TRIAL OF FRANK JAMES: Gerard Petrone

This detailed account of the trial of Jesse James's brother makes it clear that, in the Old West, the brothers were seen as "noble robbers" who took on the aura of Robin Hoods. People were so willing to exalt these supposed champions of the poor that many doubted Jesse's death in 1882.

Richard Maxwell Brown reports in his fine Introduction to JUDGMENT AT GALLATIN that "Impostors who claimed to be Jesse James came forward as late as 1948."

"Lingering but deep Civil War animosities" added to the strange atmosphere that transformed dangerous criminals into heroes and may have made a mockery of justice. "The State of Missouri vs. Frank James may not have been the trial of the nineteenth century," states a reviewer in Wild West, "but it certainly ranks up there." Petrone, he says,

re-creates the trial, from its carnival atmosphere outside the makeshift courtroom to the eccentric characters inside in this well-researched, easy to read and enlightening look at the historical trial. Judgment at Gallatin is thorough history and an all-around exciting read whether you believe justice was served or miscarried.

After Jesse's death, Frank James wanted to escape his life as a fugitive. This account of the twists and turns of his trial is memorable and instructive.

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