Duels, gunfights & shoot-outs
Subtitle: wild tales from the Land of Enchantment
By: Don Bullis.
Publisher: Río Grande Books
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
Language: eng
Number of pages: 208
ISBN-13: 9781890689636
Subjects: Frontier and pioneer life -- New Mexico; Gunfights -- New Mexico; Outlaws -- New Mexico -- Biography; Violence -- New Mexico -- History; Firearms -- New Mexico -- History; Gunfights -- West (U.S.); Outlaws -- West (U.S.) -- Biography; Violence -- West (U.S.) -- History; Firearms -- West (U.S.) -- History; New Mexico -- History -- 19th century; New Mexico -- History -- 20th century; New Mexico -- Biography; West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century; West (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century; West (U.S.) -- Biography
Genres: Biography
Other titles: Duels, gunfights and shoot-outs
Description: New Mexico, like all states and territories in the American West, has had its share of violence over the years, particularly between the time of the American Occupation in 1864 and statehood in 1912. It didn't end then, of course, and these pages record violent events that occurred as recently as the beginning of the 20th century's third quarter. Too often, fights resulting in death were nugatory in nature: a dispute over a flock of turkeys, a drunken revelry, one man's personal dislike of another, petty theft. Other fights were far more important: peace officers killed as they performed their duties, criminals shot down as they assaulted society in one way or another. There is nothing glorious or romantic about any of this: violence in ugly and unpleasant in every case. These were real people, sometimes cowardly in their demeanor, sometimes brave, and even heroic. Some died with their boots, on; others did not. The common denominator was that more often than not, once the gun smoke cleared, ti became clear that someone was badly wounded, dying or dead. Violence, it is said, results when attempts at civility have failed, but the fact is that more often than note, the attempt is not made.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.