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.

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. Chapters include: 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 legend of "hanging judge" Isaac C. Parker is re-examined, looking past his penchant for executions to reveal the true legacy of his tenure as U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and nearby Indian Territory. (Biography)

Two subjects continue to fascinate people—the Old West and a good mystery. This book explores and examines twenty-one of the Old West's most baffling mysteries, which lure the curious and beg for investigation even though their solutions have eluded experts for decades. Many relate to the death or disappearance of some of the best-known lawmen and outlaws in history, such as Billy the Kid, Buckskin Frank Leslie, John Wilkes Booth, The Catalina Kid, and Butch Cassidy. Others involve mysterious tales and legends of lost mines and buried treasures that have not been recovered—yet.

The most comprehensive work ever done on legal executions by hanging in Texas. Arranged by counties, this book documents 467 executions in Texas, many that have been forgotten through the years. Thoroughly researched by West Gilbreath, a career law enforcement officer, this book is a must for any Texas history buff.

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. 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.