Wyatt Earp and his brothers came to Tombstone to invest in recently opened silver mines and real estate, to get a share of newly discovered wealth and prosperity and not to continue their law enforcement career. However, they soon realized that on one hand they cannot for long ignore the lawlessness of the town and the surrounding county, and on the other, the presence of the former lawmen did not escape the attention of the local administration and security people of the Wells Fargo Company. Once these people managed to convince Wyatt and his brother Virgil to return to law-maintaining activity, the conflict with the so-called “cowboy gang” was just a matter of time. It not only culminated in the shoot-out at O.K. Corral but once Virgil got shot in ambush a seriously wounded and the second brother Morgan killed while playing pool, it eventually led to the destruction of the afore mention gang and killing its leaders, namely William Brocious, known as “Curly” Bill and John Peters Ringgold known as Ringo.
Wyatt Earp and his brothers came to Tombstone to invest in recently opened silver mines and real estate, to get a share of newly discovered wealth and prosperity and not to continue their law enforcement career. However, they soon realized that on one hand they cannot for long ignore the lawlessness of the town and the surrounding county, and on the other, the presence of the former lawmen did not escape the attention of the local administration and security people of the Wells Fargo Company. Once these people managed to convince Wyatt and his brother Virgil to return to law-maintaining activity, the conflict with the so-called “cowboy gang” was just a matter of time. It not only culminated in the shoot-out at O.K. Corral but once Virgil got shot in ambush a seriously wounded and the second brother Morgan killed while playing pool, it eventually led to the destruction of the afore mention gang and killing its leaders, namely William Brocious, known as “Curly” Bill and John Peters Ringgold known as Ringo.
This collection of stories describes events or episodes in the life of a varied group of individuals during the most dramatic period of American history—the settlement of the American West. The reader will witness the hardship and suffering of the Donner-Reed Party; the heroism of Portugee Phillips, the messenger bringing news of the Fetterman Massacre; the tragic events connected to Major John W. Powell's exploration of the Grand Canyon; and the disastrous effort of the Minnesota Sioux to drive the white interlopers from their traditional hunting grounds. There is a glimpse of the rough and tumble life in the gold rush towns of Alaska and Colorado, a failed attempt at a robbery of a bank in Northfield, Minnesota, and the violent death of Jack Slade, a former manager of a stage coach station in Julesburg, Colorado, mentioned in Mark Twain's book, Roughing It. Historical notes at the end of the tales provide the reader with actual facts and a broader context in which these events took place.
The murder of fourteen-year-old Willie Nickel caused an uproar in southern Wyoming and the public demanded finding the culprit and appropriate punishment. About seven months later Tom Horn, a cattle detective hired by the big ranchers, was arrested and charged with this crime. His lawyer, John W. Lacey and a solitary reporter from Denver, are convinced that Horn is innocent and they try their best to prove that the whole trial is actually a conspiracy by small ranchers, mostly rustlers, to silence Horn once for all. However, in spite of the fact that defense refuted most of the prosecution’s arguments and testimonies, the jury found him guilty and recommended the capital punishment by hanging. The story is based loosely on historical facts and legal documents and it is also supplemented by “Chatting with the Chief of Indian Scouts” to provide some insight in Horn’s background. The Shots at Iron Mountain illustrates the conflict between an individual and rapid societal changes which he cannot or perhaps does not want to accept. The story also highlights politicization and abuses within the judicial system which favor certain special interest groups - a phenomenon too frequent in modern history. Western author Jiri Cernik’s The Shots at Iron Mountain: A Story of Two Men - Tom Horn and Geronimo is an action-packed Western novel that brings voice to many of the West’s best-known characters, whose violent lives ended on the battlefield, in prison or at the end of a hangman’s noose. - Stuart Rosebrook, Ph.D., Senior Editor, True West magazine
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.