Journal Notes

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…

The 6 and ½ hour drive to the Lone Pine Film History Museum was breathtaking. The tops of the mountains around the location were filled with snow and voices of the actors who filmed some of the greatest westerns of all time echoed throughout the valley below. I was proud to have been asked to visit the museum and give a lecture about reel women of the Old West versus real women of the Old West. The group that assembled there to hear the talk were kind and attentive and enthusiastic about the history of women on the wild frontier. The museum staff couldn’t haven’t been more cooperative and decent. I can’t wait to go back. It would be great to be invited to return during their October film festival. The museum always has a host of famous Old West actors gathered for the event. I’ll be traveling to Long Beach to see my brother in a couple of months. He’s been away more than five years and I still miss him terribly. I read a book recently about the subject of false accusation of child molestation and the twisted mothers involved in extra-marital affairs who help shape such claims. Barbara C. Johnson’s is the author of the book, “Behind the Black Robes: Failed Justice” She says we are living in the Age of Feminist Hysteria and Feminine Rebellion. Here are some excerpts from her book, at pages 128-29: “?But as bad as rape is, and whatever the cause, it is not as bad as an innocent man being sent to jail for 20 years for a crime he did not commit. Unfortunately, false accusations of rape are not uncommon?.Despite these high false-accusation rate figures, men are often assumed to be guilty on the basis of a simple accusation of a woman or a coached child. A man who attempts to defend himself is often prevented from doing so by rape shield laws, which prevent him from presenting exculpatory evidence. Even worse, as some well-publicized cases have shown, women who knowingly make such false accusations are not prosecuted. Essentially, they are given a free pass for committing a crime?.The result is that the credibility of real rape victims is destroyed. Since the rate of false rape accusations is so high, and since false accusations are not prosecuted, women are essentially encouraged to make false accusations of rape for political reasons, and the public has no way of knowing whether a rape accusation is real or not?. Court reform should include the following two initiatives with regard to rape: Additional protections for men, to allow an adequate defense against false charges of rape. Prosecution of women who, knowingly and maliciously, make false charges of rape” I agree with Ms. Johnson – something has to be done.

It’s snowing over Donner Summit, but I’m off to Lone Pine anyway. If I recall, it was that same wild-eyed enthusiasm that brought about the Donner Party’s ultimate demise. More when I return – if I return. In the meantime enjoy this review of Tales Behind the Tombstone. I have a couple promotions copies to give away. If you drop me a line and let me know your interested, they’re yours! 4.0 out of 5 stars Really Interesting Book….Rare Subject, February 25, 2010 By Ambergris “John Thomas” (New England…..USA) – See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) 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…

I had the pleasure of seeing Hal Holbrook perform his one man Mark Twain show a couple of nights ago. It was extraordinary. Not only was I moved by the brave interpretation of the material, but impressed with Mr. Holbrook’s tenacity. He’s 85 years old. The set was simple. A desk, chair, pulpit, a few books, an ashtray, and a crystal pitcher of water and a glass. It was a wonderful experience and it made me want to read Huck Fin again. Samuel Langhorne Clemens came West looking for golf and discovered a career instead. He plied his trade as a journalist, but it was his short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” (set in the area that he’d gone to hunt for gold) that caused a sensation and made his name as a writer. Twain was brilliant. I thought I’d include some of my favorite Twain sayings on the site today. I aspire to be as entertaining in my work. We write frankly and fearlessly but then we “modify” before we print. – Letter to Fred J. Hall, 10 Aug 1892 about his work as a journalist. I conceive that the right way to write a story for boys is to write so that it will not only interest boys but strongly interest any man who has ever been a boy. That immensely enlarges the audience. – Life on the Mississippi. It is no use to keep private information which you can’t show off.- “An Author’s Soldiering,” 1887 Experience of life (not of books) is the only capital usable in such a book as you have attempted; one can make no judicious use of this capital while it is new.- letter to Bruce Weston Munro, 21 Oct 1881.

I’ve been struggling with insomnia for years. I am completely unable to sleep until it’s time to get up! It’s maddening. It does give me a great deal of time to do research. And there’s nothing more fun to do at 3 a.m.. The last few nights I’ve been looking into the life of a lawman turned outlaw by the name of John Larn. On this day in 1877 Sheriff Larn of Shackleford County, Texas resigned because he and another outlaw were found to be stock thieves. That’s a polite way of saying they were cattle rustlers. It was a busy year for Larn. He killed one of his partners in a fight over a horse in Colorado, a nosey sheriff in New Mexico, two Mexicans near the Pecos River, and a third riding along with him on a cattle drive. Larn was eventually shot and killed by vigilantes. I’ll be heading to Lone Pine, California at the end of this week. I’m going to be speaking at the Lone Pine Film Museum. Lone Pine has been used as a setting for numerous westerns – How The West Was Won, North to Alaska, and Joe Kidd are just a few. Back in the 1870s, Lone Pine was a wild and woolly supply town providing goods and services for the gold and silver miners in the area. It’s a beautiful location. I could use a change of scenery. Everywhere I go however, there I am and that’s the damned awful misery of it.