Tucson Bound With The Mad Hatter

 March 11, 2025

   Getting ready for our annual jaunt down to the Tucson Festival of Books this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Always a fun trip for me to meet all you readers of books. Such a special breed of humans, you are.

   Also, if you are within driving distance, I would love to see you on Friday night.

   I'm finishing up the next Classic Gunfights, which is a bit of a one-sided fight because one of the protagonists was up against a firing squad. Here is an old engraving of the scene at Mountain Meadows, Utah in 1877.

At left, John D. Lee sits on his coffin as the military positions three wagons in a semi-circle to shield the shooters (note the U.S. tarp wrapped around the closest wagon on the right.

(from a photo)

Note, the photo cuts off the wagon tarp

Guilty As Sin

   I'm also going to do mini-bios on all Lee's co-conspirators who skated clear. You know, like this guilty as sin compadre.

Daily Whip Out: "Isaac Haight"

   If you noticed the hat montage yesterday in the Scott Baxter photo set up, you might appreciate this old gem.

The Original Mad Hatter

   "Bob Boze Bartholomew, Our childhood friend Dr. Seuss saw you coming. This book, a favorite in my childhood, was first published in 1938! If you haven’t read it, you should. I might point out as well that Fred LaBour, member of the Western singing and comedy group Riders in the Sky, goes by the stage name Too Slim and is introduced as “The Man With A Thousand Hats.” The Riders have been members of the Grand Ol’ Opry since the late ‘80s. Getting ready for the book festival. I expect you’re partnering with Western Writers again. If so, you’ll be in front of the Student Union. As the old Wobbly song reminds us, “you can’t scare me I’m sticking with the union, I’m sticking with the union til the day I die!”

—Greg Scott 

"Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs."

—David Benburion