Books published by Eakin Press

George Redman Tucker was a well-known lawman during his time but almost lost to the pages of history. Norman Wayne Brown brings to life a man whose career chasing outlaws took him from Texas, through the Indian Territory, to Wyoming and back to Texas. Man Hunter in Indian Country separates fact from fiction and tells the story of one of the last lawmen of the Old West.Tucker's career as a lawman brought him into contact with several legends of the era, including Isaac Charles Parker, better known as the "Hanging Judge." Tucker was also present during several of the best-known episodes in the history of the "Old West," including the lawlessness of the Indian Territory, the Johnson County Range War in Wyoming, and the Oklahoma Land Rush.George Redman Tucker documented his life in an unpublished manuscript that tells of his exploits in law enforcement. This manuscript was the basis of much of the information in Man Hunter in Indian Country. But the author also did extensive research to separate the facts from what could best be described as embellishment by Tucker.

Valuing diversity-exercising diversity leadership-means treating others with respect and dignity, ferreting out injustice, celebrating differences, and simultaneously seeking common ground. Acknowledge differences-celebrate them-but embrace the fundamental sameness we share as human beings. Differences aside, we share basic values, goals, and aspirations. Most importantly, we share a common humanity. Tapping into that common humanity requires wading out of the shallow waters of difference as division and plunging headfirst into the deep pools of diversity as dynamism. One of the ways that we may come to understand and appreciate diversity is to listen to the narratives others have to tell about their personal journeys, especially those related to differences, be they based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other the other major identity markers. These tales shape our lives. IncogNegro recounts, poetically, stories of race and diversity. Listen. Listening breeds empathy, evokes compassion, and moves us a step closer to walking the proverbial mile in someone else's shoes. Everything begins with that first step. Ultimately, like actors on the world stage, each of us has some role, however small, to play in fostering an inclusive community in which we all have the opportunity to thrive.

James J. Corbett and Joe Choynski were destined to spill each other's blood.In the beginning, the boxing legends were simply two lads scratching and clawing to find their way in the world. They grew up a mile apart on San Francisco's mean streets during the 1880s, ran in rival neighborhood gangs, and earned tough reputations as teenagers for their fistic prowess.Corbett loved to play the role of the dandy, working as a bank teller and always dressing to the height of fashion. His gentlemanly appearance often deceived the brawlers he boxed in the gritty Barbary Coast saloons. From the start, he displayed a natural elusiveness and speed that would eventually revolutionize boxing and win him the World Heavyweight Championship.Yet Corbett's road to glory almost ended prematurely due to a feud with Choynski, who proved his equal in the ring. Choynski developed a brawny physique in those early days as a candy puller and blacksmith before entering the ring with raw power and energy that electrified crowds. Soon, San Francisco wasn't big enough for the two-up-and-coming pugilists. Locals clamored for an illegal "fight to the finish" to determine who was the city's best boxer. A parade of colorful socialites, gamblers, newsmen, and sporting hacks entered the scene as they tried to secure the match as they tried to outwit law enforcement. Along the way, tensions swirled around the hype from outside forces who saw the Irish Corbett or Jewish Choynski as representatives of their ethnic pride. Club bragging rights also played a part in the drama. For the boxers, however, the fight was simply a matter of pride. Losing was not an option.What ensued would captivate boxing fans for generations to come. The Corbett-Choynski feud resulted in arguably the most savagely contested fight in the annals of boxing history - an epic, twenty-seven round brawl under the blistering California sun on a barge anchored near the sleepy port town of Benecia.This is their legend . . .

Billy Dixon triggered the most celebrated shot in the history of the West at the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874. A few months later, while serving as an army scout, Billy earned a Medal of Honor during an even more desperate engagement, as one of six men battling for their lives against a band of 125 warriors at the Buffalo Wallow Fight. Both of these actions took place in the Texas Panhandle, where Dixon became an icon of heroism.Billy ran away to the West during boyhood, eagerly seeking adventure on the frontier. He worked as a woodchopper, a trapper, a bullwhacker and a muleskinner. Dixon became a buffalo hunter, displaying exceptional skills as a sharpshooter. After almost a decade as an army scout, Dixon returned to Adobe Walls to establish a bachelor home on the sparsely-settled plains.A fellow adventure-seeker, Olive King, came to the Panhandle from back East to visit her cowboy brothers. She became a frontier schoolmarm and she met her famous neighbor, Billy Dixon. Billy and Olive fell in love, married, and had eight children. Olive persuaded Billy to dictate his memoirs to her, and the result was a classic frontier biography, Life of "Billy" Dixon: Plainsman, Scout and Pioneer. During a long widowhood Olive Dixon became a major force in Panhandle history, helping to establish the Panhandle-Plains Museum, writing and speaking about her own pioneer experiences as well as Billy's, and erecting impressive monuments at Adobe Walls and at Buffalo Wallow.

James J. Corbett and Joe Choynski were destined to spill each other's blood.In the beginning, the boxing legends were simply two lads scratching and clawing to find their way in the world. They grew up a mile apart on San Francisco's mean streets during the 1880s, ran in rival neighborhood gangs, and earned tough reputations as teenagers for their fistic prowess.Corbett loved to play the role of the dandy, working as a bank teller and always dressing to the height of fashion. His gentlemanly appearance often deceived the brawlers he boxed in the gritty Barbary Coast saloons. From the start, he displayed a natural elusiveness and speed that would eventually revolutionize boxing and win him the World Heavyweight Championship.Yet Corbett's road to glory almost ended prematurely due to a feud with Choynski, who proved his equal in the ring. Choynski developed a brawny physique in those early days as a candy puller and blacksmith before entering the ring with raw power and energy that electrified crowds. Soon, San Francisco wasn't big enough for the two-up-and-coming pugilists. Locals clamored for an illegal "fight to the finish" to determine who was the city's best boxer. A parade of colorful socialites, gamblers, newsmen, and sporting hacks entered the scene as they tried to secure the match as they tried to outwit law enforcement. Along the way, tensions swirled around the hype from outside forces who saw the Irish Corbett or Jewish Choynski as representatives of their ethnic pride. Club bragging rights also played a part in the drama. For the boxers, however, the fight was simply a matter of pride. Losing was not an option.What ensued would captivate boxing fans for generations to come. The Corbett-Choynski feud resulted in arguably the most savagely contested fight in the annals of boxing history - an epic, twenty-seven round brawl under the blistering California sun on a barge anchored near the sleepy port town of Benecia.This is their legend . . .

At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Anthony and Rebekah Cumings brave the danger-infested Ohio Valley in search of a western Eden. There they encounter the mystic David Singletary and join the proclaimed paradise . . . only to discover a growing dark side. Their sons and daughters become enmeshed in the Burr Conspiracy, the opening of the western waters to steamboat traffic, the War of 1812 and, finally, the Anglo colonization of Texas and its bloody aftermath.The growth of a nation - with its defeats and victories, tragedies, and triumphs - is reflected in one family's saga. Experience with them, at almost a break-neck pace, earthquake, hurricane and flood, high virtue and inhumanity, heroism and treachery. This is essentially a true story that could have happened only in America.

This story, set in 1920, revolves around Charles "Charlie" Jackson, a twelve-and-a-half-year-old from Boley, Oklahoma, one of America's best-known all­-Black towns. Today Boley, once a thriving black mecca, is smaller and more subdued. Still, signifi­cant historical footprints line her streets and alleys. Charlie's window on the world offers us an up­close and personal view of this historic town during its heyday. In an era of great flux-the immediate wake of World War I; the dawn of women's suffrage; the rapid industrialization of America; the introduc­tion of the doomed social experiment known as "Prohibition"; the continuation of unstable race rela­tions and racial hostility, intimidation, and violence against African- Americans . . . Boley became a kind of cocoon enshrouding African-Americans ("coloreds" or "Negroes" at the time). They thrived, emboldened and empowered by the sense of openness and oppor­tunity the town provided. Through Charlie's eyes, we re-visit the impor­tance of self-esteem, of believing in oneself and one's unlimited potential. Through Charlie's eyes, we re­examine what it means to be part of a family, to have deep roots. Through Charlie's eyes, we rediscover some of the values that help create a sense of com­munity: love, faith, charity, hope, perseverance, and integrity, just to name a few. Charlie's experiences illuminate a little-known slice of American history. In the process, they high­light important lessons for our present lives and for our futures.

A former R.A.F. pilot tells the true story of air-to-ground combat in World War II. Before his eighteenth birthday E.A.W. "Ted" Smith was in the British Royal Air Force where he served five years on over thirty RAF bases in South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, and Holland. Joining the RAF 127 Squadron after D-Day as a fighter and bomber pilot, he flew Spitfire aircraft on ninety missions, a third of which were bombing attacks while the land forces were beating back the German army beyond the Rhine. Following the war in 1946, he became one of the world's first jet pilots, flying Gloucester Meteors on 74 Squadron.Smith kept a diary of his exploits in World War II, and this was the basis for Spitfire Diaries. Smith immigrated to the United States in 1948 and eventually became the general manager of Lady Bird Johnson's radio stations, KLBJ-AM and KLBJ-FM in December of 1980 in Austin, Texas.

In 1830 census takers trudged door to door in San Antonio de Bexar and Nacogdoches gathering census data on the residents. Either they got no father, or else their other returns have been lost. Whichever, Gifford White finished the work they started. Included is every major contemporary list of known person in Texas in 1830. White often provides more information than the census takers had gathered - names of wives, dates of immigration, country or state of birth, or previous residence and occupation.

The first battle of the Texas Revolution was fought in Gonzales in October 1835. The fight was between the Texans and Mexican soldiers over a small six-pound cannon. That brief encounter ignited the spark for the struggle for freedom. This led to the Battle for San Antonio and finally to the Siege of the Alamo. During the siege, Colonel William Travis issued an appeal for reinforcements and thirty-two gallant men of Gonzales rode to the Alamo in response to that plea. Fully aware of their peril, those heroes of Gonzales crossed the enemy lines and entered the Alamo on March 1, 1836. Included in the group were three sixteen-year-old boys: William King, John Gaston, and Galba Fuqua. In the days that followed they fought beside Davy Crockett, Almeron Dickinson, William Travis, and others. Finally, on March 6th, the Texans were overwhelmed by Santa Anna’s forces and died to the last man and boy defending the Alamo. Their self-sacrifice and valor are engraved forever in the pages of history.

The life and exploits of George Washington Arrington were remarkable. Soldier, spy, Texas Ranger, Texas sheriff, rancher-he was all of these and his life spanned two of the most tempestuous times of this nation's history-the War between the States and the passing of the western frontier.Author Jerry Sinise recounts the life of adventure that began when Arrington joined the Confederate Army at sixteen years of age, through the dangerous Indian and outlaw years of the Texas frontier, into the settlement years of the Texas Panhandle, and into the 20th century as a Canadian, Texas, rancher.Sinise spent more than four years tracking down bits and pieces of Arrington's life. Some of his more dramatic adventures have appeared in the popular Western magazines and a book or two, but much of what he has included in this book is original material, never before published.

Bigfoot Wallace was a famous Texas Ranger who took part in many of the military conflicts of the Republic of Texas and the United States in the 1840s, including the Mexican-American War. Standing six feet tall and weighing in at roughly 240 pounds, his physique made him an intimidating man, and his unusually large feet won him the nickname "Big Foot."Jo Harper has written extensively about Texas history and the legends that made it and provides this historical fiction for the younger reader.

In the year 1854, under the leadership of Father Leopold Moczygemba, the first Polish settlement of America was founded at Panna Maria, Texas. After enduring a long, perilous voyage from Poland, the first Polish settlers faced many hardships in Texas. These included snakes, droughts, and Indians.The historical facts in this book are documented. The ghost stories are based on folk tales and, perhaps, fiction.

Stephen F. Austin established the first successful Anglo-American colony in what would become Texas. He brought 300 families to Texas in 1825 and while he led the effort for settlers to get along with the Mexican government, he would eventually become a leader in the effort for Texas independence. Today he is recognized as "The Father of Texas."

In this powerful, fact-based novel, Alan Huffines has created a new Western classic. Beginning with Indian Territory's Marlow family and their real-life struggle for justice on the Texas frontier, Huffines combines a historian's grasp of period details and authentic language with a storyteller's ability to make readers lose sleep, sweat, and pace the floor. An unforgettable tale.Alan C. Huffines is the author of “Blood of Noble Men: The Alamo Siege and Battle” and has been a Selected Author of the Texas Book Festival. He has also been featured on C-Span's "Book TV." He holds a master's degree in history, and his writing has appeared in several historical journals. A Persian Gulf War veteran, he is an active-duty combat arms officer. He is a member of the Western Writers of America.

Juxtaposed against the grim realities of black life at the turn of the twentieth century, the lives of George and Lena Sawner shone like the blazing sun on an oven-hot August day in Oklahoma. Educated, professional, and economically stable-well-off by most standards-the Sawners lived the American dream, accompanied, periodically, by nightmarish reminders of the realities of race.The couple owned a home, rental property, stocks, businesses, and two cars. They hobnobbed with local, state, and national dignitaries. They vacationed in faraway places like Montreal, Canada. The Sawners excelled in their respective spheres and claimed the social, political, and economic accoutrements commensurate with their successes. Material trappings and stature aside, the Sawners never severed their roots.Despite their undeniable attainments, the Sawners, like other African Americans in Oklahoma, often swam against the current, regularly battling waves of bigotry and intolerance. Reminiscent of the Jim Crow South, the political waters in Oklahoma, particularly as they cascaded over racial matters, became increasingly contaminated. This is their story-a tale of triumph amidst a backdrop of tragedy. George and Lena Sawner lived and, through their living, enhanced and enriched our lives in ways great and small.

This is the story of a small group of Texan adventurers, Mier men, who invaded Mexico, fought a battle at Ciudad Mier, surrendered, walked to Mexico City in chains, and were imprisoned in Perote Castle. They had volunteered to invade Mexico because the Mexican army had captured Sam Maverick and other Texan officials. The volunteers aimed to bring them back. Their ordeal-especially having to draw beans in a lottery for their lives-has captured the imaginations of Texans through the years.

A powerful and poignant series of meditations on the Kaddish prayer, and the experience of mourning. Readers of all faiths will benefit from its deepening insights. There is no time when people need the guidance of religion more than in the shadow of bereavement and loss, and there is nothing that the Jewish tradition does better. This book will help people understand why and how.

The Pacific Coast League is one of the oldest baseball leagues and has a rich and colorful history. Bill O'Neal's exhaustive research brings back forgotten players and moments in history. The list of players that came up through the ranks of the Pacific League and found fame in the majors reads like a who's who in baseball. Joe DiMaggio. Ted Williams and Gaylord Perry are just a few of the many Pacific League players whose careers led to their induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.O'Neal brings a unique perspective that includes his experiences as a coach, writer, and historian. From the birth of the league in 1903, through the Great Depression and into the modern era, O'Neal tells the stories of the players and the teams. Some failed, some prospered, but all are remembered in The Pacific Coast League 1903-1988.

John Chisum was a legendary figure of the Old West cattle frontier. At thirteen he migrated with his family from Tennessee to the Republic of Texas. During the 1850s Chisum recognized opportunity in the fledgling range cattle industry, and within a few years his herds numbered in the tens of thousands. Chisum soon owned more cattle than any other individual in America, and his Jinglebob herds were the only cattle in the West known by an earmark rather than by a famous brand.Chisum was a true pioneer, seeking open range grass farther and farther and still farther to the west. During three decades on a succession of frontier ranches, Chisum endured Indian raids, stock thievery, drought, financial reverses, and the murderous Lincoln County War. Chisum had courage, a taste for adventure, a shrewd head for business, and he confidently operated his risky frontier profession on an enormous scale.His last ranch was the biggest, stretching for 200 miles along the Pecos River and grazing as many as 80,000 head of Jinglebob cattle. He built a headquarters complex worthy of a cattle king, relishing the role of host to one and all. After thirty spectacular years as a western rancher, Chisum died at sixty, just as his beloved open range was being enclosed by barbed wire. But he was known throughout cow country as the "Jinglebob King," the "Cattle King of the Pecos," and the "Cattle King of the West."

Dr. William Joseph Calhoun Lawrence and the Base, Mean, Low-Down, Trifeling, Lying, Lazy, Hog-Thieving, Indolent, Dogon', Chisel-Fisted, CheatingWhy should a respected frontier physician-one of the few of his trade in Texas- die in a mutually fatal Western-style shootout with his cousin?Frontier Texas- from its War of Independence from Mexico, to the late 1800s- was a strictly agricultural region raising cotton and then livestock, and dotted with small villages . . . not much to draw an ambitious physician. There were, of course, no medical schools in the Republic or the succeeding State. A very few doctors were born in Texas. They went East to get their education, and then came back to their beloved homeland. William Joseph Calhoun Lawrence was one of these doctors.Lawrence wrote letters almost daily (and kept those he received), so the author could piece together the doctor's life, his virtues and obvious faults, and that of his family, his neighbors and his Texas.

Although there have been individual books published about famous murder cases ranging from serial killers, mass murderers and more . . . ."Murdered Judges of the Twentieth Century" is the first collection of its kind. Susan P. Baker started this project because she was concerned with the prevalence of violence in American courthouses in the 1980s and 1990s. She had always thought of a courthouse as a safe haven, a place where one came to resolve one's differences through peaceful means, a sanctuary if you will. she imagined that people had respect for the judiciary, for lawyers, for bailiffs, and for other folks who worked in the legal business whether or not at our safe haven. Although she knew of Federal Judge John Wood's assassination, she assumed it was a fluke. It was related to a drug case. Those people knew no bounds.