“Regarding Captain Thunderbolt only two things are not in dispute: the quality of the horses that he stole and rode, and the fact that he never killed or injured those whom he robbed or who went in pursuit of him. Everything else is the subject of controversy.”
So wrote Stephan Williams in the introduction to his book A Ghost called Thunderbolt (1987).
Of course, the fact that no one was injured was more by luck – or rotten marksmanship – than intention, despite Williams’ intimation. When bullets buzz around, as they did on at least five occasions when Fred was holding a gun (see Did Fred Ward shoot at the police?), they have a tendency to hit people. Fred, his robbery victims, and the police were fortunate.
But Williams was correct in his suggestion that controversy surrounds Thunderbolt – even though Williams himself was partly responsible for perpetuating it. A better understanding of how to weight primary-source and secondary-source information would have nipped some of it in the bud.
Go to Review of Stephan Williams’ A Ghost called Thunderbolt.
So wrote Stephan Williams in the introduction to his book A Ghost called Thunderbolt (1987).
Of course, the fact that no one was injured was more by luck – or rotten marksmanship – than intention, despite Williams’ intimation. When bullets buzz around, as they did on at least five occasions when Fred was holding a gun (see Did Fred Ward shoot at the police?), they have a tendency to hit people. Fred, his robbery victims, and the police were fortunate.
But Williams was correct in his suggestion that controversy surrounds Thunderbolt – even though Williams himself was partly responsible for perpetuating it. A better understanding of how to weight primary-source and secondary-source information would have nipped some of it in the bud.
Go to Review of Stephan Williams’ A Ghost called Thunderbolt.
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