false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173461280m/291990.jpg 291990 1 The Wild West, historians tell us, was never really quite as wild as the legend suggests. Few people carried guns, outlaws were usually quickly and peacefully caught and punished, shootouts were rare. All those norms were broken, however, in the Nebraska of 1912, when a trio of "desperadoes" terrorized the countryside, a long-forgotten episode that forms the heart of historian Gale Christianson's book.<p> Christianson's story begins with an attempted jailbreak engineered by an African American prisoner, one Albert Prince, who was serving a 12-year sentence for what was then called highway robbery. Prince's attempt failed, but in the ensuing chaos three white prisoners--Charles Morley, Shorty Gray, and John Dowd--shot their way out of Lancaster prison, killing the warden and two deputies. They then invaded a nearby farm, taking a young couple hostage and later killing one before being stopped by a near-army of pursuing lawmen. Dowd and Gray died; Morley was taken back to prison, where he resided until finally being paroled in 1941.<p> Morley's surprising revelations after his release about just who provided the guns used in the jailbreak, Prince's fate, and the repercussions of these misfits' actions form the denouement to Christianson's well-written narrative, which will be of interest to true-crime buffs and students of the American West alike. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 283303 1 10 2001 The Last Posse: A Jailbreak, a Manhunt, and the End of Hang-'Em-High Justice total:1|4:1| 1 4 1 1 291990 1585743844 9781585743841 1 1 4.00 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173461280m/291990.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/291990.The_Last_Posse_A_Jailbreak_a_Manhunt_and_the_End_of_Hang_Em_High_Justice 4 0 false Sun Feb 10 20:43:39 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 20:46:29 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=291990