Hanging Judge

by Elmer Kelton

Newly sworn in deputy Justin Moffitt must deal with the vengeance-seeking family of Barney Tankard, who was sent to the gallows after killing a friend in a drunken brawl

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction, Fiction

236 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1988

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by Elmer Kelton that I have ever read/listened to and I have to say I am very sorry that I haven't picked any of his books before to read. But after reading/listening to this one I'll definitely put Kelton on my list of favorite Western authors. If you like Old West Westerns you would like this one. Recommended.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judge Isaac Parker (also featured in the 1968 novel True Grit by Charles Portis, published just one year earlier) was known as the “Hanging Judge” for a perception of sentencing a large number of convicts to death during his time as a US District judge in Ft. Smith Arkansas. Considering Judge Parker, over the course of his 21-year career on the bench, tried 13,490 cases, but only sentenced 160 people to death and only 79 were ever actually executed leads me to believe that perhaps his reputation was over-hyped. However, this novel is not really about him, although he does cast a long shadow over the events depicted.

Instead, the main character in the novel is 22-year-old Justin Mofitt, a newly sworn-in deputy marshal to Judge Parker. He’s assigned to veteran Marshal Sam Dark for training, a hard man with an intriguing past who quickly becomes Justin’s mentor. Life as a deputy marshal is not one for the faint of heart; history tells us that Judge Parker lost one law officer for almost every criminal he hanged. When Sam Dark brings in wanted fugitive Barney Tankard, killer of a friend in a drunken brawl, Justin finds himself questioning the law and his new-found role in it. The Tankard family believes the real culprit is none other than Harvey Oates, who runs a large illegal bootlegging operation into the Oklahoma Territory. When the rest of the Tankards get in Oates’ way, the resulting bloody violence prompts Justin’s friend, Mathew to go after Oates for revenge. Justin must decide if he will fulfill his marshal duties or help his friend in a righteous cause.

Elmer Kelton is one of the most-loved Western authors of all time. And with this novel it’s easy to see why. Not only does he bring lots of realistic gun action to this story, he combines it with engaging characters and an authentic frontier justice system, warts and all. His characters, even the good guys, are often flawed. The ending, while satisfying, does not tie up all loose ends, leaving the reader to come to his or her own conclusions about Justin’s future.

Well-written prose combined with an authentic, engaging plot leads me to start looking for my next Elmer Kelton novel.

[sarg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanging Judge by Elmer Kelton
Good and realistic western about the US Marshals for isaac Parker of Fort Smith and the Oklahoma territory bad lands.

[Manray9 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not among Elmer Kelton's best efforts. The ending was a bit slapdash.

[Abram Cordell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Wonderful western, with a great story and some historical significance. The “hanging judge” is based on a real life judge who was oft fictionalized but in real life sentenced 160 individuals to hang. He is a great stand in for blind justice and how justice without mercy is insufficient. This story is actually very prescient; if you substitute the alcohol for Methamphetamine you could have a story straight out of the New York Times. Who is our criminal justice system set to punish- the user or the pusher? That’s one of the themes this story is keenly interested in.


What a great western line:

“Quit your whimpering - the Bible says what you sew you shall reap and you sure planted yourself a crop.”

[Saadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The judge is not a bad man but he enforces the law impartially. The villains are the people motivated by greed and operating under the cloak of respectability who are able to do evil including murder. The older marshal is an upright man who does the best he can. The younger marshal is at first training to do his job, then begins to see injustices which he tries to redress as best as his conscience allows. Many good people die pursuing right and a few villains perish by the end.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent western with Rich character development and a complex storyline. This book is sort of hard boiled in style rather than the romanticized Western that many movies are based on. I highly recommend it.

[Nathan Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've grown very fond of Kelton's stories. I'm sad that there aren't more of them. But I'll enjoy what's out there.

[Greg Fletcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a good Western. Bad guys. Good guys. Bad guys die. Good guy dies. Best good guy get the girl. My Dad ALWAYS had a Western in his pocket. Make me think of him every time I read one.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, worth reading if you like westerns. The ending knew what was going to happen.

[Travis Meserve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic western seemingly based around a real character (Judge Parker). Quick read, enjoyed the characters and the way the story unfolded.

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

So vividly told that it was like watching for real!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanging Judge (1969)

This is a particularly dark little western novel by Elmer Kelton. Like many of his books this does seem to observe the formulae of the genre, and it features a real historical character, in this case Indian Territory “hanging judge” Isaac Parker, also featured in Charles Portis’ contemporaneous novel True Grit (1968), written a year earlier. It’s also a coming-of-age novel about a young marshal of the Federal Court, who may not be suited for his job. This has a lot of suspense as Justin Moffitt is torn between two Marshals, a good guy one named Sam Dark and a corrupt one named Rice Pegler. And how much difference is there between the two at the end of the day? Well, that is the closing question in a novel where the last scene has the reader rooting for the young “hero” to ride away, telling a man to enjoy his painful death. This seems to have been less popular among Kelton’s novels, but it’s among his best.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Elmer Kelton's work sometimes makes me feel like I'm missing out on something, he has such a love of Texas and its history. This earlier Kelton work is a bit less cynical and more typical western than some of his later work, but still has the twist that makes it not your standard gunslinger tale.

This book is about Judge Parker, a bit more sympathetic, and from what I have been able to study, accurate portrayal of the man. This is a short story about the troubles for Indians and living in the Nations or at their edge, especially dealing with the whiskey peddlers.

The only somewhat troubling part to me was a bit heavy handed treatment of Settler attitudes toward the local Indians, but it resolved well in the end.

[Yanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cool. It wasn't the best but it taught me alot about being fair and there is 2 sides to everything. I felt bad when people died because if you think about it that person had an acual life or had one. That person could have changed the world. Anyway, if your into law and order, you'll like this book.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good western as young man leaves the family farm to become a U.S. Marshal assigned to Judge Parker in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He is as green as a gourd and must group up as a Marshal. Recommended to fans of westerns.

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 1st Elmer Kelton book. Enjoyable fast read. Great story line with believable characters.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Western story by Elmer Kelton. Just perfect for the ride to Gettysburg!