Tales of moral, courageous, and selfless heroes fill the annals of history. But what about the immoral, cowardly, selfish, and just plain evil? This eagerly awaited follow-up to Speaking Ill of the Dead explores the other, arguably more interesting side of Montana history, with fourteen stories about people who left the world a better place . . . not through selfless actions, but because they left! Selected from the increasingly popular Montana History Conference session-Jerks in Montana History-the less than perfect Montana Hall of Shame members profiled here include:
Lewis and Clark's infamous guide Toussaint Charbonneau-an opportunistic fool among heroic explorers;
Boone Helm and Liver-Eatin' Johnston-alleged cannibals and heinous frontier characters;
John X. Beidler-vigilante, executioner, and pint-sized bully;
and The Montana Council of Defense-"patriots" gone berserk who fed hysteria and played fast and loose with civil liberties.
Still Speaking Ill of the Dead carefully documents and exposes the lives of these and many other jerks to uncover a complicated and fascinating history of Montana and its people.
