Outlaw Tales of Alaska : True Stories of the Last Frontier's Most Infamous Crooks, Culprits, and Cutthroats

Many a ne'er-do-well has taken advantage of the absence of lawmen at remote outposts and far-flung settlements in the Land of the Midnight Sun-often putting themselves at the mercy of their equally hardscrabble neighbors. Trying to eke out an existence in near isolation during one long, dark winter caused greenhorn gold miner Martin Severts to snap, forcing his surviving partners into the undesirable roles of judge, jury, and hangman. Disillusioned nineteen-year-old William Dempsey discovered that moving to Alaska didn't instantly ensure riches and naively thought no one would miss a prostitute and her bankroll. When well-known poacher Ed Krause began acquiring the properties of "missing" Juneau residents, mounting evidence led to his arrest-and to a brief and deadly escape attempt. All these stories and more can be found in Outlaw Tales of Alaska, which introduces fourteen of the most dramatic events, and the most daring and despicable desperados, in the history of the Last Frontier. Book jacket.