In 1869, Tazewell County, Illinois, located along the East side of the Illinois River, was on the very edge of the western frontier. Law and order had been established, but the citizens were terrorized by a gang of horse thieves which included four brothers. They commit horse stealing, burglary, robbery, assaults and even murder until finally it culminated when they ambushed a posse and murdered a deputy sheriff, brother to the local sheriff.
Angry citizens mete out their own justice.
Lynch Law tells in narative form, an accurate account of the incidents leading up to, during, and after enraged citizens attacked the jail and lynched one of the gang before being stopped by a tough city marshal. A great piece of America's frontier history. A documentary in great narrative form, this book is a well told and exciting true tale of America's western frontier history that I believe warrants a place in America's written history as much as do the James gang, the Daltons, Billy the Kid or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is a great example of true frontier justice meted out by citizens when they have reached a boiling point with outlaws. Lynch Law takes you back to that time and lets you witness the true story behind the lynching as it unfolds.