Frontier Justice in the Wild West: Bungled, Bizarre, and Fascinating Executions
On the Western Frontier, where jailhouses were few and gunslinging, cattle rustling, and stagecoach robberies were common, legal executions served as both a deterrent and as entertainment. In some cases, invitations summoned spectators - and they came in droves. From 1854 to 1910, in the lawless towns of the Old West, more than one thousand men (and two women) were executed. And while most of the punishments went off "without a hitch," a handful of necktie parties and firing squads stand out in the annals of history.Frontier Justice in the Wild Westexamines eighteen of the most interesting, controversial, and unusual executions.