Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West

Boessenecker, a trial lawyer and former police officer, gives a detailed account of the first private detectives employed by the Wells Fargo company to guarantee the security of their customers’ goods. The short biographies are well researched, and readers will enjoy learning the histories of the men (such as J. Ernest “Windy” Smith, a Wells Fargo messenger who made national news when he killed two train robbers, and Charles E. Boles, a stagecoach robber called the “Poet Highwayman” for leaving behind bits of verse at the scenes of his crimes) and much more: the development of firearms in the United States; the thieves who sought innovative ways to get rich off of Wells Fargo’s loads; the ways that police and private capital influenced each other in the American West; and progress in transporting goods and people on the frontier. Boessenecker’s unembellished writing style does periodically flatten the action of the wild stories of the men he profiles, and the volume of detail could be tedious to some. But Old West enthusiasts will find this collection of particular interest; its detail is rich enough to offer new knowledge to even the most avid student of this place and time. Photos. Agent: Claire Gerus, Claire Gerus Literary. (Oct.)