This account of nineteenth-century Missouri vigilantes is "a first rate adventure story [and] an extremely valuable study of the roots of violence in America" (Gary Paulsen, Newbery Medal-winning author of Hatchet).
In the 1880s, the Ozark hills around Taney County, Missouri, echoed with the sound of Winchester rifles. Men were lynched from tree limbs by masked night riders. Bundles of switches were tossed on the porches of "loose" men and women as a grim warning to reform or leave the area.
This action-filled saga of the notorious eight-year career of the vigilantes is the most comprehensive account of the Bald Knobber era. It traces the roots of the group in the region's border struggles during the Civil War, and examines the organization of anti-Bald Knobbers which sprang up to oppose them.
Giant Nat Kinney founded the Bald Knobbers, and led them in their violent campaign for law and order. Andrew Coggburn wrote satirical songs to infuriate Kinney and the others. Seventeen-year-old Billy Walker murdered an innocent family and was hanged by the beleaguered authorities. Five opponents of the Bald Knobbers vowed to kill Nat Kinney, and played cards to decide who would do the deed. This book, with photos and illustrations, provides "the most accurate accounting to date of this vigilante group" ( Springfield (MO) News-Leader).
"Has the sweep and drama of a major novel, with the power and authority of historical truth." -Loren D. Estleman, Shamus Award-winning author of Monkey in the Middle
"Meticulously detailed and carefully constructed... fills a gap in the recorded history of Missouri." - The Kansas City StarAutorentext
Vincent S. Anderson is a veteran of the US Air Force and librarian living in Gassville, Arkansas. He runs a history blog called Ozarks History and is a member of the Arkansas Genealogical Society and President of the Baxter County Genealogical and Historical Society.
Zusammenfassung
At the close of the nineteenth century in the Ozark Plateau, lawlessness ruled. Lawmakers, in bed with moonshiners and bootleggers, fueled local crime and turned a blind eye to egregious wrongdoing. In response, a vigilante force emerged from the Ozark hills: the Bald Knobbers. They formed their own laws and alliances; local ministers donned the Knobber mask and brought "e;justice"e; to the hills, lynching suspected bootleggers. As community support and interest grew, reporters wrote curious articles about Knobber exploits. Join Vincent S. Anderson as he uncovers these peculiar reports including trials, lovers' spats ending in coldblooded murder and Ozark vigilante history that inspired a folk legend.