The infamous Doolin gang's OK Hotel gunfight left five dead. Killers like Bible-quoting choir leader Deacon Jim Miller wreaked havoc. Gunslinger femme fatale Belle Starr specialized in horse theft. Wannabe outlaws like Al Jennings traded train robbing for politics and Hollywood films. And Elmer McCurdy's determination and inept skill earned him a carnival slot and the nickname "the Bandit Who Wouldn't...

In an unusual dual biography, authors Laurence J. Yadon and Robert Barr Smith explore this compelling criminal case from both sides. Tulsa computer tycoon Roger Wheeler was the victim and organized crime boss Whitey Bulger was the criminal-or so it seemed. Through a fascinating examination of information related to both men, the authors break down the façde and expose the underlying truths in this decades-long case.Wheeler, a well-known entrepreneur, discovered that one of his inve...

In the Old West, upright lawmen were scarce. Often, the men who were bound to keep the peace were just as corrupt as the men they pursued. These dishonest deputies chose their professions based on convenience rather than conviction, and the most revered were often the wiliest. These men held grudges, ruled with violence, and instilled fear in all who crossed their paths.Offered here is an untainted perspective of these outlaws that discerns fact from myth. Legends such as Wyatt Ear...

True stories of nineteenth-century crooks, con artists, and quacks—including the man who "sold" the Brooklyn Bridge.Gunslingers and outlaws weren't the only ones who made the West wild. The nineteenth century was the golden era of riverboat gamblers, crooked railroad contractors, and filthy-rich medical quacks. These crooks made a living deceiving people who took a stranger at face value and left their doors unlocked. Throw in some get-rich-quick schemes and a gene...

A lighthearted history of ten of Texas's most notorious outlaws, including Clyde Barrow and a bank robber dressed as Santa Claus.The Wild Westerners were a tough breed. They started young and tended to die young, grow wilder, or fizzle into oblivion. Those outlaws that had the most feuds, gunfights, and robberies within the state lines are profiled here along with their associates, enemies, and accomplices. A rough chronological order of events spanning from pre-Ci...

This collection of short, action-filled stories of the Old West’s most egregiously badly behaved female outlaws is a great addition to Western author Robert Barr Smith’s books on the American frontier. Pulling together stories of ladies caught in the acts of mayhem, distraction, murder, and highway robbery, it includes famous names like Belle Starr and lesser known characters, and contains archival illustrations and photographs.Some famous females earned their criminal status throu...

?Nefarious gangs made up of families are famous in the Old West—the James Brothers, the Dalton Gang. This book includes the well known and the more obscure gangs connected through blood ties.

From Dodge City to Abilene and beyond, Kansas in its early years was one fine place for outlaws, and one of the most violent places in America’s history. Consider the exploits of Jesse James—a sociopathic killer or a Robin Hood who redistributed Union wealth? Or those of Big Nose Kate, whose true identity was much nobler than her reputation as Doc Holliday’s longtime companion. That’s not to mention the dangerous inmate who became the learned Bird Man of Kansas—a renowned canary expert who...

In thirty-five chapters, The Greatest Air Aces Stories Ever Told covers many of the leading American and British Commonwealth fighter aces of WW I and II, together with a few bomber crews whose gallantry made a substantial contribution to the end of WW II. Other nations had their aces,but this book concentrates on American and Commonwealth pilots.These aviators were chosen not only because of their “scores” and their great courage, but also forother qualities which se...

Throughout WWII, thousands of Allied prisoners dreamed of outwitting their captors and returning to war against the Axis. Their ingenuity knew no bounds: they went over the barbed wire surrounding them and under it as well; they built tunnels of enormous length and complexity, often working with only their bare hands. They concealed themselves in their captors’ vehicles and hitched rides to freedom. They became world-class forgers and tailors; they stole anything that might be useful to th...

Early Oklahoma was a haven for violent outlaws and a death trap for deputy U.S. marshals. The infamous Doolin gang's OK Hotel gunfight left five dead. Killers like Bible-quoting choir leader Deacon Jim Miller wreaked havoc. Gunslinger femme fatale Belle Starr specialized in horse theft. Wannabe outlaws like Al Jennings traded train robbing for politics and Hollywood films. And Elmer McCurdy's determination and inept skill earned him a carnival slot and the nickname "the Bandit Who Wouldn't...

Think gunfighter, and Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid may come to mind, but what of Jim Moon? Joel Fowler? Zack Light? A host of other figures helped forge the gunfighter persona, but their stories have been lost to time. In a sequel to his Deadly Dozen, celebrated western historian Robert K. DeArment now offers more biographical portraits of lesser-known gunfighters—men who perhaps weren’t glorified in legend or song, but who were rightfully notorious in their day.DeArment ha...