Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Cattle Kate: A Novel
Cattle Kate: A Novel
Cattle Kate: A Novel
Ebook419 pages6 hours

Cattle Kate: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

"A fascinating and disturbing look at a very dark chapter in the annals of the American West."—C.J. BOX, New York Times bestselling author

Cattle Kate is the only woman ever lynched as a cattle rustler. History called it "range land justice" when she was strung up in Wyoming Territory on July 20, 1889, tarring her as a dirty thief and a filthy whore. But history was wrong. It was all a lie.

Her real name was Ella Watson. She wasn't a rustler. She wasn't a whore. And she'd never been called Cattle Kate until she was dead and they needed an excuse. She was really a 29-year-old immigrant homesteader, lynched with her husband by her rich and powerful cattle-baron neighbors who wanted her land and its precious water rights.

Some people knew the truth from the start. Their voices were drowned out by the all-powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association. And those who dared speak out—including the eyewitnesses to the hangings—either disappeared or mysteriously died. There was no one left to testify against the vigilantes when the case eventually came to trial. Her six killers walked away scot-free. But the legend was stronger than the truth. For over a century, newspapers, magazines, books—movies, too—spread her ugly legacy.

Now, on the 125th anniversary of her murder, the real Ella comes alive in Cattle Kate to tell her heartbreaking story. Jana Bommersbach's debut novel bares a legend central to the western experience.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 7, 2014
ISBN9781615954780
Cattle Kate: A Novel
Author

Jana Bommersbach

Jana Bommersbach is an acclaimed Arizona journalist and author of The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd, which was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and won Arizona's only literary prize. She has been Arizona's Journalist of the Year, won a Regional Emmy for her television writing and has been honored with two lifetime achievement awards for her newspaper and magazine reporting. She lives in Phoenix.

Read more from Jana Bommersbach

Related to Cattle Kate

Related ebooks

Historical Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Cattle Kate

Rating: 4.0625 out of 5 stars
4/5

8 ratings2 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great read for anyone interested in the settling of the west, independant successful females, or even just an attention-holding page turning book. The life of Ella Watson encompasses all three factions.. She knew what she wanted and didn't want, she left her abusive husband to lead her own life on her own terms and she got hung for it! NOT that the murderers would ever admit to jealousy oh no....her lynching was blamed on the contrived excuse of cattle rustling... Read this book and learn why Cattle Kate is actually a misnomer...read this book and you'll be absorbed right into its pages...I promise.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bommersbach literally grabs readers by the throat on the very first page. Ella Watson is slowly strangling to death. Trying to grab the rope. Kicking out furiously for some sort of purchase in order to free herself. Certain that the men who are watching will realize it's time for the joke to end. Determined that this is not her time to die. This is an amazing opening to the book, and an unforgettable one. It's an opening that immediately puts the reader in Ella's shoes and on Ella's side.What follows is Ella's account of her life. Moving with her parents and all her brothers and sisters from Canada to Kansas to start life anew. It's a story of heartbreak, of hard work, of sacrifice, and of sheer determination. Ella moves on to Wyoming Territory, intent on filing a homestead claim and working hard to own her own property. She's known for her sewing, her cooking, and her kindness. But as her story progresses, a strong feeling of dread begins to creep in. Ella and her husband Jimmy are honest, forthright people who believe in doing what's right and in speaking their mind. Being homesteaders in the middle of cattle country... well, speaking your mind isn't always a wise thing to do. At least it wasn't back then, and Ella and her husband paid a terrible price.Bommersbach's narrative is powerful. Ella is an extremely likable woman, and knowing what's going to happen doesn't make it any easier to read. Actually Ella's character makes it more difficult because the reader wants desperately to prevent the lynching from happening. But the very least this woman deserves is justice, and the author has given it to her. If there's any drawback to Cattle Kate, it's the fact that a sizable portion of the book is taken up by historical notes that prove how diligently Bommersbach did her research. These notes are important, but the author's writing is so visceral that I wanted more Ella, more story-- not pages of research. Having already read this author's previous non-fiction Bones in the Desert and The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd, I just knew that she would also be able to write incredible fiction. I was right, and I hope to read more.

Book preview

Cattle Kate - Jana Bommersbach

5& fbook_preview_excerpt.html}[GVRuד2i$JIr,U9 PD U lcR+sνLj?J~4~_yhv/>5?u׼귿ߪ.z.:liq~Nn&v_ps?Ꮯw?/nJ!qua}3Vm6AO¹ZG\|R}zUSb]5Joog&~m5)vlB?v4*j;濻KmܐFf6B4 ^IC?4pjթ8a': < |m_5]akܣ6KfRas ]HȫLw\^ua3az@{ll{.Ϩ/bF{~+;f"c{.o}1-6,7[}}U\WnWg|&MX6t:]M\|eMM㗯{ _~=J6V S|J4^e^~qө{⶷7}su{$gpU7G ڇ̫ ?S"X#)HUh6V@?o?D{mߤ〫Ga x||o^4?u]nx7v:aۯnC_TߧkrWO_}_My`%OS븩އ+o6jO]n}W0s5b{l?^Mꐱ>N' SwBĺ. YJ tݶݥ}_®fOLas~&5^Ǐ԰_OKm?}QA!^F.do}N)HWߑƿ OmQL4 Yv}鵜x?BiӇz&0rO'L-Vuh}T],* 5)n8Fpjta~6/Gu7 c\ZGSݝ>NIOM%y;(eΫ}X#"NPz}ÿҔ pz>b4$\RzvG`t sMvoCVu |mJ6 k=mEyuh7 * N=X 70ǶhPa@O?Id K{طPLD -J E" yַݑ23CCLlwpgayw0~_1+sycӱmBG1Sxhc|$UZ^ђਲ਼!mI>7aз@doO,o~r*/`=<;<Ͽ v ցu`< z iS!qCz.U!Pꁍq\ `+؟16C5]V)w !/𡩱-{6-FX FU!چv.5-wi.܁zvqAvdEIw}ƺsy=_=5_| a %,AR@E:ۯˆ z i'Ѐ+WsN ,!]'ǰ+҆0D'Ѽ5[@_q\kX6yr8/oVoh"] ׉jD[qIXHs F'DhL83q+A't-rg7:&>P6SśɝY4HH;:;m gQ"t]#)=tx(Ր @Ì+zv&6s@$mPdUb}lLǁFvNvor- Aػ hH?!d&="ٕvwk@/8ݫ9ZK&BjDY;% 㚂B 3͑?%= 2/3o$8賘@8F̞s^dGI_?nH> a6eOk螬8k#PL)-m5jDo&}8&\FChA;A`j2Iq_Xwc-at7 JHX?7!5Q\@Z,~k}`)V|֯;đy-sޟD;bq"|@=M6ba>!Ad ZX1‹U``;$P(z\xh~]0T۰y ηs(k= PL Hͺ"Lf 'zyBœâeu ƴnFtT?;=y +oqAlV` s? wpzNʏs=sǺI|5x Q rhī0 [T8.DRKL?G ö $t] g\-/ui.t.D&~:+ϋXM-P&؂ 2ʼ 41{p}lgP'E+8MͿ,ڞ-)zn>FښboXANXKbe\(oϥu *zO082>r?d(~#΁4 ekL޼ =[pRm@.Vi[['$.k”81YŚ,LAy{-i۸h_SR-I(M?Q?x%9U(tH/kCTVJ|H4%lgwPLzVeMmnUqZ'w)<Wp1_!\Z`z\!@[oyM C mWXd'Vn!@nUVRh$kEGfŮi­)Rf|9;B5͕G&76Ԋ-kix>,4Yb$9g xXV ځ={5]:%vX@W #Fa?!;z98ac@0a11YW Sɹ$A+뀸d˯2c\(Fkx3h)Gٱ vQFdJɴ`D%4$ȗzEZ GoL>òm_<@v4 xdb" :6vl "{ ޘĔHa{^~jT7E"$1MB8Z`rlzK o"$#!f}גsSɯFhQg6s"|hkY>A_ SL§$2nO`UHNaM~jE*M93N hw匑g9>)™nRlbŌoo ,Q D(E[^\A9}&%BF9wQPLhBOKaza@f-\y2YT4̝Gȭ:cI[C\1vQ_L2CC!WmÖ HT hVf♋z9e-9b:f )S~%-`-kv[F%ȴ FjۼU+@:MD)&cKʬ./~ y&D=~g}Bpi4K[aAJPWf%3njf RVFzf3&jzOrpcHGQ 7۴fy{.zo5py,2PɃL{֊T-33c^ PN.43 HQbWfš (uvSeDs_ڎNV83t39-63ܘVFvހVskf,އI%5nhBNyӛD;MǨglXguY"c#[I4'Ȭ$=#f('r/6\LZ'wZ+Bs|_Ui!LEiZYeXl!эBb=&Uˈ_ "ˇqK&D"k#ZSw,4;8Yjwԭ!4  =+G>P`9Hmcw槣&_[?YϽ/ѮԘ9`L:glAN`"\ub9ӈ{aAicTBBF;6׺k~lA*ʩ|衞_u hfhcJočG(/wLs[I&y:{ Nfm[;u1XS2VxoΗ;OT;dܒuOEWHCI}ʉ弋TV.z:yKS: i n>[_2W=nGS!)t}}ENƨbKdEy2/c8}3!Pve|J=PiIa2T$eOVXSd*ߡjK`ٚ:RIZ7;BfsZ.(uSYnfa}O$!k+)]yڏ%G>$yu֟8OؖB r)tpۼKLؘT0ץL_&NJ{,+cLm˛\ REB\|uB©tfto*1&ӯg~kymAђE֊ a.-{| L_ׯo^XKY4V^4ǩGheztP{2wF#(yqqF%pB-- Q7ƒmxcE^,5A[Yw+ o)Vw@Q}l% akpVVk$l9&#z>;-нLML1Q V95 K{{ȉzGUj@w3mB9-!mè l>MG$T06oT̙8{;iE1BkjPosU$LKA Wpu7PC -zÀ`CDi$:%=ofwʧTIyEg6Q?G0tu/'؎nU@3)SU %kki+.Bn >ʵ$I=:Ye*JJzfZzq?^qO%/UC.:j4)X[W\pN |}IqmVɊKu#:n&ˬ-!KdDD+p4=ZNhln3_D]r^4*MDqn$xFf1>IyiA-^Iz.dٜ̍$cs6=sa|_3 ̡IN01zf,Y`LN:Klm[krł2JyZI&+y4'X Sy!%R&2&nLd=tݮbWUVcGv2@l/hfzo̳¹ A`FoWbc{_݌w.XXy m,9//YRVu6%ݮaXz?_lt"aUf0Ny#팆,h(x&Sצz_`3w7mtLL)KY/`~1.i@"" % h;;V1c!ť"v4!+U;lCB!V^4YnbPPbY1U폃j 9, +C}S{$!::AՂBv sRxm5gVH&U(h5{E+{Ze[m o &-7\ZqE4Nw;W…uDӔtО9NtytI5EıKjE29EG9Cstu ]Z"􋝬<}ڨ`pH)xp T;atU2q@K{ınvٛ*4k6jg j8EoX:% l)/@ >~;cΐnoxI) ω]EԷڵH:d2WBlZ`Y}$-6E5dҤEvj)ꫜ$W7*YkaKR9it! Oӷʦ=X }Xڢ#̂~:6q*vh;:W1W2v~:Qd a*ҥ! Y,Vwimۯ싁1 ŤGށ:cwf*zv6nKe )H~O 6myRSꔪpݾw>_Wz헫}*c1/5LՃ/D_cJ9e%bYYgEqo%ZicY7ȮdcjF-,K JiO`J@kjo+ù4.fTXvl5nN] Mc@uUNvA%fO'v<3H+>dmT5 4ŗ&zV:Ph ].A tj ,nZlF4a\{VR,}~eɚ $IrH7'e3l.XQfwJhqXIuuqsj#oߚ4KjzfEJjAPkCٿ {ZXKblJc=g3g^p <7X<,`#CjrFT"y"S@m5$5u?LYފtIzWar>ͽesaH[]!*ɵLξp*3hqZy%E09Le}>մ6O嚁[V3AEfld1X4i>VS*N+>ٽYeJ#N.l\q%>z]Ȳ4P^*[W9 # ,ۂK{k:rڜ ӼP*(;B,qGYLܕ5Qolo"5_vyЄ?:Dž˦eV m|ف93OzZjnM5=-iߪEl8I,sM޸ Jo] $oh 2bgEt!E5Rok.ڵ>ͮgj(2!j˄)Dlh=("]MBlG.੨#<bfU[c[.zj6w}X뉍X M 6@LlbKv9٬ޕp٨#?[&%yh67& UatIS`?v"rꓝMtbճbˮE=6}Ζ4u.iumŜ݅S"rE5Ű|HIlD<-/;0kH(T;l?:I:\e}zMNue4h-[TcO~iSCuS>-Cl #*4iN5b3Y?官7GO<0An K["1ʺm{|5`NeF8Vc rd^8+kB3?Tyl:wl6a 9sY[u˩ɑy/hS$ic߶G͎W%V9u˱0lr0)};ɩ`,#dzn&C~%i+ vzCHd [: Všm'k [d&s`Dٓ9 l|pb}˱?xl]=!eaFevdh4@mԏ`NB[i9O 7iAMkgco*ņ}&Id]3}1z2)w#ƊX"|8~y]8PJYglYas+8hU #*#輷vxge>K l|rnX*-|1u HH0 ϔVC(RbJRuxc6,,*SPj`K?r9nd eփ`X~yj.[*o%FH5ߨ'ZI^3cme3污 gŕ lW#"gj#Κ=T3/gy0θ!~ "1\6^ ?,5V0ʍ4/^//rFxуhԶٜz)Lv_cSǣ6h.((P 2pF6y74u}>hN뫹/m)] =R|9ESu6|)2RB0S/<A /܊52B뉇!<6$:k҇&lL`$v).;ʢϲ9薻k87dGm ×vM3ܳqVx#g4w;kCu#Ѧwy^U6][Y!m<`xح?0lċG@]I OF}1י)x3&S7<%ڿ Ӣ+ XT|xE.Q1OTuӸpJ=˭ZM{s0˖a >j1SgM !`~:˗zGIGxR41f5 pO$>Ux{? 7fmlP>J}7#,!RMdXꢹÞeMèͤ¸(K1xDM dq:Y?7D_L- JrQuxV~])[38֠#mUXl+?8We:/ sA^rss_>t4^ 'tvK^;q ZO]64hI~be96)cJ;:ulZKu=!q\>\r /)ر*Zm1Չ Wwi'*W`׃܌KׇxV7ܾ\[1o=)X ?\Hw,rȣs!LrV ^H T?w}*? W™}r{D,?O%sPcT|Nv0ZV0ԙ/;U~lհ3ӎdZGxL( 2 _x &*?ӬW#V'e.@N|H}(Ac ͆ \`|j3x%KR uB"|k3FW`,'w\EKO8;c>Qqs6VS1Dx@՜8\׺u_1u|@rΙ Te>mj5 66aIrzu@qϖEP'eLOR\e!| =L$#e9d h$S$*q1PՆ]ԽMǹ1s!Zѓ\bsWCO>N.xh[bCa3QO͵T%rwSF3ݜݱtg%n@ͽ$_̯.>*HVt& L:G8Gl[Dwx3cP㶜>244m?_Unڦ[[zX>k*؁]3xnn]1:[.z-5{jPuZi˹fv JͲ]+4['Oq9 磭Z:: C/dDJܴ;_%M955b]u#)vG"˟zDC­9e}ۚWoTldS+%1tWe{, euq.ө0 ٸQUtlcyXjڢw.{hRw]TZ3,^]ّt\NLL]ux9gl+I݈JmA@AIlo &0
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1