Shotguns and stagecoaches : the brave men who rode for Wells Fargo in the wild west

Title:

Author:

Boessenecker, John, 1953- author.

ISBN:

9781432857509

Edition:

Large print edition.

Physical Description:

621 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Contents:

Part one: The Gold Rush era. Well Fargo's pioneer messenger: Pilsbury "Chips" Hodgkins ; The first Wells Fargo detective: Henry Johnson ; From first stage driver to shotgun messenger: Henry C. Ward ; Twelve-gauge justice: Daniel C. Gay -- Part two: The stage robbery era. From Pony Express to Wells Fargo: "Shotgun Jimmy" Brown ; The rifleman: Steve Venard ; A shotgun messenger in old Montana: John X. Beidler ; "Honest, faithful & Brave": Eugene Blair ; Chief Special Officer: James B. Hume ; Riverman, expressman: Andy Hall ; The man who captured Black Bart: Harry N. Morse ; True grit: Mike Tovey ; Vigilante vengeance: Buck Montgomery ; Double-barreled death: Billy Hendricks -- Part three: The train robbery era. "I ain't afraid of any man": Aaron Y. Ross ; Train robbers' nemesis: John N. Thacker ; "Die, damn you!": J. Ernest Smith ; Shotguns and dynamite: Charles F. Charles ; "Send a coffin and a doctor": Jeff Milton ; Fighting wages: David Trousdale -- Epilogue: A legacy squandered.

Corporate Subject:

Wells, Fargo & Company -- Employees -- Biography.

Subject Term:

Stagecoaches -- West (U.S.) -- History.

Coaching (Transportation) -- West (U.S.) -- History.

Stagecoach robberies -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century.

Geographic Term:

West (U.S.) -- Biography.

Local Subject:

Large print editions.

Summary:

The phrase "riding shotgun" was no game to the men who guarded Wells Fargo stagecoaches and trains in the Western frontier. Armed with sawed-off, double-barreled shotguns and an occasional revolver, these men guarded valuable cargo through lawless terrain--battling colorful thieves, vicious highwaymen, and robbers armed with explosives. Wells Fargo always had courageous men to protect its treasure, and their bravery and ingenuity make this book a thrilling read.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Bayport Public Library	LP 388.3 BOE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The true stories of the Wild West heroes who guarded the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoaches and trains, battling colorful thieves, vicious highwaymen, and robbers armed with explosives.

The phrase "riding shotgun" was no teenage game to the men who guarded stagecoaches and trains the Western frontier. Armed with sawed-off, double-barreled shotguns and an occasional revolver, these express messengers guarded valuable cargo through lawless terrain. They were tough, fighting men who risked their lives every time they climbed into the front boot of a Concord coach.

Boessenecker introduces soon-to-be iconic personalities like "Chips" Hodgkins, an express rider known for his white mule and his ability to outrace his competitors, and Henry Johnson, the first Wells Fargo detective. Their lives weren't just one shootout after another--their encounters with desperadoes were won just as often with quick wits and memorized-by-heart knowledge of the land.

The highway robbers also get their due. It wouldn't be a book about the Wild West without Black Bart, the most infamous stagecoach robber of all time, and Butch Cassidy's gang, America's most legendary train robbers.

Through the Gold Rush and the early days of delivery with horses and saddlebags, to the heyday of stagecoaches and huge shipments of gold, and finally the rise of the railroad and the robbers who concocted unheard-of schemes to loot trains, Wells Fargo always had courageous men to protect its treasure. Their unforgettable bravery and ingenuity make this book a thrilling read.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Boessenecker, a trial lawyer and former police officer, gives a detailed account of the first private detectives employed by the Wells Fargo company to guarantee the security of their customers' goods. The short biographies are well researched, and readers will enjoy learning the histories of the men (such as J. Ernest "Windy" Smith, a Wells Fargo messenger who made national news when he killed two train robbers, and Charles E. Boles, a stagecoach robber called the "Poet Highwayman" for leaving behind bits of verse at the scenes of his crimes) and much more: the development of firearms in the United States; the thieves who sought innovative ways to get rich off of Wells Fargo's loads; the ways that police and private capital influenced each other in the American West; and progress in transporting goods and people on the frontier. Boessenecker's unembellished writing style does periodically flatten the action of the wild stories of the men he profiles, and the volume of detail could be tedious to some. But Old West enthusiasts will find this collection of particular interest; its detail is rich enough to offer new knowledge to even the most avid student of this place and time. Photos. Agent: Claire Gerus, Claire Gerus Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

A rip-roaring history of moving the mail in the wildest of the Wild West days.As fans of Westworld know, it was big money that made the buckboards bounce and the transcontinental railroad chug from coast to coast. One big-money engine was Wells Fargo, the banking concern founded in the gold rush era by two owners of the American Express company in New York who saw in California the possibility of riches in moving wealthliterallyfor other people. Thus it is, writes lawyer and former police officer Boessenecker (Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde, 2016, etc.), that "In the popular imagination, Wells Fargo is inextricably linked to stagecoaches." Put a stagecoach or train driver and a shotgun together, stick a cash box onboard, and you'll get robbers. The formula affords the author the opportunity to parade a catalog of good guys and bad guys across the story. Early on comes the admirable Wells Fargo pioneering rider Chips Hodgkins, who ran away from home, became an apprentice to a shipwright, and then moved to California to carry millions of dollars in gold over the course of a four-decade career. "He was so scrupulously honest," writes Boessenecker, "that is was commonly said of him, No man in the United States ever actually handled more money than he did, but not a nickel of it ever stuck to his fingers.'" Not so the likes of the desperado named "Rattle Jack," who, shot to pieces in a robbery attempt, begged his fellow outlaws to kill him. They obliged, "and after tying a rope to his neck to make it look like he had been lynched, they tossed his body into the Russian River." Also figuring in these pages are Wells Fargo lawmen like Jeff Milton, tough railroaders like Aaron Ross, and unsung bad guys like Ormus B. Nay. It's a readable if old-fashioned exercise in criminal yarn spinning.Though clearly for Old West buffs, this is an enjoyable excursion. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

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