Description
He was born in 1866 in Fancy Hill, Arkansas, the descendant of pioneers and moonshiners. Six-foot-three, dark-eyed, and a dead shot with a rifle, Franklin “Rooster” Cogburn was as hard as the rocky mountain ground his family settled. The only authority the Cogburn clan recognized was God and a gun. And though he never packed a badge, Rooster meted out his own brand of justice—taking on a posse of U.S. deputy marshals in a blazing showdown of gunfire and blood. Now a wanted man, with a $500 reward on his head, Rooster would ultimately have to defend himself before a hanging judge. Proud, stubborn, fearless, and ornery to the bitter end.
A fascinating portrait of a true American icon, Rooster shows us the making of a legend—fashioned by Arkansas newspaperman Charles Portis with bits and pieces of historical figures, including Deputy Reuben M. Fry, one-eyed Deputy Marshal Cal Whitson, Joseph Peppers (Lucky Ned), Joseph Spurling (Mattie Ross’s grandfather) and bank robber Frank Chaney (scar-faced Tom Chaney). Behind it all stood a man named “Rooster,” with two good eyes and a tale all his own.
The True Story Behind True Grit. With never-before-seen photos.
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