From railroad towns like Ladore to cow towns like Newton and Wichita, southeast Kansas pulsed with rowdy activity during the late nineteenth century. The unruly atmosphere drew outlaws, including the Dalton Gang, and even crazed serial killers the likes of the Bender clan. Violent incidents, from gunfights to lynchings, punctuated the region’s Wild West era, and the allure of the frontier also attracted the everyday people whose passions sometimes spawned bloodshed as well. Award-winning author Larry E. Wood explores thirteen of these remarkable episodes in the criminal history of southeast Kansas.
Larry Wood is a retired schoolteacher and a freelance writer specializing in the history of the Ozarks and surrounding areas. He is the author of two historical novels and sixteen nonfiction books, including seven published by The History Press. Wood’s books, stories and articles have won numerous awards from organizations like the Ozark Writers’ League, the Ozark Creative Writers and the Missouri Writers’ Guild. Wood maintains a blog on regional history at www.ozarks-history.blogspot.com.