The Real West - The Law from Behind the Tin Star
ASIN: B0064BQ7KQ
VHS Format
One of my favorite ways to research is to watch documentary-type television series because we can get a more three-dimensional sense of the facts as opposed to reading in a book. The History Channel's The Real West series is an enjoyable one with plenty of little tidbits and first person accounts throughout.
This particular episode focuses on the Law of the Wild West, which in some places wasn't a whole lot. "Gun Law" ruled before actual lawmen did, which also meant there were vigilante gangs to impose their own form of "justice". Sometimes lawmen overstepped their duties - intentionally or not.
April 15, 1871, James Butler Hickok (known as "Wild Bill Hickok") became marshal of Abilene, Kansas. He was a Civil War hero and flamboyant dresser with a real talent for handling and shooting guns. On October 5, 1871, James is holding off an unruly crowd on the sidewalk and shoots Phil Coe. He also accidentally shoots his deputy, Mike Williams.
Iron cages for jails were shipped to towns via the railroad. Badges were made from tin cans or were emblems sewn on hats.
Pat Garrett was sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches he made an imposing figure. In 1881 he captured Billy the Kid. He died in 1908 almost penniless.
You can check your local library for a copy or find one here:
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