Policing the Elephant: Crime, Punishment, and Social Behavior on the Overland Trail

by John Phillip Reid

Policing the Elephant, the companion volume to Law for the Elephant, examines criminal activity and its consequences among travelers on the overland trail in the early nineteenth century. Reid consulted hundreds of primary sources to discover how justice was meted out--without police, attorneys, or courts. Separating fact from fiction, he explores how emigrants dealt with spousal abuse, homicide, robbery, organized crime, and larceny. He also looks into famous episodes of executions. Introducing real people and real incidents, his book shows that Americans have been far more law abiding than television, the movies, and pulp fiction would often have us believe.

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

John Phillip Reid is Russell D. Niles Professor of Law Emeritus at New York University.