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Bryan Ney

African Americans in Frontier Montana

27 April 2016 by Bryan Ney Leave a Comment

The inspiration for the character of Cecil Jones in "Calamity Jane- How the West Began" is a single sentence in Nathaniel Langford’s "Vigilante Days and Ways" (p. 362).  The setting is the ominous preparation for Sheriff Plummer’s execution: “A negro boy came up to the gallows with ropes before the arrival of the cavalcade.” Perhaps this was a youngster being referred to, but as most readers know, it would have been common for an African American man to be referred to as a “boy” in years … [Read more...] about African Americans in Frontier Montana

Filed Under: Essays

A Vigilante of the Jewish Persuasion

27 April 2016 by Bryan Ney Leave a Comment

My historical fiction Calamity Jane- How the West Began, includes a minor character, Ben Ezekial, a Jewish Mason and vigilante.  Jews as Masons?  Sure.  Jews as Vigilantes in frontier Montana?  That might take some explaining.  First, some background from A guide to Historic Virginia City, by Marilyn Grant, (pp. 14-16). “Among the early merchants in western mining towns were European Jews, many from Prussia, Bavria, and Poland, who had immigrated to California during the 1848 gold rush.  They … [Read more...] about A Vigilante of the Jewish Persuasion

Filed Under: Essays

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