A short but well-researched overview of the U.S. District Court for Western Arkansas, with Criminal Jurisdiction over the Indian Territory, from 1875, when Judge Isaac C. Parker came to its bench, until 1896, when the court's jurisdiction over the Indian Territory ceased, and Judge Parker died. Parker is known for having passed sentence of death 160 times - approximately 80 of which were carried out in the courtyard in Fort Smith, Arkansas - and Harrington, once chair of the History Department at the University of Arkansas, does a credible job of bringing insight into the times, the criminals, the deputy marshals, and the judge without dwelling on the sensational. Good book. ( )