Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters by Bill O’Neal
1980; University of Nebraska Press; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/wal.1980.0069
ISSN1948-7142
Autores Tópico(s)Military history and social perspectives
Resumo62 Western American Literature tions, which he mentions at the close of his "Foreword." He had "lived.; into" another time and place, another cultural mind. . The "Foreword" is also interesting because, in almost throw-away fash_ ion, Snyder presents the essence of his (and all) poetic practice. ' To go beyond and become what - a seagull on a reef? Why not. Our nature is no particular nature; look out across the beach at the gulls. For an empty moment while their soar and cry enters your heart like sunshaft through water, you are that, totally. We do this every day. And so did the Haida. What is remarkable is that a "green would-be scholar. in Oregon," as Snyder describes his twenty or twenty-one year old self' should have seen into that heart of the matter so clearly. ' THOMAS J. LYON, Utah State University, Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters. By Bill O'Neal. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. xiv + 386 pages, $24.90.) Interest in gunfighterg of the West never ceases to diminish, judging by the endless flow of books on the subject. This latest publication should satisfy many aficionados searching for information on a particular gunfighter or shooting scrape. In addition to brief biographical sketches of 255 famous and all but forgotten characters, the author described 587 gunfights;] that occurred in the West between 1854 and 1924. Approximately 160 such!:~i scrapes took place in Texas alone, while Kansas and New Mexico exper.~~ ienced 70 each, followed by lesser numbers in Arizona, Oklahoma, CalifOf' 'Bj nia, Missouri, and Wyoming.!)~ Considering the long space of time involved, gunfighters actually ki1led~~ surprisingly few men and participated in relatively few shootouts. Most of)~~ the individuals worked both sides of the street at one time or the otherj(l~ either as a lawman or as an outlaw. Others pursued a variety of occupa.'{j tions that included cowboy, rancher, farmer, rustler, hired killer, soldieti?~ bandit, gambler, laborer and saloon keeper. Their average lifespan was 47i! years and more than half eventually died of gunshot wounds.';~i O'Neal relies heavily upon standard secondary sources in compiling his,~~ statistical analysis and biographical sketches of gunfighters and does a credit.~~ able job of separating myth from reality. Much of his information is alreadY)11 well known to those familiar with the literature. For example, the primary~~ consideration of a gunfighter was accuracy and not speed, and among those!~\ Reviews 63 whose reputation greatly exceeded their accomplishments were Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson - who killed only one man and was involved in only three shooting scrapes - Doc Holliday, and John Ringo. On the other hand, among the deadlier and better known gunmen were John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, and Ben Thompson. Even these are generally credited with more killings than they actually performed. Less known but equally violent were Jim Miller, Harvey Logan, John Selman, and Henry Brown, who killed a total of 38 men. Some of the individuals whose exploits are summarized in the Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters do not belong in the same category with the above worthies. Peace officers such as Jeff Milton and Bill Tilghman, for example, killed several men each in the performance of their duties, but neither should be classified as a gunfighter in the classical sense of the word. O'Neal's voluminous research resulted in a unique publication and represents an excellent beginning for a young historian. Hopefully, we will hear more from him in the future, and he will broaden his horizon of scholarship to include events and personalities of more positive significance to the history of the West. W. EUGENE HOLLON, Ohio Regents Professor of History Emeritus Abbey's Road. By Edward Abbey. (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1979. xxiv + 198 pages. $9.95 hardcover; $4.95 paperback.) Abbey's Road is Edward Abbey's latest collection of essays. In it the author is up to his old tricks: kidding and joshing and confusing readersespecially eastern readers - to the point that they sometimes lose their bearings. An. interesting example of such a disoriented reader is Stephen Chapman. Writing in the August 25, 1979 issue of The New Republic, ~hapman accuses Abbey of being...
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