Table of Contents
List of Figures ix
Foreword Stephen J. Leonard xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
1 "Alarming Intelligence and Intense Excitement": First Murders in the Pike's Peak Country 11
2 "Most Horrible and Fiendish Murders": The Bleeding of South Park Begins 33
3 "There Has Been Considerable Excitement": The First Colorado Cavalry Steps In 49
4 "The People Are Scared Nearly to Death Here": The Murderers Strike at the Vitals of South Park 61
5 "Fallen into the Hands of Hard Men in an Evil Hour": The Lynching of Baxter 75
6 "Glorious News! The Mysterious Murders Unraveled at Last": One of the Slayers Slain 91
7 "Desperate and Lawless Bravos": The Brothers Espinosa 109
8 "Revenge for the Infamies Committed Against Our Families": Serial Murder as Vendetta 137
9 "Malicious Interference Was the Cause": The Scapegoating of Captain E. Wayne Eaton 157
10 "Times Have Become Quiet Again": Panic Recedes in South Park but Murder Moves Elsewhere 193
11 "Ready for Any Duty, Untiring, and Full of Energy": Samuel F. Tappan Takes Up the Hunt for the Espinosas 207
12 "If This Woman Is Found Dead, Tell the People the Espinosas of the Conejos Killed Her": The Attack on Philbrook and Dolores Sánches 221
13 "I Drew His Head Back over a Fallen Tree and Cut It Off": Tom Tobin Ends the Terror 239
14 "The Brightest Success Rewarded Them for Their Toils": Tobin Brings in the Heads 265
15 "Who Is There to Gather the History of This Wretch?": The Espinosas Remembered 277
16 "Times with Me Have Sadly Changed": Destinies 285
Appendix A Location of the Death Site of Vivián Espinosa: Alternative Theories 293
The Perkins Theory 293
The Walker Theory 297
Appendix B John McCannon's Attempt to Claim the Espinosa Reward 303
Bibliography 309
Index 323
