Under Captain Mossman, these men performed the herculean task of taming the Arizona Territory in preparation for its statehood in 1912. Mossman was a rugged individualist—a powerful, just, and severely self-disciplined man. Here, in all its exciting detail, is the story of his single-minded battle for law and order: his struggle with the Territorial Legislature and with public opinion, his fights with hundreds of vicious outlaws who used Arizona as hideout and headquarters, and, in particular, his dramatic contest with Augustin Chacon, the Indian bandit who was the scourge of the Southwest and Mossman’s personal demon. Idle men and women in Mossman’s life surround him throughout the book: the beautiful local card dealer who falls in love with him; Santee Smith, ex-rustler turned loyal Ranger; a pen-wielding newspaper publisher; the Territorial governor who lends a hand in the cleanup; and a variety of frequently not so sympathetic legislative leaders.