A Horse, A Gunfight, And The Law

The contemporary lore surrounding the 1879 Alford-White affray-that occurred in Tarrant County, Texas-has celebrated George H. White as a forgotten Fort Worth peace officer killed in the line of duty by horse thieves and desperados. This sensationalized narrative, based on the yellow journalism of the day, has been glamorized in books, has been written about in magazine articles, and has been honored on national and local memorials. Nevertheless, twenty years of research has revealed a different insight. This evidence-based examination relied on primary sources such as court records and documented statutes instead of the often one-sided, secondary sources found in the newspapers of the time. This investigation divulged the history of each personality involved. Further analysis has uncovered a clear understanding of the laws of the Lone Star State, and the social and political turmoil resulting from an ex-confederate state enduring northern reconstruction. This account presents the reader with an altogether new narrative utilizing an evidential based process. Were the Alfords horse thieves and murderers? Did they deserve the labels of desperados or ex-convicts? Was George White a duly-sworn peace officer? How did the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals rule on this case and why? Was it's ruling based on technicalities or was it a precedent-setting decision? Were the Alfords the black hat wild west bad guys as portrayed by the newspapers, or were they northern victims of defeated ex-confederates? The authors state that "this historical account attempts to answer these and other questions about our Alfords in Texas." The book comprises over twenty years of research, 446 pages, a forward by James Wesley Johnson, an Introduction, 19 Chapters, 5 Appendixes, a Bibliography of 81 works, and a full Index of names. Included are 1065 Citations, 30 Photographs, 14 Illustrations, 11 Family Trees, 13 Maps, and 35 Historical Documents.