Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok: most people could recount at least a few details of such celebrated Old West figures whose fame rests mainly upon their exploits as lawmen. Though they are icons today, these men represent only a small fraction of the vast number who risked everything to bring law and order to the frontier. Many other "law dogs" of the untamed West engaged in exploits rivaling or surpassing those of their renowned contemporaries, yet their names are little, if at all, known today. They've been overlooked, forgotten, or - in the parlance of their day - "disremembered." A key reason is that many of these men died in the line of duty, careers and lives cut short and any chance at lasting glory buried with them. They were truly "the numberless unknown heroes, equal to the greatest heroes known." This book is intended as a tribute to such men, giving a small sampling of them - fourteen in all - their long-awaited due. In these accounts of their careers and untimely deaths, readers will find true tales as exciting and engaging as any told about the usual suspects - already the heroes of countless dime novels, books, films, and television shows.
Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok: most people could recount at least a few details of such celebrated Old West figures whose fame rests mainly upon their exploits as lawmen. Though they are icons today, these men represent only a small fraction of the vast number who risked everything to bring law and order to the frontier. Many other "law dogs" of the untamed West engaged in exploits rivaling or surpassing those of their renowned contemporaries, yet their names are little, if at all, known today. They've been overlooked, forgotten, or - in the parlance of their day - "disremembered." A key reason is that many of these men died in the line of duty, careers and lives cut short and any chance at lasting glory buried with them. They were truly "the numberless unknown heroes, equal to the greatest heroes known." This book is intended as a tribute to such men, giving a small sampling of them - fourteen in all - their long-awaited due. In these accounts of their careers and untimely deaths, readers will find true tales as exciting and engaging as any told about the usual suspects - already the heroes of countless dime novels, books, films, and television shows.
