The Banditti of the Prairies; or, The Murderer's Doom!! a Tale of the Mississippi Valley

by Edward Bonney

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1850

Reviews

[Jordan Dumer]

Bandits, Mormons, lynch mobs, the Mississippi River, Murder- this 1850 True Crime Memoir of Private Investigator, Man hunter and Undercover Agent, Edward Booney, aka Tom Brown, seems to have it all.

Bad Fiction, Edward Booney shows little, and tells everything. But this is not fiction, this is real life, and Booney's style comes off as rationale, letting facts tell the story, and leaving the emotions in the background.

Still worth a read, as the story tells itself, and its a story as dark and crazy as the Mississippi River itself. Image, Little House on the Prairie and the Heart of Darkness, but in the 1840's, and all this stuff really happened.

[Mike Lund]

Worth Reading But Will Require Patience

An interesting book. Worth reading but will require some patience. Edward Bonney was instrumental in the arrest and conviction of 8 people associated to the July 4, 1845 murder of Colonel George Davenport. Davenport’s home was on Rock Island in the Mississippi River and was a prominent settler in the Iowas Territory and also one of the earliest settlers in Rock Island Illinois. Towards the end of the 1st trial, Silas Haight, a confidential agent of the Treasury Department and supposedly an associate of the bandit gang created a public controversy to discredit Bonney in the public eye and keep him from continuing his attack on the gang. Haight, supported by testimony of members of the Banditti, brought 5 indictments against Bonney, 4 in Wisconsin and 1 in Chicago. Juries acquitted Bonney in all 5 indictments and one Jury was highly critical of Haight. By the time the book was published in 1850, Bonney and the issue was well known. Because the issue was common knowledge, the book is written to present Bonney’s experience tracking down the criminals and defending himself against the public attacks. It lacks a certain historic overview that would be present if it was written today.

Because the book is aimed at a market already familiar with the people and topic, it jumps right into the investigation and today it’s hard to know who to pay attention to until later in the book. A summation may be helpful. William Fox, Robert Birch, John Long and Aaron Long actually took part in the robbery. Granville Young, John Baxter, William Redden and Old Grant Redden were arrested as accessories. Granville Young, Aaron and John Young were hung on October 29, 1845. William Fox who supposedly accidentally shot Davenport in the leg, escaped while in custody and was never found. Robert Birch turned states evidence and later escaped while in jail. He went to Arizona and turned honest. John Baxter wasn’t on island at the time, but, as a guest, had dinner with Davenport earlier and provided information leading to Davenport being targeted. Baxter was originally scheduled to be executed on Dec 9th. The execution was overturned and Baxter was sent to prison for life. William H Redden plead guilty to an indictment charging him as accessory after the fact, and was sentenced to the State Penitentiary for the period of one year. Old Grant Redden was released, and “made tracks on the Mormon trail for the valley of Salt Lake”.

Newspaper Articles
https://iagenweb.org/scott/news/colda...

[Natalia]

If you're interested in a first person story of a man (Edward Bonney) who takes it upon himself to track down an 1850s Illinois prairie gang and bring them to justice, this is a must-read. Eye opening!

[Steve Scott]

A fascinating account of crime in the 1830’s in Illinois and Indiana-what was then known as “The West”. The book is available via archive.org.

[Daniel Stephans]

A real life action thriller. A most excellent account of early settlement of the western country, the Mississippi Valley and the "far west", western Illinois and eastern Iowa being the center of the action.
If you're looking for an author, an artist, don't try to read this one. If you enjoy journals and first hand accounts of life by common folk, you'll love this one.

I discovered the book because I was looking for an account of the murder of Col. George Davenport, July 4, 1845. In the 182o's George Davenport knew and associated with Jason Shull, for whom Shullsburg, Wisconsin is named.

[Teresa]

He is a bit overwhelming and full of himself, but a good read into the Mormon and non-Mormon conflicts of Midwest in the 1840s.