Hell on the Border: He Hanged Eighty-Eight Men Paperback October 1, 1992

by S.W. Harman

During the time he served on the bench in Indian Territory, Judge Isaac Parker's court was famous throughout the world. Known as "the hanging judge," Parker was not the stereotype of the rough, fire-breathing frontier judge. He was articulate and impassioned about the rule of law. But he served at a time that epitomized the lawless Old West. With non-tribal whites pouring into the territory, a vicious crime wave swept the region. For two decades, Judge Parker's mission was to establish law and order. He did that in part by hanging eighty-eight men who appeared before his bench. For over one hundred years, this book has stood as the best chronicle of the Parker Court. It is vast in scope and thrilling in execution, there is something here for everyone from the True Crime reader to a law professor. See how justice was dished out in the Old West as seen through the eyes of the court. Every memoir of the American West provides us with another view of the migration that changed the country forever.

Genres: History

Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[Theshiney · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have the 1953 edition. it is awesome. the publisher, one Frank Van Eaton, writes his forward mostly about himself. only a tiny section in it one can find the authors name, for it isnt found on the cover, in the authors own introduction, or anywhere else. this is an idiosyncratic book to say the least. most of this is due to the fact the publisher, thankfully, keeps the original spelling and grammar errors, that is, stays as faithful as possible to original printing- unless it 'destroyed sense and meaning.' the colorful language and odd grammar is most of the fun. the random chapter breaks have almost no rhyme or reason. it was an adventure. i bet a recent edition wouldnt be as interesting. i was caught in another time when story exceeded formality. if the episodes related are exaggerated, biased, or true at all is not really the point of reading this book. its an experience rather than an historical document.

[Mary Ann Plahitko]

I thought this book was the second and the best Reeves trilogy. It has the same name, but it is a history of the laws, trial outcomes, and so forth of the hanging judge. Because it was not what I was looking for, I quit reading it about a third of the way through.

[Douglas Reedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of good stories.

I was pleased to see so many interesting and true stories of the outlaws and their victims. Plus the punishment that was handed down.

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info on the frontier at Fort Smith, Judge Parker

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of inaccuracies and exaggerated stories in this book, but a great read. It was originally published just a few years after the federal court at Fort Smith lost jurisdiction over Indian Territory and the death of "Hangin" Judge Isaac C Parker.