Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Tom tours Utah, promises not to shoot

The ancestor for whom I am named was at one point the sheriff of Cache County, Utah. And yes, mateys, he was indicted by the feds for murder. Stuff happens. But he beat the rap on March 23, 1875, after a short deliberation by a jury of his peers. (On that link, scroll down to ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
History of Utah/Orson F. Whitney
History of Utah/Orson F. Whitney
History of Utah/Orson F. Whitney

The ancestor for whom I am named was at one point the sheriff of Cache County, Utah. And yes, mateys, he was indicted by the feds for murder. Stuff happens. But he beat the rap on March 23, 1875, after a short deliberation by a jury of his peers. (On that link, scroll down to the paragraph under "General Thomas E. Ricks Sr." that begins "One of these prisoners was Colonel Thomas E. Ricks . . . ," or for more info, go to p. 769 of Vol. 2 of Orson F. Whitney's History of Utah, which offers the Mormon take on the alleged crime.)

The ancestor for whom I am named was at one point the sheriff of Cache County, Utah. And yes, mateys, he was indicted by the feds for murder. Stuff happens. But he beat the rap on March 23, 1875, after a short deliberation by a jury of his peers. (On that link, scroll down to the paragraph under "General Thomas E. Ricks Sr." that begins "One of these prisoners was Colonel Thomas E. Ricks . . . ," or for more info, go to p. 769 of Vol. 2 of Orson F. Whitney’s History of Utah, which offers the Mormon take on the alleged crime.)

Tom’s book tour promise: I won’t shoot anyone. Moreover, as a sign of good faith, not even gonna bring the body armor. With that promise on the table, here are two events open to the public:

Tuesday, March 9: 7:30 at Westminster College, Salt Lake City, in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory.

Thursday, March: 11-4 pm at the Back of Beyond bookstore, Moab, Utah. Edward Abbey fans get a free seat up front at this one.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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