Journal Notes

I hope to finish writing another 10 pages for on the Libbie Custer biography before heading off to Montana at the end of the week. I need to visit the Little Big Horn again and Elizabeth Custer’s museum in Garryowen Town. The object of the additional research is to acquire more information about their extra-marital relationships. George and Elizabeth were hopelessly devoted to one another, but their marriage had problems. I’d like to explore some of those problems and find out how they rose above them. I’m using two books as templates for writing the book about my brother, one is Forgiving the Deadman Walking by Debbie Morris and the other is Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton. Right now I am focusing on the prosecution’s statements to the press that my brother was hanging out at schools and picking up young girls. They failed to mention to the court and to the reporters that the girls in question were my nieces and that Rick was asked by my other brother to pick his daughters up after school and take them to the dentist. That kind of truth does not make good headlines, but the lie certainly helps a prosecuting attorney paint a misleading picture so the case can successfully be tried in the court of public opinion. And that’s just one of the many misleading statements that was fed to the press. It’s very hard to live the example set by the three people in the books I previously mentioned. I want to however. I am compelled to correct these misconceptions, but this experience has convinced me that God’s peace can’t be separated from his grace and forgiveness. On this day, just a mere 199 years ago, Bob and Grat Dalton were making plans to rob a train in Alila, CA.. The actual robbery took place on Saturday, February 6th. They killed the fireman but could not open the safe and finally rode off empty handed. The Daltons were tougher and meaner than they were smart.

I’ve enjoy researching and writing about Elizabeth and George Custer, but find it difficult to recount the brutal behavior of both the Native Americans and the Whites on the frontier. For example, on this day 145 years ago, outraged Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux warriors launched a series of attacks all along the valley of the South Platte River in Colorado. The Indians strike at wagon trains, state stations, and military outposts. The town Julesburg, in northeast Colorado, is burned, and its white residents scalped in retaliation for the massacre at Sand Creek. Denver is threatened. Communications and supplies through the area are halted. The incident at Sand Creek that prompted this action was a shameful. A 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho encamped in southeastern Colorado Territory. They killed 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, and children. The Indians wanted revenge and they got it. It only resulted in more bloodshed however. Revenge rarely has the effect you think it will. I believe it must be wholly unsatisfying. For me Clint Eastwood’s character in The Unforgiven demonstrated that best. There’s a great scene in the movie when he and The Kid are discussing the demise of the person they were seeking to get revenge. Eastwood’s character says, “It’s a hell of a thing, ain’t it, killin’ a man. You take everything he’s got?an’ everythin’ he’s ever gonna have.” The Kidd responds through tears, “Well, I guess they had it comin.” Eastwood’s character answers, “We all got it comin, Kid.” I suppose in some way that’s true. We all got it coming. In my opinion there are some more deserving than others.

The new book that was just released and the book I’m currently working on feature the complex issue of marriage in the Old West. In the Many Loves of Buffalo Bill I highlighted the affairs he had and in the book Howard Kazanjian and I are writing about Elizabeth Custer, we look at the extra-marital relations both Libbie and George had. It got me thinking about marriage as a whole this morning. I can’t help but notice the changes that have taken place in the institution of marriage itself since people wed in the Old West. People tended to stay together back then in spite of their problems. They either worked things out or learned to live with that which would never change. Not today. It seems now of days that couples are breaking up like a four-thousand-year-old Peruvian vase shipped UPS. And that’s too bad, because marriage can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will have on this planet – if you meet the right person. (George and Elizabeth never doubted they had met the right person, but Buffalo Bill?) If you don’t meet the right person marriage can be as tedious, ugly, and soul-crushing as driving on the 5 Freeway to Knott’s Berry Farm with the windows up and no air-conditioning on Labor Day weekend. The vows are scary enough. I mean, “We are gathered here to witness the joining of two people?.” Joining. Could we come up with a slightly more industrial term? How about, “soldering?” Yeah, have a couple of guys from the machinists’ union swing by, drop the welder’s masks, and handle this part of the ceremony. It seems like the only two times they pronounce you anything in life is when they pronounce you “man and wife” or “dead on arrival.” More often than not in the Old West couples just eloped. They were spared all the arguments that come with planning such an event. After close to 21 years of marriage, I’m sure of two things – first, never wallpaper together, and second, you’ll need two bathrooms?both for your wife. And now on to an event that took place on this day in the Old West in 1890. Heck Thomas, a lawman from Oklahoma, tried to arrest Jim July, one of criminal Bell Starr’s paramours, who was a robber and bail skipper. July resisted arrest and was killed in the ensuing gunplay. That was one of the reasons relationship worked out so well in the Old West. There was so much gunplay many were killed before they had a chance to be really unhappy with their situation.

If you’re looking for a cool comeback to a tough character, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, fed up with the office hussy, or need a new job, there’s nothing like snappy lines from a great western book or film to draw from. I thought I’d start the week off with bits of dialogue from some of my favorite westerns. They remind me of that there’s independent western spirit inside each of us. The exchange between Carroll Baker and Chuck Conners gets pretty heated in the 1958 movie Big Country – “Miss Terrill, aren’t you going to introduce me to your fiancé?” Chuck asks. “I wouldn’t introduce you to a dog.” Carroll responds. In Destry Rides Again Marlene Dietrich sets James Stewart straight about what her profession involves. “You’d better mind your own business or you’re heading for trouble.” James Stewart’s character warns Marlene Dietrich. “Trouble is my business,” she snaps back. Christopher George had a great line in the movie El Dorado. “Faith can move mountains. But it can’t beat a faster draw.” One of my favorite lines of dialogue is in the movie Giant. Wealthy Elizabeth Taylor’s character shares with the poor James Dean character that “Money isn’t all, you know?.” Dean responds, “Not when you got it.” I began preproduction on a short subject western last week. I hope the dialogue in the short is as tough and memorable as these lines. After several months of waiting for the financing for the film version of Thunder Over the Prairie to materialize, the official word from the backers of the project is that the check should be in the producer’s hands by next month. While I wait I’ll work on the Libbie Custer bio and the book A Most Deadly Lie. I’m the least patient person I know with a job that requires nothing but. Oh, the irony. Whenever I think about venturing into another line of work that offers immediate results the line John Wayne uttered in Red River echoes in my head. “I don’t like quitters. Especially when they’re not good enough to finish what they started.” Thanks, Duke. I needed that.

Think I’ll return to the Old West today. On this day in 1877, lawmen, gambler, businessman and rancher Pink Higgins gunned down all around bad guy and cattle thief Merritt Horrell. Higgins shot Horrell with a Winchester rifle at Jerry Scott’s Saloon in Lampasas, TX. Horrell got back up each time after being shot twice. He didn’t make it back up after the third and fourth time he was shot however. The Many Loves of Buffalo Bill is available in wide release. So far the reviews have been positive. Cody was a fascinating man. Hope to get some good news today about the western film Thunder Over the Prairie. I could use a little good news.

I get by with a little help from my friends. Thank you, God. Kathie Miller Floyd commented on your status: “Oh, YES!!! You are DEFINITELY a child of God!!! May the joy of the Lord and the healing balm of His Spirit fill your awareness all DAY — over and above all the evil that exists in your world.” Lova Wood commented on your status: “HOLD ON TO THAT FAITH CHRIS GOD KNOWS WHAT A GREAT CHRISTIAN AND PERSON YOU ARE.” Jan Carman commented on your status: “how would this person know if you’re a christian or not because she definetly isn’t one. only God knows your heart and some of us are blessed with feeling your heart. only God knows your brothers past and i know God has forgiven him of all his past sins like he has me. What is the most important thing God tells us to do???? LOVE, LOVE, AND MORE LOVE. lets all pray for this demonic person that sounds like they’re trying to be God’s assistant.” “James D Smith commented on your status: “Chris! those of us who know you know your are a christian and your love of God, we support you standing by your brother that is what God wants to do! do not this person get to you! let’s pray for them to know God as we know him. Jim” Timothy L. Smethers commented on your status: “If she or he is a real Christian, then he or she wouldn’t have to hide by
another name!!!!! The LORD tells me to LOVE that person but that doesn’t mean
they are not a stupid BAFFOON!!!!”Patti Ferree commented on your status: “Chris, the christian sister of mine. You are such a servant of the Lord. Why this person keeps saying these things is because they are doing the work of the devil, himself. This person is NOT a believer or they would know you and who you are. Stand firm in Christ.”

I received this email this evening. I have passed the entire ramblings on to the Feds, my own attorney, and to the the Dean at BYU. “Dear Chris, I am the person who you are now calling “the culprit”. Since you claim to know who I am, I am now going to explain to you my actions. You spend every day on your website claiming to know God, and then claiming to know that your brother is innocent of the crime for which there was tons of evidence for, that he was convicted for.” I think it’s unfortunate that this student spends so much time on my site. I don’t understand – if they are that bothered by what I write on my post, why do they continual visit my site. I’ll be praying for this young woman and BYU. I hear New Zealand is lovely this time of year.

Home again. The 17th Century attorney general Edward Coke wrote “The home of everyone is to him his castle and fortress, as well for his defense against injury and violence, as for his repose.” I don’t think that applies now that homes have the internet. My fortress has not protected me from injury or the threat of violence. I have been in long talks with authorities today about the threats and pornography I was emailed prior to leaving on the book tour. For those of you who have emailed to ask about the identity of the culprit I can tell you it’s a student from BYU, her friends and associates. The head of the FBI is quoted as saying that the “internet gives cowards a false sense of security, but cowards are always found out.” I had a wonderful time on the road promoting the Buffalo Bill Cody book. As usual, Mary Kay Speaks at the Barnes and Noble in Independence was a delight. She always makes time for authors when they visit and her store is very busy. I got to spend time with my niece while I was in the Midwest. She’s adorable and I love her more than I realized. I’m anxious to get back to work on the Elizabeth Custer biography. I received another of her journals from Yale University while I was gone and can’t wait to pour over it’s contents. I’m blessed to be able to make a living doing what I love. And speaking of history?on this day in 1893, the outlaw Bitter Creek George Newcomb and two others were jumped by a posse near Bartlesville, Oklahoma. One of the outlaws was wounded and captured, but Bitter Creek and Henry Starr both got away. They were eventually caught and gunned down. I guess cowards were found out in the Old West too.

Book Review.
The Many Loves of Buffalo Bill: The True Story of Life on the Wild West Show. By Chris Enss. Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT. ISBN 978-0-7627-4815-0. $21.50. xviii + 150 pages. Soft cover. 24 illustrations. Endnotes. Bibliography. Index. Reviewed by Chuck Parsons.
Even a cursory glance through Chris Enss’ bibliography suggests there is a plethora of information about the world’s most famous scout. Four books by Cody himself are listed, as well as a biography by his wife Louisa; highly regarded biographies by Don Russell and R.L. Wilson, Helen Cody Wetmore and Nellie Snyder Yost are included. In addition there is a list of newspapers utilized dating from 1870 and for decades following. The twelve pages of endnotes confirm that she has made a serious attempt to document the loves of William F. Cody (1846-1917).
Author Enss maintains her focus of providing the reader with a near blow-by-blow accounting of the numerous objects of Cody’s love (and lust). We must admire his love for his four sisters — Julia, Helen, Eliza Alice and Mary Hannah — bonds maintained through the storms of their parents’ lives. Prior to his marriage Cody may have had romantic dalliances with any number of women, “Indian princesses” certainly, and following his marriage many more.
But rather than speculating on these probable trysts the author devotes her brief narrative to documentable affairs. Cody certainly suffered both emotionally and financially from the disclosure of these romances, although few people refused to buy tickets to his Wild West shows because of his infidelities. He suffered emotionally as his marriage disintegrated; his children suffered as they were fully aware of their father’s treatment of their mother. Louisa Cody, affectionately known as “Lulu,” was well aware of the extra-marital affairs of her husband and lived up to the axiom, “Hell hath no fury . . . .” The public became zealously aware when much of the Codys’ “dirty linen” was aired in open court during the divorce hearings.
The objects of Cody’s “love” also suffered. Katherine Clemmons perhaps suffered the most of all his women. She was described by Cody as “the finest looking woman in the world [78].” Upon meeting Cody she shared with him her “aspirations” for the stage. Hooked, Cody offered her $50,000 to tour England with him as his top actress. Her acting ability proved less than Ned Buntline’s creative writing ability; the kindest critics even pointed out that she was “devoid” of acting talent. Nevertheless, Cody continued to support her at great expense, until he even realized it was all for nothing.
While Enss discusses the loves of Buffalo Bill she also parallels the relationship with Louisa and his relationship with their children. In spite of all the heartaches the couple caused, Mrs. Cody ultimately chose to drop the divorce and remained his wife. Enss also brings in aspects of Cody’s early years as a scout and his stage career. In so doing Chris Enss provides us with an excellent study of an unpleasant side to the great scout’s life. It is best for those who have a limited knowledge of Cody’s career and the Wild West show business, although the so-called “buffs” will learn a few things. The moral of the tale is clearly presented although not in a heavy handed way. Cody’s love of the stage and his fidelity to children and friends was certainly legitimate and to be honored, but his illicit “loves” proved costly to many in more ways than one. Enss may not have intended to produce an informal moral treatise but nevertheless the lesson is there, clearly, and due to her writing style and her historical research.

More than 130 years ago today the folks at Fort Sumner, New Mexico were dealing with another murder at the hand of Billy the Kid. Billy shot and killed Joe Grant after having disabled the man’s gun earlier in the day. In 1894 in Bannock, Montana Sheriff Henry Plummer was hanged by vigilantes. You can read all about the corrupt Sheriff’s activities in the book Outlaw Tales of California. His career as a notorious outlaw began in the California. I’m off on a promotional tour for the new book The Many Loves of Buffalo Bill. First stop, Vegas. With regards to the threatening emails and hundreds of pornographic images that were sent to my business website on New Year’s Eve, the authorities have traced the IP address back to the user. Although the perpetrator removed the offensive material they posted about me from the livejournal.com site they could not remove the IP address information. I’m taking much of the historical research I have about the Custers on my trip. Hope to get a lot of work done between lectures and signing events. I was invited to speak at an event in Lone Pine, California in March. Many, many western were filmed there. It’s a beautiful spot. I still prefer Dodge City, Kansas however. If I can’t move to Dodge any time soon I’ve got to arrange another book signing event at the location. I’ll update my journal once I return from my trip. And as my life is generally not without controversary, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to write about.