The Mack Marsden Murder Mystery

by Johnston, Joe

• ISBN13: 9781883982690
• ISBN10: 1883982693
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-08-26
• Publisher: Missouri Historical Society Pr

Summary

In the late nineteenth century, Jefferson County, Missouri, was striving to emulate its cosmopolitan cousin to the north, St. Louis, while it battled to wipe out the remnants of its frontier lawlessness. The West was truly wild all the way back to the Mississippi River, and while progressive St. Louisans were installing telephones, the sheriff in Hillsboro was trying to find out who was stealing all of the pigs. One of the last of the bad men in Missouri was Mack Marsden. For over three years he was suspected of every major crime in Jefferson County. Though the newspapers labeled him a desperado, he was tried only once and never convicted of any wrongdoing. So when he was ambushed, shotgunned, and left dying on a dusty road, his mystery took on a new life. Who murdered him? And if Mack wasn#x19;t the desperado behind all those crimes, who was? For the first time, all of the available resources, including oral histories, are mined for the clues that answer these questions and more. This narrative nonfiction book is a true mystery that bears striking parallels to that of fellow Missourian Jesse James-and is as thrilling as any of the more famous tales of the Old West.

Table of Contents

About the Author	p. vi
Foreword	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Who's Who	p. xvi
Map of Jefferson County	p. xvii
Map of Sandy Valley	p. viii
Death in the Dust	p. 1
A Good Place to Raise a Family	p. 11
Dreams	p. 17
The Road, the Bridge, and the Man	p. 23
A Visit from John	p. 37
Arson to Cover a Murder	p. 49
Midnight Ambush	p. 59
Weaver Takes Over	p. 65
The Shadow of Crime	p. 73
The Other Side of the Family	p. 81
A Big Mistake	p. 89
Eleven Fine White Hogs	p. 97
Every Man for Himself	p. 105
ôThey Want Mackö	p. 115
The Society Rides	p. 123
The Standoff	p. 133
Tensions Rise	p. 141
ôSomebody's Lyingö	p. 147
The Meeting in the Yard	p. 153
Dirty Dealing	p. 159
Who Killed Vail?	p. 169
Boiling the Soup	p. 179
ôDon't Shoot, Boys!ö	p. 185
Deathbed Testimony	p. 195
ôLet's Go, Motherö	p. 205
A New Sheriff in Town	p. 217
At Last, the Trial	p. 227
Another Getaway	p. 237
Epilogue	p. 243
Sources	p. 257
Index	p. 259
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