MYTH OF THE HANGING TREE Stories of Crime and Punishment in Territorial New Mexico

Softcover. The author studies several fascinating criminal cases that reveal the harsh and often gruesome realities of the role hangings, legal or otherwise, played in the administration of frontier justice. He also challenges some of the myths that surround hangings and lynchings in the region. Stories include the executions of Charles Williams and Lewis Gaines, Silver City, 1880; Domain Romero, Mexican murderer, Springer, 1883; Paula Angel the only woman ever hanged in New Mexico, 1862, etc. The 71st and last legal hanging took place in 1923 when Francisco Vaisa was executed for the murder of a merchant during a robbery in a store. Illus., Appendices, Notes and Index. 186pp. trade size soft cover. F. with no creasing to covers.