John H. Behan: Sacrificed Sheriff

John Harris Behan, as author Bob Alexander so capably demonstrates, was a true frontiersman of the early Arizona Territory. Long portrayed as a villain in the Tombstone conflicts, and the nemesis of Wyatt Earp, "Sacrificed Sheriff" presents the story of a 40-year lawman and public servant who was skilled with gun and horse, yet who consistently fought crime and arrested bad guys without killing anyone. Behan also was a Civil War volunteer, twice a Territorial Legislator, and Yuma Prison Superintendent. At an age when some Western "heroes" were mouthing memoirs to journalists, Behan served in the Spanish American War and the Boxer Rebellion. This is the Western lawman that everyone has heard of but no one knows. With rigorous research, copious footnotes, and a lively style, Bob Alexander gives us Johnny Behan in the round.