Growing up, Jerry Thompson knew only that his grandfather was a gritty, “mixed-blood” Cherokee cowboy named Joe Lynch Davis. That was all anyone cared to say about the man. But after Thompson’s mother died, the award-winning historian discovered a shoebox full of letters that held the key to a long-lost family history of passion, violence, and despair. Wrecked Lives and Lost Souls, the result of Thompson’s sleuthing into his family’s past, uncovers the lawless life and times of a man at the center of systematic cattle rustling, feuding, gun battles, a bloody range war, bank robberies, and train heists in early 1900s Indian Territory and Oklahoma. Through painstaking detective work into archival sources, newspaper accounts, and court proceedings, and via numerous interviews, Thompson pieces together not only the story of his grandfather—and a long-forgotten gang of outlaws to rival the infamous Younger brothers—but also the dark path of a Cherokee diaspora from Georgia to Indian Territory. Davis, born in 1891, grew up on a family ranch on the Canadian River, outside the small community of Porum in the Cherokee Nation. The range was being fenced, and for the Davis family and others, cattle rustling was part of a way of life—a habit that ultimately spilled over into violence and murder. The story “goes way back to the wild & wooly cattle days of the west,” an aunt wrote to Thompson’s mother, “when there was cattle rustling, bank robberies & feuding.” One of these feuds—that Joe Davis was “raised right into”—was the decade-long Porum Range War, which culminated in the murder of Davis’s uncle in 1907. In fleshing out the details of the range war and his grandfather’s life, Thompson brings to light the brutality and far-reaching consequences of an obscure chapter in the history of the American West.

In Beyond the Sunset, the sixth novel in Ron Shafer's There Is a River saga, two cultures repeatedly collide. Jude and Cory's world of love, embodied in their beautiful wedding and honeymoon, clashes with the world of the carnal thugs. The intelligent Todd Cravener, pitifully caught in the crossfire between the two worlds, deals with the overwhelming guilt of his girlfriend's death. Is there hope for such misdirected people who botch their lives so completely? In the words of one reader, "Todd is like many people today--forlorn, hopeless, and scared!" The lives of the antagonists and the protagonists of these two worlds crisscross in a series of breath-taking episodes which build to a riveting climax during Kittanning's Light-up Night when the inebriated stooges kidnap two innocent people. "That," a reader shares, "is one of the most suspenseful scenes I've read in modern fiction! My pulse soared!" Will the daring rescue scheme succeed?

“How can women wear diamonds when babies cry for bread?” Kate Barnard demanded in one of the incendiary stump speeches for which she was well known. In A Life on Fire, Connie Cronley tells the story of Catherine Ann “Kate” Barnard (1875–1930), a fiery political reformer and the first woman elected to state office in Oklahoma, as commissioner of charities and corrections in 1907—almost fifteen years before women won the right to vote in the United States. Born to hardscrabble settlers on the Nebraska prairie, Barnard committed her energy, courage, and charismatic oratory to the cause of Progressive reform and became a political powerhouse and national celebrity. As a champion of the poor, workers, children, the imprisoned, and the mentally ill, Barnard advocated for compulsory education, prison reform, improved mental health treatment, and laws against child labor. Before statehood, she stumped across the Twin Territories to unite farmers and miners into a powerful political alliance. She also helped write Oklahoma’s Progressive constitution, creating what some heralded as “a new kind of state.” But then she took on the so-called “Indian Question.” Defending Native orphans against a conspiracy of graft that reached from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C., she uncovered corrupt authorities and legal guardians stealing oil, gas, and timber rights from Native Americans’ federal allotments. In retaliation, legislators and grafters closed ranks and defunded her state office. Broken in health and heart, she left public office and died a recluse. She remains, however, a riveting figure in Oklahoma history, a fearless activist on behalf of the weak and helpless.

"Children of the Bush" by Henry Lawson is a collection of short stories that vividly depict the lives and struggles of people living in the Australian bush during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through a series of interconnected tales, Lawson offers a poignant and authentic portrayal of the challenges, joys, and hardships faced by those who called the bush their home. The stories in "Children of the Bush" capture the essence of rural life in Australia, showcasing the resilience and resourcefulness of individuals and families as they navigate the harsh and unforgiving landscape. Lawson's writing paints a vivid picture of the Australian outback, from the vast and untamed wilderness to the close-knit communities that formed in its midst. Throughout the collection, Lawson explores themes of isolation, community, survival, and the human spirit's ability to endure in the face of adversity. His characters are ordinary people with extraordinary stories, and their experiences reflect the broader struggles and triumphs of a nation in transition. Lawson's prose is characterized by its raw honesty and deep empathy for his subjects. He delves into the inner lives of his characters, capturing their hopes, fears, dreams, and disappointments. The stories evoke a range of emotions, from laughter to tears, as readers become immersed in the lives of those who inhabit the pages. "Children of the Bush" is a timeless work that continues to resonate with readers, offering a glimpse into a bygone era while addressing universal themes that remain relevant today. Lawson's exploration of the human condition and his ability to capture the essence of the Australian bush make this collection a classic of Australian literature.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "A Modern Legionary" by John Patrick Le Poer. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Raised in Catron County around Pie Town, Jerry D. Thompson is a well-known Southwestern and Civil War historian. Part regional history, part family history, and part childhood memories, Under the Piñon Tree traces the lives of Catron County residents and explores how the area has grown and changed since the Depression and World War II, when Thompson's family first homesteaded the area. Those interested in storytelling and history will enjoy this richly detailed account. Under the Piñon Tree is a must-read for anyone interested in New Mexico and the Southwest.

What do you believe about souls? There are many very different doctrines taught in the world today concerning souls that are believed to be in all humans. By most a soul is believed to be something that is wholly apart from the person a soul is in; that a soul is something that is that is believed to be complete in its self without the person; it will live after the person it is in is dead; it is believed that a soul will exist forever without the person; it will never be dead; therefore, a soul cannot be resurrected from the dead. It is believed that a soul must live someplace forever, and it will live either in Heaven or Hell even if there is no resurrection. The doctrine of unconditional immortality of a deathless soul being in a person, and that soul leaving that person at the death of the person makes it impossible for Christ to have give His life to save that soul from death; if a soul had immortality it would already have life and could never not have life; all Christ could do is give it a reward or punish it.

Of all the stories of ships lost in what has come to be called the “Graveyard of the Pacific,” that of the steamship Valencia is among the saddest. In January 1906, the Valencia set out from San Francisco, bound for Seattle with 108 passengers and some sixty-five crew members aboard. Owing to bad weather and the captain’s mistakes, the ship struck a reef eleven miles off Cape Beale on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Rocks gashed open the ship’s hull, and a series of further missteps soon compounded the tragedy a hundredfold. Only thirty-seven people survived, largely because of a lack of lifesaving infrastructure in the rugged area where the Valencia ran aground. The wreck of the Valencia was an especially tragic one. To begin with, most on board perished, including every woman and child, many of whom had been lashed to the rigging high above the deck in an attempt to save them from the crashing waves. Additionally, the wreck itself was almost certainly avoidable, due almost entirely to navigational errors the captain made. Finally, rescue efforts—such as they were—were hampered by not just the sea and weather but by the mistakes (and some say the cowardice) of the would-be rescuers. This book pieces together the story of the Valencia and her tragic end, weaving together not just the threads of the ill-fated voyage itself but also relevant contextual history, including the development of radio technologies and lifesaving equipment and services that simply came too late to help the doomed voyagers.