| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 37.1

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| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 37.1 | The History Cooperative

*A Decent, Orderly Lynching: The Montana Vigilantes*. By Frederick Allen. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. xxiv + 421 pp. Illustrations, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95.)
This account leaps to the forefront of all books and articles about the vigilantes in Montana in the 1860s and 1870s. The title comes from an 1883 Montana newspaper editorial abhorring mob murders, but approving a "decent, orderly" lynching. The potential reader, however, should not be misled by the singular of the word "lynching," as the book details numerous vigilante executions, many of which were mob murders of the deplorable sort, and others that, perhaps, merited acceptance in that place and era.	1
Allen's purpose, well accomplished, was to flesh out the vigilantes and their victims and shear them of myth. When dealing with unresolved or disputed issues, Allen often advances possibilities rather than imposing dogma. But he also corrected some mistaken ideas from earlier literature; and this book is mostly free of errors.	. . .

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