Yes
Posted by Thom on May 08, 2002 at 10:03:29:
In Reply to: Re: The Great Understander posted by Dezdan on May 07, 2002 at 22:36:43:
Some of the tales are so unbeliveable, in my opinion, that they are great embellishments, if not flat out fabrications.
Take for instance his tales of being a shot gun messenger in Bodie. I have Roger MacGrath's book, in which he researched all the newspaper and court accounts of stage robberies (among other criminal acts). Roger found only several robberies and attempted robberies. The Great Understander reports that he (Oliver Roberts) "...until it was almost impossible to make a trip without a hold up or an attempted one." This is not supported by the written accounts, and I really doubt that Wells Fargo would let some many road agents operate without being tracked by a posse and/or prosecuted.
There are several othet stories that are really wild. The book is still an interesting read.