Journal Notes

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Judge Judy. I like her no-nonsense approach to dealing with people who come into her courtroom with no morals or sense of right and wrong. Many of the cases that come before her are from people that have borrowed huge sums of money from someone and refused to pay it back. They always claim the money was a gift. Sometimes the people who are in trouble owe thousands for traffic violations. They make a deal to pay the person they borrowed the money used to get them out of a jam back. They never do however and when they are in front of Judge Judy they too insist it was a gift. She tries to explain to them that the person they stiffed on the money should not be responsible for paying their traffic violations. She tries to get them to understand that what they have done is wrong. They NEVER get it. They sincerely do not think they have done anything wrong and that IT IS the other guy’s responsibility. It’s frustrating to watch, but I do because she doesn’t let such lack of shame and morals pass without punishment. Stupid should hurt and on Judge Judy’s show it does. I recently had a conversation with someone who is insensitive to a host of people’s feelings – just dead wrong about the way they are treating people. They don’t see it. And they get away with the bad they do. It’s unfortunate that Judge Judy can’t be more like Judge Roy Bean. In his court the morally bankrupt who refused to see the error of their ways were taught a lesson at the end of the rope. Sometimes lynching an evil person is necessary. In 1892, two criminals from Wyoming were taken out for their inability to see they were wrong and change their ways. Nate Champion and Nick Ray were murdered by a hundred or so minions of the Wyoming Stockmens Association at the Kaycee Ranch in Johnston County. Ray was gunned down at daybreak outside the cabin and heroically pulled to safety by Champion. Ray soon expired and Champion was put under siege inside the cabin. When the cabin was set afire Champion made a break for it and was shot 28 times. He left a detailed diary of the events up to the fire. Frontier justice?it worked!

One of the framed movie posters I have hanging in my home is for the film The Long Riders. It’s a smart western directed by a brilliant director named Walter Hill. Hill also directed several other fine westerns such as Wild Bill, Deadwood, and Broken Trail. Hill will be writing and directing Thunder Over the Prairie. I spoke with him yesterday to give him an update on the project and we spent some time talking about Elizabeth Custer. He’s interested in writing the screenplay based on the book Howard and I are writing. Walter knows westerns and it will be a pleasure to work with him. The release of the book seems so far away. I’m still writing chapter 8. I’ve have two more chapters to write after that, a bibliography, an introduction, photos to gather, and captions to write. My deadline is September 1, 2010. That seems like such a short time away. I am very grateful to be able to write for a living and I love this subject. I’m doing some part-time work for a PI firm. I’m helping to investigate a murder. I primarily go through the records doing the same kind of research I do for the books I write. One of the things I find most interesting about the case I’m working on now is how the statements from two of the principles involved are almost identical. They might be a word or two off, but they say the exact same thing in the same way. I find that odd. It seems scripted and rehearsed. I’m going to dig a little further. Something about this doesn’t seem right. More than 130 years ago at this time, Dodge City was still talking about a shooting that took place at the Long Branch Saloon. In 1879, Cockeyed Frank Loving and Levi Richardson got in a bitter fight over a woman in the saloon. When the smoke cleared Richardson lay dead on the floor and Cockeyed Frank went on to love another day. I hope to be heading back to Dodge in September. It’s one of my favorite places. Lots of open space, history galore, and some of the finest people I’ve ever met. At 8:21 a.m. my website was visited by an employee at the New Liberty Hospital District of Clay County, Missouri. I know who you are, but not sure what you want. Why don’t you come out of hiding and show yourself?

It’s unfortunate that I have to start my Monday with another conversation with the FBI about the individuals who emailed death threats to me at the beginning of the year. They have returned – hitting the site after midnight this morning from an Brigham Young University off-campus location. I’ll phone the dean of the school again today and contact the authorities. Hope the perpetrators feel their impending losses were worth it. On this day more than 128 years ago, the western public was a buzz with the news that the notorious Jesse James had been killed. Bob Ford, known as “that dirty little coward,” put a bullet in the back of James’s head. Immediately afterwards he scampered down to the telegraph office to claim the reward offered by Governor Crittenden. Ford’s fame did not have the desired outcome he’d hoped. The film The Assassination of Jesse James by Bob Ford was a gritty picture, well acted by Casey Affleck. It is one of my favorite westerns. Many of my favorite western are so because of the memorable dialogue. Tombstone, The Unforgiven, and Once Upon a Time in the West are great quotable westerns. The theme of revenge is a particular favorite of mine. That subject matter makes for some unforgettable lines. Throughout every period in history that subject matter has made for some unforgettable lines. Here are a few: “I will not leave you until I see you hanged.” Jean Baptise Paquelin Moliene, “If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge.” William Shakespeare. “All the old knives that have rusted in my back, I drive in yours.” Phaedrus. “No more tears now; I will think about revenge.” Mary Queen of Scots. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the Elizabeth Custer manuscript today, but I will be thinking of Mary Queen of Scots sentiments when I speak with the authorities this morning. “No more tears now; I will think about revenge.”

At the beginning of this year I received numerous death threats via my website. Many of the emails were initiated by students at faith-based universities. I received an update on the matter from the authorities yesterday. Regardless of what is done to or said about me I know my brother isn’t guilty. It’s not blind faith either. I know what I know and I won’t change my mind. I’ve spent a great deal of time since my return from Montana reviewing what I’ve written about Elizabeth Custer. I’m checking and rechecking my facts and adding endnotes. She was a fascinating, daring woman and the more I write about her the more I admire her. I find it ironic that I would spend my days writing about women of the Old West. I’ve never been a fan of women as a whole. I don’t have many women friends. With few exceptions I find most women to be manipulative and untrustworthy. Sadly, I believe the examples set by some of the women in my own family have contributed to my thinking. Sadder still are the times I act out the very behaviors I detest in females. I’ve never known any woman personally with the grit and loyalty Elizabeth Custer possessed. I like Libbie because she meant what she said and stood by her convictions. I hope some of those qualities influence my life. Maybe by the end of writing the book I’ll be a better woman.

I drove to historic Woodland, CA. on Saturday to give a presentation to the Friends of the Library organization. March is Women’s History Month and it was a great pleasure to share stories about some of the inspiring ladies of the Old West. The unfortunate part of the event was the news the prestigious library where the presentation took place is in danger of being closed. The economic climate isn’t good and because of that many public libraries share the same potential fate. A sad fate. It’s the one place in any county where you are given the chance to borrow wisdom, history, mysteries, human interest tales, with simply the promise to bring the book back when you’re done. Flann O’Brien author of The Best of Myles once said, “Those dreadful detective stories. Another corpse in the library this evening. Really, you know, too much of a good thing. Fourth this week. No doubt trouble is shortage of libraries.” There was an article published about some of my books in True West magazine this month. I thought it might help drive more folks to the site. It hasn’t. I’ve produced two new ads for You Tube and this site. I look to launching those in early April. A good portion of what I have to do during the day is sales and I need to do better at it. I enjoy writing, but would enjoy it more if I knew the books are being read. Doesn’t seem like I’m going to be able to county on public libraries for too much longer. I’m back to work on the Libbie Custer book today. I need to go back and recheck my facts. My recent visit to Montana was important in many ways, but in particular for the specific dates of the events that happened in her life. Just want to get all my facts straight. I’ll dive back into the PI case today I was handed prior to going to the Little Big Horn. I’m anxious to get back to work on that mystery. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my brother Rick. I’ve promised him that his life would not be for nothing. If I might borrow a line from Shakespeare’s Henry V, “By this leek, I will most horribly revenge.” On this day in western history in 1887, cattle rustler and murderer Mannen Clements, was killed in a gunfight in the Senate Saloon in Ballinger, TX by city Marshall Joe Townsend. Mannen was John Wesley Hardin’s brother-in-law. With Hardin in your family you could just bet someone was going to be guned down.

Nothing could have prepared me for the treasure trove of material I had the privilege of being able to review at the museum at Garryowen near the Little Big Horn in Montana. The main office was rich with never before seen letters, photos, journals between George and Elizabeth Custer. Elizabeth Custer never got rid of anything and she was a writing fiend. It was quite a thrill to hold the actual journals she wrote in 1877. Some of the material will be used in the book Howard Kazanjian and I are writing about Libbie’s life. I’m very excited about the opportunity. Last year I got to hold Dodge City lawman Bill Tilghman’s gun and this year I’m paging through the diary of the woman many historians call the First Lady of the West. The director of the museum was incredibly kind and a former law enforcement officer. At some point we started talking about false arrests for a variety of crimes and I mentioned having personal experience with such things. I started missing my brother Rick again. I was suddenly aware of how I had no right to be excited about the historical find when he’s dying in a Federal prison. It’s my fault he’s there and nothing I ever do will make up for it. I wish everyday I’d hired a better lawyer. I hope I can help others in the same situation. According to the National District Attorney’s Association there is a conviction rate of over 95% in the cases of this type, and a dismissal rate lower than for most other crimes. Also, in this area there is a much higher rate of plea-bargains. There are lots of reasons this situation occurs. Some of it is the fault of the accused, and much of which is the fault of the legal advice they receive, and the hidden agendas of people in the system. Many accused people fall victim to the “Now is not the time syndrome” which so permeates the practice of law on this kind of case as to be an epidemic. There is an abundance of do nothing lawyers who ask huge fees before the case is tried and lost or worse yet, large fees charged and no work done on the case and at the last minute the client is brow beaten to take a plea bargain. That type of lawyer never makes any real efforts to have the case dismissed early. There is also the fact that 90% of the lawyers who advertise as criminal defense lawyers will never take a case to a successful trial conclusion in their entire careers. Their success is in badgering their clients to accept plea bargains even when totally innocent. The attorney representing my brother did just that. My PI work has taken a backseat the last couple days. I’ll get back to the case soon. On this very day in 1882, there was a bloody shootout at Chandler’s Milk Farm near Gleeson, Arizona. A posse led by Cochise County Deputy Sheriff Billy Breakenridge killed outlaw and cattle rustler, Billy Grounds. Grounds partner Zwing Hunt was shot up and captured. One of the possemen was killed, two others were wounded.

What kind of sadness would drive someone to shoot themselves in the head? I understand deep despair, but shooting yourself in the head?. The resolve it takes to go through with that act is extraordinary. Maybe that’s why I lean towards the death of the comedy writer I’m helping to investigate as murder. I will receive ALL of her unpublished work, journals, etc. later this week. I’m off to Montana tomorrow to the Little Big Horn. I’m looking forward to the trip and the information I can glean about Elizabeth Custer. On this day in 1882 -Wyatt Earp and friends gunned down Florentino Cruz at Pete Spence’s wood lot outside tombstone. Cruz was innocent of any participation in the attacks on the Earp family. Pete Spence and Indian Charlie were the men that the Earp posse were looking for, but they weren’t at the wood lot. The Earp Posse just killed Florentino because he was handy.

Making a living as an author of books about women of the Old West isn’t the most lucrative career. I’ve had to rely on private investigative work the last few months to supplement my income. Nothing big – process serving mostly for a nearby county. A week ago however, I was asked to help in the investigation of the suspicious death of an out of work comedy writer. It appears as though the writer committed suicide, but there were another pair of shoeprints at the location that appear to be walking away from the body. That’s what makes it suspicious. Given my background in historical research and writing in general, it seems as through I can be of some use. My assignment is to go through the aspiring jester’s scripts, journals, notes, comedy routines, etc., and find a reason she might have wanted to end her life prematurely. I’ll also be looking for enemies she might have had that she wrote about. On this day in western history in 1882: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday gunned down Frank Stillwell at the train station in Tucson for his alleged part in the shooting of Virgil Earp, Stillwell and Ike Clanton were both there to make yet another attempt on the Earp family. Virgil was on the train escorting Morgan’s body to California for burial. Clanton scampered off into the night when he saw Wyatt. It was the second time he fled from a fight with the Earps.

False allegations of molestation and rape occur everyday. This is just one example of the more than 52 hundred false reports made in Florida alone in the last two years. PANAMA CITY BEACH -Two spring breakers have been charged with filing false crime reports this week after accusing authorities of rape, police and sheriff’s deputies said. The young women – 19-year-old Megan Wheeler of Allen, Texas, and 22-year-old Kimberly Mills of McDonough, Ga. – were arrested in separate incidents Monday, according to incident reports. Initially, both simply were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The false report charge is a felony. Each woman made a rape accusation at the Bay County Jail, authorities said. In Mills’ case, deputies said she was making similar accusations before that. A friend said she was kicked out of Sharky’s Beach Club (where she accused a security guard of rape), angrily locked the friend out of their shared hotel room and caused a scene in the hotel as the pair argued about it. A deputy responded, eventually arrested Mills on a disorderly conduct charge and led her to a patrol car, where she “yelled out, ?You raped me,’ ” according to an incident report. After she arrived at the jail, she claimed one of two male security guards who escorted her – a female guard was present, too – also raped her, the deputy wrote. She remained locked up Wednesday on $5,250 bond, according to the jail. Wheeler, meanwhile, said a Panama City Beach police officer raped her in the back of his patrol car. Police, however, said she wouldn’t consent to an examination and changed her story several times.
Panama City Beach Police Maj. David Humphreys said the false report charge is rare and the agency hasn’t filed one all year. However, if a woman alleges rape after a PCB police officer takes her to the Bay County Jail, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office handles the case. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ruth Corley said that over the last two weeks the agency has arrested five people for providing false information or filing a false report.

I’ve got another two copies of Tales Behind the Tombstone to give away. All you need to do is drop me a line and let me know you’d like a copy. I think you’ll enjoy the read. 4.0 out of 5 stars Really Interesting Book….Rare Subject, February 25, 2010
By Ambergris “John Thomas” (New England…..USA) This book became the latest edition to my vast library of western fact and lore this past Christmas. People that know me well realize that it can be a pretty tough chore to try and get me something in print that tells it like it is, or rather like it was as to the American frontier. Something that I don’t already have that is. Someone took a chance on this book and fortunately hit the mark. Tales Behind The Tombstones is sorta a book that takes over, or begins where a lot of other books, bios, and documentaries are set to call it end of trail. I have read so many books and seen so many docus and shows that do a fair job in telling the tale of some of the west most colorful figures, but when it comes to their finally getting around to detailing said figures deaths, they tend to not manage much more than just to tell you they upped and kicked it on a certain date. Oh, they mention that they got shot, got sick and died, wasted away, etc. But rarely will you find what is in my opinion such a well researched collection of the last days and events of some the wests best known heroes, as well as a handful of its sorriest.
“Tales” is a really interesting book that I feel both tenderfoots and seasoned old west aficionados will find informative, and even fascinating in parts. It not only covers the last days and deaths of well known western legends such as Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Hickok, but it also introduces you to other interesting characters that made their mark on the west and whose lives we will instantly find worthy of getting comfy with and reading on. People like Sarah Winnemucca, Rattlesnake Dick, and a fascinating but heartbreaking entry called Children of the Trail. Try as you might, it will be difficult for anyone to recall a book or story that begins at the end of a true legends tale of wonder. Most of us that are big fans of this era know so well all about the deeds and musings of so much that came before the end. Allow yourself the pleasure now of catching up and joining so many as the end is right up over the next rise. A really good book at a very reasonable price that I highly recommend. Enjoy…