Dime Novel Desperadoes - The Notorious Maxwell Brothers

John E. Hallwas

Summary

A thrilling true crime narrative and groundbreaking historical account, Dime Novel Desperadoes recovers the long-forgotten story of Ed and Lon Maxwell, the outlaw brothers from Illinois who once rivaled Jesse and Frank James in national notoriety. Growing up hard as the sons of a struggling tenant farmer, the Maxwell brothers started their lawbreaking as robbers and horse thieves in the 1870s, embarking on a life of crime that quickly captured the public eye._x000B__x000B_Already made famous locally by newspapers that wanted to dramatize crimes and danger for an eager reading audience, the brothers achieved national prominence in 1881 when they shot and killed Charles and Milton Coleman, Wisconsin lawmen who were trying to apprehend them. Public outrage sparked the largest manhunt for outlaws in American history, involving some twenty posses who pursued the desperadoes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. Some of the pursuers were intent on a lynching, but the outlaws escaped against incredible odds. When a mob finally succeeded in killing Ed, in broad daylight on a courthouse lawn, that event generated widespread commentary on law and order. Nevertheless, the daring desperadoes were eventually portrayed as heroes in sensationalistic dime novels._x000B__x000B_A stunning saga of robbery and horse stealing, gunfights and manhunts, murder and mob violence, Dime Novel Desperadoes also delves into the cultural and psychological factors that produced lawbreakers and created a crime wave in the post-Civil War era. By pointing to social inequities, media distortions, and justice system failures, John E. Hallwas reveals the complicity of nineteenth-century culture in the creation of violent criminals. Further, by featuring astute, thought-provoking analysis of the lawbreaker's mindset, this book explores the issue at the heart of humanity's quest for justice: the perpetrator's responsibility for his criminal acts._x000B__x000B_Every overview and encyclopedia of American outlaws will need to be revised, and the fabled "Wild West" will have to be extended east of the Mississippi River, in response to this riveting chronicle of major American desperadoes who once thrilled the nation but have since escaped historical attention for well over a century. With more than forty illustrations and several maps that bring to life the exciting world of the Maxwell brothers, Dime Novel Desperadoes is a new classic in the annals of American outlawry.

Available since: 07/18/2008.

Other books that might interest you

You Can't Win - The Classic...

Jack Black

You Can't Win is the pioneering American criminal underworld memoir written by Jack Black, a burglar, drifter and criminal active in early 1900's America. Black's astonishing accounts of hopping trains, cracking safes, escaping prison cells, and drug addiction offers an unusually vivid portrait of American underworld life over a century ago. Beat legend William S. Burroughs ('Junkie') cited the book as influential in his life and writing.
In his striking, deadpan and humorous memoir, the author recaptures the transient underworld of the early twentieth century. In You Can't Win, the reader will meet unforgettable underworld characters as diverse and fascinating as: 'Foot and a Half George'; 'Salt Chunk Mary'; 'The Sanctimonious Kid'; 'Soldier Johnnie'; and others.
With an accompanying bonus Glossary of Hobo, Tramp, and Transient Terminology, You Can't Win tells of Black's experiences in the hobo and criminal underworld, freight-hopping around North America in the early 1900's. The book is among the first to introduce the fascinating 'yegg' subculture, a prototypical form of criminal Hobo or bum prevalent in the USA around the turn of the century. You Can't Win is a must-listen for fans of true crime, American history, Beat writers, and hobo-yegg culture.
The main criminal activity of Black's life and of the book is thievery, which leads to discussions of various technical aspects of the thief's trade, including: the casing of prospects (surveillance of targets), safe-cracking, fencing of stolen goods, the disposal of evidence, maintaining aliases and avoiding attention or traceability, the social networks of criminals, and doing time in jails and prisons. The vices and addictions Black reveals include alcoholism, abuse of opium ('hop'), gambling, prostitution, and stealing.
*NOTE: Potentially offensive ethnic slang appearing in the original text has been modified

Show book

Death Trap

M. William Phelps

A loving father and his new wife set out to pick up his kids for a scheduled weekend visit-but never suspected they were walking into a death trap.A handwritten note instructed Alan and Terra Bates to enter the back door of his ex-wife's Alabama home. A day later their charred bodies were found hundreds of miles away, wrapped in blankets, in a burned-out car's trunk on a desolate Georgia road.At Jessica McCord's house, law enforcement officials found windows covered in blankets, a cache of weapons and ammunition, carpets torn up, new tile on the floors, and the couch missing. Then they learned about the nasty divorce and bitter custody battle that had landed Jessica in jail. Along with her new police-officer husband, Jessica became the prime suspect in this brutal double murder.

Show book

Deadly Secrets

M. William Phelps

National bestselling and award-winning author M. William Phelps-star of Investigation Discovery's smash-hit TV series Dark Minds-updates his classic work of true crime in which psychological drama, passion, and murder collide in a powerful audiobook with special appeal to women listeners. 
 
In the postcard-pretty town of Pleasant Valley, New York, Susan Fassett left choir practice at her church-and was gunned down in the parking lot. An entire town reeled in shock. Susan was a beloved wife and friend without a known enemy. Only two people knew the disturbing truth-Susan had been living a double life. Behind the picture-perfect façade of small-town America lay a hidden world of sado-masochism, lesbian affairs, betrayal, and adultery. In this updated true-crime classic, M. William Phelps brings new dimension to shocking real-life drama of secrets, lies, and murder.

Show book

Twins The - Men of Violence -...

Kate Kray

'If one woman understands tough guys, it's Kate Kray' - The IndependentMarried to Ron before his death, and a regular correspondent with Reg, Kate Kray was granted unique access to the shadowy underworld they inhabited, and was entrusted with some of the darkest secrets they possessed - secrets that could never be revealed until they were both dead. Featuring exclusive letters, thoughts from the twins themselves, as well as anecdotes and tributes from gangsters, actors and East End faces, Kate has produced the definitive view of the Krays. Fifty years on from their incarceration, this thrilling and, at times, terrifying memoir remains a truly unique portrait of the real men behind the immortal image.

Show book

Serial Killers - 101 Questions...

Joni Johnston

A forensic psychologist answers true crime fan questions and reveals the terrifying truth behind the world’s deadliest serial killers. 
 
Serial killers haunt our dreams and inspire the terrifying villains of TV shows and horror movies. But how much do you really know about the minds behind the world’s deadliest killers? What drives these murderers to kill and kill again? And what fuels our fascination with the true stories of their horrific crimes? 
 
Now forensic psychologist, private investigator, and crime writer Dr. Joni E. Johnston brings you the answers to these questions and more! Serial Killers: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask dives into the case files of the most infamous murderers in history, and answers the questions true crime fans have been dying to ask . . .

Show book

A Killing in Amish Country - Sex...

Gregg Olsen, Rebecca Morris

AN OLD WAY OF LIFE 
Thirty-year-old Barbara Weaver was content to live as the Amish have for centuries—without modern convenience—but her husband, Eli, wanted a life beyond horses and buggies. Soon he gave in to the temptation of technology and found ways to go online and meet women. When Barbara was found dead, shot in the chest at close range, all eyes were on Eli . . . and his mistress, a Conservative Mennonite named Barb Raber. 
A NEW KIND OF BETRAYAL—AND DEATH . . . 
Barb drove Eli to appointments in her car. She gave him everything he asked for: a laptop, rides to his favorite fishing and hunting spots—and sex. Above all, she gave him the cell phone he would use to plan a murder. The Weaver case marked only the third time an Amish man was suspected of killing his wife in more than two hundred years in America. But the investigation raised almost as many questions as it answered: Was Barb Raber the one who fired the fatal shot? Or was Barbara Weaver dead before someone entered the house? What did Eli's friends, family, and church really know about him? And will life among the "Plain People" ever be the same?

Show book