The Hunt for Willie Boy

Winner of the Gustavus Myers Center Award for an Outstanding Book on Human RightsIn 1909 a sensational double killing in Southern California led to what has been called the West's last famous manhunt. According to contemporary (white) newspapers, an Indian named Willie Boy killed his potential father-in-law in a fit of drunken lust, kidnapped his intended, and fled with her on foot across the desert. They were pursued by several posses, and when the girl slowed his flight, Willie Boy heartlessly raped and murdered her, finally killing himself after a shoot-out with a posse. This story was immortalized in the important Robert Redford film, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969). In The Hunt for Willie Boy: Indian-Hating and Popular Culture, James A. Sandos and Larry E. Burgess correct the story of Willie Boy, a Paiute-Chemehuevi Indian, by weaving in previously unheard Indian voices to explain his motivations and actions and to present a more balanced retelling.