The Brilliant Bandit of the Wabash

Mark Dugan is co-author of The Grey Fox and author of five other books including Knight of the Road and Cold Lead.

This fast-paced biography tells the violent story of a man who had delusional dreams of becoming a celebrated desperado along the lines of Jesse James or his hero, Sam Hildebrand; yet he was ultimately forgotten by history. In the latter part of the 1870s, Charles Scott, alias Frank Rande, made headlines across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri for his murderous crime spree and publicity-seeking bravado. But, unlike the dime novel heros he idolized, Rande did not die in a blaze of gunsmoke; rather, he was captured, tried for murder, sentenced to life in prison, and found hanged in a lonely prison cell in Joliet Penetentiary. Dugan and Vasconcelles delved deep into old newspaper archives, state prison records, and other archival material to recreate Rande's brief, brutal career, chasing his faint trail through nearly four decades, multiple aliases, and several states. Rounding out this raw tale of a most heinous criminal, The Brilliant Bandit of the Wabash features dozens of compelling historical images, including Rande's self-commissioned publicity photos and macabre excerpts of his original poetry that had been published in newspapers of the day. This engaging volume is sure to fascinate fans of outlaws and the Old West, as well as those interested in learning more about this previously untold chapter in Midwestern history.