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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Than A Story of Dallas, February 7, 2006
This review is from: Outlaw: The True Story of Claude Dallas (Hardcover)
To read a 20 year old book written about events that happened 25 years ago is an adventure that begins with one big question -"Will the content still be fresh?"
In the case of The True Story of Claude Dallas you will not be disappointed in any way.
The more I read the more I appreciated the depths to which the Dallas story taps natural instincts of survival, independance and drama that are indeed timeless.
But more than the Dallas story the author succeeds in painting a beautiful picture of the land, customs, and people who inhabit what remained of "the west" in the 70s and 80s. And this again has a magical timelessness to it - man against the elements, man on his own, man against the encroachment of government and other men.
If you have ever driven thru Northern Nevada you have most certainly passed thru Winnemucca - and can remember the romantic bleakness of the landscape. And as you drove thru and stared out from the comfort of your car you probably wondered "who the heck lives out here?"
This book answers that question - not just in terms of the people of the land, but of the spirit of the place and its link to men everywhere.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outlaw, January 13, 2004
This review is from: Outlaw: The True Story of Claude Dallas (Hardcover)
Jeff Long has written a most interesting story of the last old west type shootout that may ever occur in this country. It is true. Dallas was a guy who came from Virginia and wanted to be a cowboy. He went west and became what he had always wanted to be, and he was good at it. He had a superb work ethic. Along the way, he acquired some of the trappings of a real cowboy. He had a Winchester rifle with an octagonal barrel. He was a good shot, both with the rifle and pistols. Over time, when he was living in Nevada, he spent his winters trapping coyotes and cats, with an occasional mountain lion thrown in. His last winter season he was trapping right along the Nevada/Idaho line and ran into a couple of Fish and Game officers from Idaho. One of them, Bill Pogue, the senior of the two, had a bit of an attitude problem, according to Jim Stevens, a friend of Dallas's who had brought him supplies. Pogue and Dallas were like kitchen matches and gasoline. Pogue was most likely playing it hard and Dallas most likely was stubborn. The confrontation erupted in gunfire and Dallas, deadly quick, dropped both Pogue and his backup, Conley Elms. He finished them off, trapper style, with a gunshot behind the ear with a .22 rifle. I know Claude Dallas. The book pretty much portrays Dallas in a true light. Crowded, like he was that day, he would not back down. Later, when he was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, he was captured without a fight and without any firearms. I've liked this book well enough to own it and to read it several times. Jeff Long's work is first rate all the way through. Though this book is no longer in print, it is a book to own.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As difficult to describe as to live it, April 3, 2009
Jeff Long grabs an interesting subject with both hands and holds on tight as it tries to wrestle out of his grip. The story of Claude Dallas Jr. is extremely complicated and must have been hard to write because the main character himself apparently refused to be interviewed. After all, why should he? Claude Dallas' life was HIS world, whatever he created it to be. He held onto it tightly and never offered to share it with anyone and obviously, resented anyone who wanted to destroy it. In fascist Amerika the Bill Pogues sincerely believe that the letter of the law allows them to destroy those who don't live according to it. Without getting into a longer discussion about it, Bill Pogue was a loser in more than one way.
In his book Jeff Long could have further addressed this conflict. He tries and does succeed to a certain degree - anecdotally. But he doesn't get to the "meat" of the matter. (read the book and you'll understand) As much as Claude Dallas refused to cooperate with the authorities, his friends and most of his associates also did not oblige them either. As he was researching this book, no doubt Jeff Long had to deal with these same folks and most likely was received coldly. Why? Because Jeff Long is not from their world.
I would have liked to have read more of the court proceedings and witness testimonies. No I'm not a lawyer but in a case like this, witness testimony and jurisprudence would be fascinating.
Jeff Long and McGraw-Hill missed the chance to update this book and sell more copies when Dallas escaped the Idaho Penitentiary in 1986. In my 1986 edition of "Outlaw" the escape earned a less than one full page postscript. Come on. Was it so difficult the first time around?
My PS - Used copies of this book are insanely expensive and IMHO not worth it. Go join Paperback swap.com and eventually it will become available - free. I recommend this book. It's easy to read and if you're into western American history it won't disappoint you. Also try reading, Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter; Written by Himself: A Vindication The 77 years separating Tom Horn and Claude Dallas' parallel worlds could be only a blink of an eye.
By the way - the old west is not dead & gone. It's in our hearts and souls wrapped inside of our leathery old hides. It sits in the pinyons and cedars and watches the sun go down behind the mesas and listens to the coyote bitch and her pups howl.
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