Carl R. Smith Book order

The author has scoured many Wyoming Territorial newspapers and governmental records in order to find elusive versions of Wyoming Territorial and early state history. With a focus on territorial crime and punishment, the author has ventured into areas of wanton waste and destruction of territorial resources, occurring at the very time that early laws were written. While laws were enacted to establish order and safety within the territory, the American Indian, the Blacks, and the Chinese in Wyoming Territory were inhumanely and criminally disenfranchised from the rights the early settlers heaped upon themselves. Those pre-territorial, territorial, and early state political perceptions of who should and how they should enjoy the good life were soon to be reflected within the laws that governed the sale of alcohol, gambling, the numerous houses of pleasure, the use of natural resources, and the ways the average citizen was to be safeguarded. The selective enforcement of territorial and early state laws enabled the elite and well-heeled to amuse themselves unfettered. Lawbreakers with political connections often received tailored prison sentences, pardons, and commutations, while the criminal who lacked family status and influence was not on the receiving end of such benevolence. These selections of particularly well documented early Wyoming history have not been written so as to make history more pleasant.

After surviving a loveless and abusive childhood, Clay Smith thinks he has finally found acceptance and respect in the military as the driver and Aide de Camp to Colonel Essex, the Battalion Commander. However, tragedy strikes, leaving him vulnerable to the colonel¿s own self-serving plans. The colonel vaults Clay into a world of intrigue and assassination. Out of patriotism and loyalty to Colonel Essex, Clay agrees to be a willing participant. But, after the first assassination, Clay finds himself questioning his decision as he stands heaving his guts out by the side of the road.