Review of Heck Thomas: Frontier Marshal By Glenn Shirley

Authors

David J. Bodenhamer, University of Southern Mississippi

Date of this Version

Winter 1983

Citation

Great Plains Quarterly Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter 1983, pp. 60.

Comments

Copyright 1983 by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract

This book is a reprint of the 1962 edition by the same title. As such, it is subject to the same criticism that greeted its initial publication. The author does not provide citations, he invents dialogue, and he exaggerates Thomas's record and reputation. For a more detailed and reliable account of western lawmen, this reviewer advises readers to consult Frank Prassel, The Western Peace Officer (1972 ) or Larry Ball, The United States Marshals of New Mexico and Arizona Territories, 1846-1912 (1978).