We're Dead, Come on in [Paperback]

Bruce Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2005

In January 1932, ten local lawmen approached two brothers in an isolated Missouri farmhouse. Minutes later, six officers were dead (the highest number of law enforcement officers killed on a single day until September 11, 2001), three were wounded, and the outlaws escaped. After a wild car chase through Oklahoma and across Texas, police finally surrounded Harry and Jennings Young in their Houston hideout. The brutal killings attracted national press (at first Pretty Boy Floyd was rumored to be involved), and these events are still debated in southern Missouri today.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The most lawmen killed in one day until 9/11 "In all the annals of preservation of the peace there is no story that runs more gallantly than this." --Springfield Leader, January 4, 1932

From the Author

"Shortly after moving to Springfield in 1998, I went to the police headquarters downtown to report a petty crime. Leaving the station, I noticed a monument to officers who had died in the line of duty. I did the proverbial double-take. All the dates were the same: January 2, 1932. This had to be a mistake. I have lived in Missouri all my life; if six officers had died on a single day, I’d have surely run across the story somewhere, sometime. It was no mistake." --Bruce Davis describing what inspired him to write his first book

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (November 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589803264
• ISBN-13: 978-1589803268
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars On the mark, August 7, 2008

By 

R. D. Morgan "Author" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We're Dead, Come on in (Paperback)

If you are interested in the 1932 Springfield Police Massacre open your wallet and buy this boook. The author truly hits the mark when it comes to describing the actual gunbattle,the folks involved, and the investigation. The only problem is-- he apears to be out of his element when he attempts to give historical background concerning the depression era in the Ozarks,Pretty Boy Floyd, Oklahoma, etc. While he clumsily attempts to work in the Civil War battle of Wilsons Creek and the Bald Knobbers(in all the wrong places) he fails to mention such things as the Leonard Short Gang (A very high profile bunch of area bootleggers and bank robbers operating at the time)or the Bilyeu-Meadows fued. The book is also a bit structurally disorganized in places. But--best work to date concerning this interesting subject. Well written (style-wise). All in all--a bit flawed but a good read... R.D.Morgan... author of "The Tri-State Terror" and "Taming the Sooner State"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We're Dead, Come on in, March 13, 2007

By 

Len Eagleburger "Historian" (Springfield, MO, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We're Dead, Come on in (Paperback)

Very good history of Springfield and Greene County, Missouri during the 1930's for those dreadful days.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Young Brothers Massacre, February 2, 2007

By 

Claude J. Werner "Gunbattle historian" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We're Dead, Come on in (Paperback)

One of the better books I have read about deadly force incidents. It actually included photographs and, more importantly, diagrams of what occurred. Few authors bother with any diagrams and spend almost all their effort on background of the participants; as a result, readers of most such books know plenty about the actors but little about the actual event.

This author took the time to describe the events in detail and included the court testimony and diagrammed the incident. A much better account of this event is the result. I wish more books about unfortunate incidents took this author's approach.