Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier [Paperback]

Elmo Ingenthron (Author), Mary Hartman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1988

In the 1880s, the Ozark hills around Taney County, Missouri, echoed with the sound of Winchester rifles. Men were lynched from tree limbs by masked night riders. Bundles of switches were tossed on the porches of "loose" men and women as a grim warning to reform or leave the area. In this action-filled saga of the notorious eight-year career of the vigilantes, journalist Mary Hartman and historian Elmo Ingenthron have produced the most comprehensive account of the Bald Knobber era. They trace the roots of the group in the region's border struggles during the Civil War, and examine the organization of anti-Bald Knobbers which sprang up to oppose them. Giant Nat Kinney founded the Bald Knobbers, and led them in their violent campaign for law and order. Andrew Coggburn wrote satirical songs to infuriate Kinney and the other vigilantes. Seventeen-year-old Billy Walker murdered an innocent family and was hanged by the beleaguered authorities. Five opponents of the Bald Knobbers vowed to kill Nat Kinney, and played cards to decide who would do the deed. Elmo Ingenthron was an Ozarks historian, and collected Bald Knobbers lore for more than thirty-five years. Mary Hartman is a veteran journalist and freelance writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (April 30, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882896830
• ISBN-13: 978-0882896830
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting unknown history, September 11, 2000

By 

chris m. raimondo (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier (Paperback)

This book ofers you a look of a little know part of american history . It show what happen in the Ozarks when a few men took law into thier own hands and tried to make the town right by , by-passing the courts and prision system . This book was very violent but also well researched . It also shows a very unbiased account of the players and events that took place. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new part of history to look into . This will show you alot of what people in the Ozarks went through in that time period and it may shock you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great research, easy read, January 22, 2004

By 

Laura "missyshelley" (Billings, MO, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier (Paperback)

Rumors abound that Bald Knobbers were Ku Klux Klansman. Not true! They weren't racists. They were, however, shameless thugs. Cap'n Kinney started the Bald Knobbers to fight the extremely corrupted local government. Unfortunately, it was far too easy for Kinney and his Knobbers to become just like the thing they wanted to fix! In the beginning they doled out 'justice' to the deserving, but they eventually began handing out whippings, and sometimes even bullets, to anyone brave enough to speak out against them. The authors also give a rather heart-wrenching account of a massacre that resulted in the first and only state executions carried out at the Christian County Jail. The Bald Knobbers had killed two men while the men's wives and children had watched in horror. The men had spoken out against the Bald Knobbers. Several Bald Knobbers were arrested for the crime, and a 16 year old boy and his father were among the four to be hanged. When the Knobbers were hung, the ropes were too long and the Sheriff had to hang the boy twice, much to the horror of the onlooking crowd (not to mention the boy). There are other shocking events that occurred around the execution, but I won't spoil the surprise! This is a very well written book, easy to read, wonderfully researched, and even indexed! A must read for anyone living in or curious about Southwest Missouri.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account of a little-known part of history., April 19, 2010

By 

James E. Rhodes "philmphan" (Southern Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier (Paperback)

Bald Knobbers is a fascinating account of the vigilantism that took place in the Ozarks in the late 1800's. It shows the dangers of what can happen when the criminal justice system fails, leaving citizens no choice but to take the law into their own hands. It also shows the consequences that can result when the wrong people play judge, jury and executioner. I particularly love the details. The book gives the actual locations by township and range, etc., so that if you want to see where it all took place, you'll know where to look. Highly recommended.