
A Decent, Orderly Lynching
The Montana Vigilantes
Frederick Allen(Author)
University of Oklahoma Press
Published on 30. March 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
448 pages
978-0-8061-4038-4 (ISBN)
Description
The deadliest campaign of vigilante justice in American history erupted in the Rocky Mountains during the Civil War when a private army hanged twenty-one troublemakers. Hailed as great heroes at the time, the Montana vigilantes are still revered as founding fathers.Combing through original sources, including eye-witness accounts never before published, Frederick Allen concludes that the vigilantes were justified in their early actions, as they fought violent crime in a remote corner beyond the reach of government.
But Allen has uncovered evidence that the vigilantes refused to disband after territorial courts were in place. Remaining active for six years, they lynched more than fifty men without trials. Reliance on mob rule in Montana became so ingrained that in 1883, a Helena newspaper editor advocated a return to ""decent, orderly lynching"" as a legitimate tool of social control.
Allen's sharply drawn characters, illustrated by dozens of photographs, are woven into a masterfully written narrative that will change textbook accounts of Montana's early days - and challenge our thinking on the essence of justice.
But Allen has uncovered evidence that the vigilantes refused to disband after territorial courts were in place. Remaining active for six years, they lynched more than fifty men without trials. Reliance on mob rule in Montana became so ingrained that in 1883, a Helena newspaper editor advocated a return to ""decent, orderly lynching"" as a legitimate tool of social control.
Allen's sharply drawn characters, illustrated by dozens of photographs, are woven into a masterfully written narrative that will change textbook accounts of Montana's early days - and challenge our thinking on the essence of justice.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oklahoma
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
41 black & white illustrations, 3 maps
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
754 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8061-4038-4 (9780806140384)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Frederick Allen is a former political editor and columnist with the Atlanta Constitution and commentator for CNN. His history of the Coca-Cola Company, Secret Formula, has been translated into seven languages. Atlanta Rising, his analysis of the forces that shaped modern Atlanta, is taught at several colleges. He and his wife, Linda, divide their time between Atlanta and Bozeman, Montana.