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1903 Outlaw James McKinney killed...
1903 Outlaw James McKinney killed...
Item # 723792
April 20, 1903
THE EVENING TRIBUNE, San Diego, April 20, 1903
* James McKinney killed
* Tulare County outlaw
* Bakersfield, California shootout
The top of the front page has a two column headline: "OUTLAW MET A TRAGIC END" with subhead. (see) Surprisingly this issue is in good condition being from the "wood pulp" era. Very hard to find issues that are not totally fragile from this era in paper.
Complete with 6 pages, small library stamps within the masthead, a few small binding holes along the spine, generally very nice.
background: The April 20, 1903, edition of The Evening Tribune captures the violent conclusion of one of California’s last true frontier manhunts, marking the end of James McKinney’s reign of terror through the Central Valley. The shootout in Bakersfield was a chaotic, close-quarters gunfight at a local joss house that resulted in McKinney being nearly decapitated by a shotgun blast, though the victory was hollow as it cost the lives of two highly respected lawmen, City Marshal Jeff Packard and Deputy Will Tibbett. Finding this specific issue in stable condition is a minor miracle of preservation; the high lignin content in 1903 wood-pulp newsprint usually causes the paper to oxidize and shatter like glass after a century. Having all six pages intact allows for a rare, unblemished look at how the turn-of-the-century press balanced sensationalist "yellow journalism" with the grim reality of a state transitioning from the lawless Wild West into a more settled, modern era.
Category: The 20th Century
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$42.00
