This is John Batchelor, conversation with my colleague Joe Popolardo. His book Red Sky

Morning is the story of Ranger Company F, the Texas Rangers.

Among the Rangers and their spectacular tales, a man named Brooks, and in this particular

passage we're introduced to Bell Star Herself.

Brooks falls in love with her the moment he sees her right into town's side saddle.

This is late 19th century, the frontier, Texas Rangers, and Bell Star herself. Much more of this later.

The thing about Bell Star is that she's extremely stylish. She's got her, you know, she

ride side saddle, she comes blowing in the town on a big black horse with the US Marshal

escorting her and Brooks loves a woman on a horse as he reminisces later in life and this image sticks with him.

She comes into Fort Smith for several trials and always leaves with a non guilty verdict. You have a picture of her in your book.

It's wonderful and taken at this at the time of these trial.

What Brooks saw and remembered in his memoir, there's a photo from that day of the US

Marshal with her side saddle with the the empty the gun on her hip but she wore right into

town she looks every bit of the outlaw queen

that the press was calling her.

And she beat the wrap that time, too.