Law West of Fort Smith: A History of Frontier Justice in Indian Territory 1834-1896 [Paperback]

Glenn Shirley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1968

Centering on the career of "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, this book is "a startling reminder of what really went on in the Old West." - "The New Yorker." For twenty-one years, from 1875 to 1896, Isaac C. Parker, Judge of the U.S. Court of the Western District of Arkansas, was the law west of Fort Smith, holding exclusive jurisdiction over 74,000 square miles and 60,000 people in Arkansas and Indian Territory. In this colorful yet carefully researched account of the "Hanging Judge," Glenn Shirley also traces the careers of such famous criminals as the Daltons, Belle Starr, the Buck gang, and Cole Younger; records the processes of the court; and tells how the district's 200 deputy marshals worked against overwhelming odds to bring justice and order. The appendix includes a chronology of the 79 hangings ordered by Parker; a list of commutations and pardons, reversals and acquittals, and bonds fortefied; and two of the Judge's famous charges to the jury, in themselves notable documents of legal history. Glenn Shirley, who has written widely on western law and outlaws, is also the author of "Pawnee Bill: A Biography of Major Gordon W. Lillie" and the editor of "Buckskin Joe: The Memoirs of Edward Jonathan Hoyt." "This is far the best and most readable book on Judge Parker and his hanging court." - Stanley Vestal, "Daily Oklahoman." "A startling reminder of what really went on in the Old West before the dime novel and Hollywood turned it into a kind of primrose path." - "New Yorker." "This book is top-quality and exciting history engagingly told." - "New York Times Book Review."

Product Details

• Paperback: 349 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr (June 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803251831
• ISBN-13: 978-0803251830
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,002,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parker....The Right Man at The Right Time and Place, December 28, 2000

By 

Howard L. Dixon (Hopewell, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Law West of Fort Smith: A History of Frontier Justice in Indian Territory 1834-1896 (Paperback)

I bought this book at he Ft Smith Court House museum because my Great Grandfather rode for Parker. I was expecting information about the bad deeds of many of the desperados but I was pleasantly surprised to find additionally a comprehensive treatment of the legal aspects of Parker's tenure. As Glenn Shirley effectively documents, the Judge Parker known and respected by the citizens of Arkansas and the Indian Nations is a far cry from the one created by the Eastern press and the monied interests (including Congressmen) of the East. This book will provide the reader with a very balanced approach to what Parker saw as the rights of the victim and community with the rights of the accused. And as Shirley clearly points out Parker may have gone too far sometimes but early on extreme measures were needed.

The body of the book covers many of the best known cases to be covered in Parker's court but also provides appendices on each and every person that Parker sentenced to hang (including those that were commuted, pardoned, reversed and acquitted). Byron Dobbs, a second generation lawyer that practiced law in Ft Smith for 40 years, provided a lawyer's appraisal of the Parker Court a number of years ago for the "Ft Smith Historical Journal". He wrote:

Parker was given the near impossible task of providing justice between the white men and the Indian. The disgrace arose out of the failure of the U.S. and Congress to appropriately prevent intrusion upon the Indian land and in permitting such carnage as to result in the great number of murder trails and then Parker was condemned in the halls of Congress for imposing the only penalty authorized by Congress. Parker's accomplishments stand as a monument to law and order achieved under the most trying circumstances.

Shirley's book simply and effectively documents these accomplishments.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not history, but a popularized account., August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Law West of Fort Smith: A History of Frontier Justice in Indian Territory 1834-1896 (Paperback)

Written by noted Western author Glenn Shirley in 1957, this book is not up to the standards of his more recent works. Shirley depends extensively on other books, and unfortunately, his book contains a large number of errors. Sure is fun to read, but if you are interested in Judge Parker and the Fort Smith court, read 'Hell on the Border' instead. Leave this one to hollywood....

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not history but hagiography, January 9, 2003

By 

michiganreader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Law West of Fort Smith: A History of Frontier Justice in Indian Territory 1834-1896 (Paperback)

This book cobbles together accounts from policy makers and the popular press seeking to show that Indian country was a lawless place, with Judge Parker and the federal marshalls as the slim line between law and anarchy. The account utterly ignores the reality in Indian country and works mightily to justify the actions of a man for whom, apparently, the accusation was enough to make you guilty. The book does, however, compile some interesting sources not found elsewhere, including a description of each of the 79 men Judge Parker hanged, the battle between Parker and the Supreme Court which continually reversed Parker, and the statements of some of the Indian defendants on their views of federal justice. The evident desire of the author to celebrate Parker and the court rather than objectively examine his record, however, fatally taints the entire work.