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Amazon
Some Gave All- Book Page
J.R. Sanders
Category:
History
Publisher: Moonlight Mesa
ISBN-10: 1938628233
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 262
Copyright: December, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781938628238
True tales of lawmen overlooked, forgotten, or - in the parlance of their day - "disremembered," who each paid the ultimate sacrifice in helping bring law and order to the West.
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.
Excerpt
"'How they peppered us! I am full of holes,' Jim Pitts complained, as he and Charlie Yeager leaped from the International and Great Northern Express train near the Guadalupe River bridge just north of New Braunfels, Texas. It was true enough; varying accounts place between two and seven lead slugs in Pitts’ body (the smart money’s on four) as he and Yeager hit the ground and began running. The words would be his last. The pair made it only about ninety feet before Pitts sank to the ground. Yeager dragged him a few yards further and then eased down beside his dying partner. He had no choice; heavy steel manacles linked their wrists together. Though Yeager had always looked up to his older partner, his survival instinct quickly displaced hero worship. His only concern now was how to get free of his fix. As he pondered the situation he spied a large, sharp-edged rock – not so heavy it could shatter steel links, but plenty enough to bash through meat, cartilage and bone…"
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