Tough Towns True Tales from the Gritty

The lawless days Old West lasted only a short time, but the stories of its outlaws and the havoc they wreaked are legendary. Tough Towns reveals the small American towns that fought back when criminal gangs invaded their quiet streets, making heroes of ordinary citizens and local lawmen who wouldn't be pushed around by armed hoodlums.

Robert Barr Smith is a law professor at the University of Oklahoma and a retired colonel, U.S. Army. He is the author of four books and nearly 100 articles of western and military history. A senior parachutist, he served in Vietnam, Germany, and all across the United States. He is a frequent lecturer on the West.

Acknowledgments

vi

Preface

ix

Map

x

Tuesday Afternoon in Meeker: The Wrong Town

1

(9)

Murder!: The Rifleman of Delta

10

(16)

The Hard Men of Campo: The Formidable Gaskill Boys

26

(11)

The Sixth Rider: Terminal Arrogance at Coffeyville

37

(14)

Bad Day at Southwest City: The Passing of Bill Doolin

51

(10)

At All Costs: The End of George Birdwell

61

(13)

Those Men Will Bear Watching: The James-Younger Gang's Disaster at Northfield

74

(15)

Die Game, Boys!: A Death in Sonora

89

(13)

Fiasco In Nogales: The Scaredy-Cat Bandits

102

(14)

End of the Road for the Bearcat: Henry Starr, King of the Bank Robbers

116

(13)

Treachery at Round Rock: The Demise of Sam Bass

129

(14)

The Last of the Dalton Boys: The Fall of Pompous Bill Dalton

143

(16)

Scary Christmas: When Santa Claus Went Bad

159

(16)

Fiesta in Parral: When Dirty Dave Rudabaugh Lost His Head

175

(13)

The Johnston County Home Guard: The Battle of Mill Creek

188

(12)

Home-Town Heroine: The Courage of Clara Aggas

200

(9)

A Quiet Tuesday in Wisconsin: The Tough Citizens of Menomonie

209

(10)

The Robbers of the Iron Horse: Killers and Oafs

219

(11)

Bibliography

230

(9)

Index

239

(4)

About the Author

243

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Tough Towns True Tales from the Gritty Streets of the Old West

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials