R. Michael Wilson – författare

Stagecoach robbers evolved as a consequence of the discovery of gold or silver, or some other mineral treasure, and a town would "spring forth from the earth" overnight. Roads were soon built and stage lines began operating. A "pitching Betsy" would take out bullion and dust and bring in payrolls, always through country that was rough and isolated. The temptation to get rich quickly was too great for some, and the demand, "Hold! Throw out that treasure box!" was heard all too often in the Old West. Most robberies were never solved, but many robbers were caught, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced. This book includes a collection of 15-20 of the most thrilling stagecoach robberies from 1875-1905.

During the 1800s trains carried the nation's wealth throughout the east, but no one thought to rob a speeding train until 1866. In 1870 the first western train was robbed in Nevada and within hours a second train was robbed. Railroads made every alteration to their cars and changed every procedure they could imagine to thwart the robbers, but to no avail. Robbing trains became epidemic over the next five decades, even when the legislatures made train robbery a capital crime. A few of the hundreds of train robberies stand out as thrilling and dangerous affairs, and the greatest of these (15-20) are included in this book.

Frontier Justice highlights eighteen crimes and subsequent punishments of the most interesting, controversial, and unusual executions from an era when hangings and shootings were a legal means of capital punishment. Learn about the bungled hanging of Tom Ketchum who was beheaded by the noose; the unique trigger for the trapdoor used to hang Tom Horn; "Big Nose" George Parrott who was skinned, pickled, and made into a pair of shoes; the double trials of Jack McCall, assassin of Wild Bill Hickok; the hanging of a woman-Elizabeth Potts; the shooting of John D. Lee of Mountain Meadows Massacre infamy; and the only use of a double "twitch-up" gallows; etc. Each action-packed chapter includes biographical information, the pursuit, the investigation, legal maneuvers, trial information, and rarely-seen photographs.

The massacre at Wickenburg was one of the most notorious crimes committed in the Wild West--a story revealed in this book through a criminal investigation.November 5, 1871. A westbound stagecoach carrying seven men and one woman left Wickenburg in the early morning hours. At 8:00 a.m., six of the passengers were shot dead. One man and the lone woman, severely wounded, escaped into the desert. Debates raged over the identity of the murderous ambushers -- Indians? Mexican bandits? The two survivors? After a massive investigation, the U.S. Army concluded that a band of local Yavapai Indians were responsible, which led to a policy of "removal and concentration" that altered the fate of nearly every Indian in America's Southwest. Wilson, a longtime law enforcement officer who has spent decades researching 19th century crimes, presents the first book about this notorious crime and its resulting fallout. This is an intriguing look into the past, and a riveting story that reads like a mystery novel. R. Michael Wilson has served as a consultant for "The History Channel" about crimes of the Old West and the author of several books, including Great Train Robberies of the Old West. He lives in Las Vegas.

Massacres, mayhem, and mischief fill the pages of Outlaw Tales of Wyoming 2, with compelling legends of the Cowboy State's most despicable desperadoes. Ride with horse thieves and cattle rustlers, duck the bullets of murderers, plot strategies with con artists, and hiss at lawmen turned outlaws.

More Frontier Justice in the Wild West; Bungled, Bizarre and Fascinating Executions reveals the details of more than two dozen instances of frontier justice from the era of the Wild West. These stories of how society dealt with the bad guys—and how the good guys walked a fine line between justice and vigilantism—reveals some surprising truths about the culture of the Wild West. The events chosen are unique, have some surprising twist, serve as a landmark or benchmark event, or just stand out in the annals of western justice.

This reference work contains details of all the crimes resulting in executions in the fifteen western American territories. For each territory, entries are arranged chronologically and entered under the name of the condemned. Each entry provides the date, location, background and actions of the crime; details of the trial and execution of sentence; and references to the crime and execution in contemporary newspapers.

In January 1, 1885, Wells, Fargo & Company's chief detective James B. Hume and special agent John N. Thacker published a report summarizing the company's losses during the previous 14 years. It listed 313 stagecoach robberies, 23 burglaries, and four train robberies but included little or no details of the events themselves, focusing instead on physical descriptions of the robbers. Widely circulated, the report was intended to assist law enforcement in identifying and apprehending the criminals believed still to present a danger to the company. The present volume revisits each crime, updating Hume and Thacker's original report with rich new details culled from local newspapers, personal diary entries, and court records.

This reference work chronicles all legal executions performed in seven western states, from the date each attained statehood to December 31, 2010. Entries are divided into sections by state then arranged chronologically by date of execution. Each entry includes a biographical sketch of the condemned, and details of the crime, trial and execution of sentence.

Since statehood was achieved in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, 322 men and 2 women have been executed. The first of these post-statehood executions took place in Nevada on October 30, 1868, and the last took place in Arizona on October 26, 2010. This text provides a case history for each execution, including details of the crimes committed, pursuits and captures, the particulars of the legal processes, and the executions. There have been five methods of execution available in these states, and death by hanging, lethal gas, electrocution, firing squad and lethal injection are all represented.

Since colonial days, administration of the death penalty--whether by hanging, firing squad, electrocution, or lethal injection--has persisted as one of the most controversial ethical and practical issues of American jurisprudence. This volume chronicles every legal execution in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, including Indian Territory, through December 2010. Each case history includes a detailed description of the crime, the pursuit and capture of the suspect, his or her pre-trial experiences, the trial, sentencing, incarceration, execution, and its aftermath.

California was the mining center of the West for half a century. Wherever precious minerals were found, road agents appeared to "mine the roads" of treasure being shipped out and payrolls being shipped in. The first recorded robbery of a stagecoach occurred in 1856, and the last in 1913. Over that period there were 458 stagecoach robberies, many with special characteristics such as a claim the robbers were Confederate soldiers, a murder, a gun battle, or a thrilling pursuit and capture. Surprisingly, there were many robberies in which the perpetrator remained unknown or in which was so little stolen the robber was not even sought out. This book gives all the details of those robberies taken from the contemporary newspapers and from a variety of other sources.