In 1859, as the US was nearing civil war, Washington's only link with California - America's richest state - was a stagecoach line between Missouri and the Pacific. Plagued by attacks from outlaws and Indians, the stagecoach company enlisted the help of a former wagon train captain.Over the next three years, Jack Slade became a legend, driving away the outlaws, bandits, and Indians to keep the US Mail running. His celebrity grew even more when he was shot and left for dead - only to survive and exact revenge on his putative killers. But the experience left him a changed man, the courageous pioneer turned into a brutal thug, who finally lost his life at the hands of vigilantes. Since his death in 1864, persistent myths have defied the efforts of writers and historians - including Mark Twain - to unravel the truth behind the legend.Drawing on over 50 years' research, "Death of a Gunfighter" finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together and offers an unparalleled look at one of America's greatest fallen heroes.