Murder cases that read like the script from a Western movie are prt of Brazoria County's rich history.  They range from the story of an armed band of citizens who rode into the town of Brazoria, intent on lynching the man who murdered a young storekeeper, to a much later prison slaying in which the trail judge fell afoul of newspaper reporters over a gag order.
   Motives are equally diverse - husbands driven to murder by the suspicion of infidelity, a group of soldiers confronted during a hog theft, and a situation in which an escape by jail inmates led to numerous deaths.
   All these and more are among this book's 23 cases from the period 1838 to 1935.  Names of those involved, both defendants and victims, include a number that are well known in the county's development.
   Details have been gleanded from court documents, trial transcripts, newspaper accounts, eye witness accounts, and other sources.  These factual stories are a microcosm of Texas' sometime violent past.

About the author:
A native of Brazoria County, Marie Beth Jones was a newspaper reporter and editor 38 years.  Her weekly local history column still appears in The Facts, and she also writes for The Police News.  She is the author of two previous books, Peach Point Plantation and Tales from the Brazos.
Mrs. Jones is currently employed as the Public Information Officer and Records Manager for Brazoria County, Texas.