Hands Up; Or, Twenty Years Of Detective Life In The Mountains And On The Plains

D. J COOK

Publication: Republican Publishing Company, 1882, Denver

First Edition. Original brown cloth. 285pp. Frontispiece, Illustrations. An account of frontier crime and law enforcement by David J. Cook, founder and chief of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Drawing on his experiences as a detective, Cook recounts the pursuit and capture of outlaws, murderers, horse thieves, robbers, and other criminals across Colorado and the surrounding Western territories. Among the episodes are gang robberies, notorious murders, fugitive pursuits, prison escapes, and violent confrontations between lawmen and desperadoes. The narrative provides firsthand perspectives on criminal investigations and the challenges of maintaining order in the mining camps, railroad towns, and isolated settlements of the nineteenth-century West. Cook was a soldier, city marshal of Denver, sheriff of Arapahoe County, U. S. Marshal, Major General of Colorado Militia, and founder & chief of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. "This book was written by Thomas F. Dawson, Director of the Colorado Historical Society ... Mr. Dawson told me also, that the reason both this work and his "Ute Massacre" were so rare, was because the copies were used to make paper wadding for cartridges during the Indian Campaign."... Edward Eberstadt." "A grisly and entertaining account of the experiences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. This sensationalist narrative takes the reader through the true history of crime in the Colorado area during the 1860's and 70's. The times were hard and the men desperate, and there was almost no law enforcement to speak of. The few brave souls who did try to battle crime saw such scenes of butchery as cannot be spoken of without a shudder." Some light rubbing with minor wear to edges and corners, else a very good copy. A rare work!