Satanta and the Kiowas, by F. Stanley (1968)

[Californian]

Satanta and the Kiowas, by F. Stanley (1968), Jim Hess Printers, Borger TX
hardcover with dustjacket, 391 pages, 8° format, a rare biographical history of Satanta (White Bear, Set'tainte) of the Kiowa

I searched far and wide to get a copy of this very small edition work by author F. Stanley and finally succeeded and it was not cheap.

Satanta's story is difficult to document and what is known about him comes primarily from official reports and period printed sources. Essentially nothing originates from tribal and/or his family's oral traditions and thus it is lacking in terms of information pertaining to his family (he reportedly had 4 wives) and children. The book veers off many times into biographical sketches relating to US military personnel and other non-natives that happened to be marginally connected to Satanta's story which I found a bit tolling when reading. It is decidedly heavily biased from a white person's vantage. What I found particularly distracting are the many typos in the book which indicated that the manuscript was poorly transferred to print and not properly proof-read/corrected. It took me far longer than usual to work myself through this book, initially marking the places with pencil wherever I encountered a typo, but then just giving up on doing so as there were simply too many. A couple of entire paragraphs appeared double which attests to the poor quality of work by the editing publisher. I also tried to figure out who the author is or was - as he just goes by "F. Stanley". All I could find out was his full name: Francis Stanley [1906-1996]. I could not find out anything else about him other than assuming that he likely was a local historian from the Panhandle region of Texas. The reason for researching a specific author is to allow to have an idea of his/her qualifications and background. The book has an impressive 15 page bibliography section and a 14 page index. Despite the flaws mentioned, I found it otherwise a valuable addition to my library and source material.

[Californian]

thanks to fellow board member Gregor who did some research into this obscure author, F. Stanley, we now know the true identity of him ... here is a biographical note as published on www.findagrave.com/memorial/121280168/stanley-monsignor-crocchiola

The True Story of
The Priest Who Hunted Outlaws - Monsignor Stanley Crocchiola, a.k.a. Francis Stanley or F. Stanley

This story begins during the early 1900s in Greenwich Village, New York. Stanley was your average young boy who thought about cowboys, Indians, and outlaws in the Old West. One thing was different about young Stanley, he loved to read. His hunger for details about the Old West and outlaws was never satisfied. Stanley would read as many books as he find about the Old West.

Stanley was born to a strict father who immigrated from Italy and married an American born girl from Italian heritage. Stanley’s father changed his name from Vincorgo to Vincent, to sound more American. His mother’s maiden name was Rosa Lodico (Ladico). Even though, Italian was spoken often in the home, Stanley’s father wanted him to be fluent in the Italian language. Vincent even hired a tutor for Stanley to help him learn. Stanley participated with the lessons, but in his mind he did not want to learn Italian. He dreamed of learning “the code of the west”, the outlaw’s language. Stanley would obtain his bachelor’s degree from a Catholic college in Washington DC.

At 30 years of age, Stanley joined the priesthood and was ordained by the Franciscan Order of Atonement in 1938. Soon, he developed medical issues. His doctor told him that he contracted tuberculosis. As common with the practice then, his doctor told him to move to the dryer climate of the western states to ease many of the symptoms. The church agreed to send him to Hereford, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle. Although there was a terrible dust storm occurring upon his arrival by train, he immediately fell in love with the area. It was almost a dream come true for Stanley. All of his life, he read books about outlaws and Indians in this area. Whenever he could, Stanley would travel to small towns in West Texas and New Mexico.

Stanley was very knowledgeable about outlaws in the Old West. One day while traveling the backroads of New Mexico, Stanley stopped in the historic town of Raton, New Mexico. He stopped at a little place to eat and inquired about the town’s history from the establishment’s owner. The owner pointed to a gunshot hole in the ceiling. Then he continued to tell Stanley that hole was placed there by the outlaw Jesse James. Stanley corrected the man by tell him that Jesse James never travelled through this area. The owner of the café confessed that the story was made up but told Stanley that everyone else believed him. Stanley decided at that moment that he wanted to make it his life-long aspiration to tell the true stories of the Old West. Over the next few decades, Stanley would hunt for the true stories of notorious outlaws, Indians, and the history of small towns.

In 1940, Stanley applied for pastoral work in New Mexico. He was fluent in Spanish and loved the small towns. The Archbishop of Santa Fe accepted Stanley, assigning him to the Guadalupe church in Taos and later to the San Miguel church at Sorocco. During the 1940s, Stanley had the opportunity to visit many forgotten historical sites in New Mexico and West Texas. He would hunt down many of the old timers in the small towns asking them about the local history. Stanley would uncover history that had never been written about.

In Sorocco and White Oaks, New Mexico, Stanley uncovered many lost details about the outlaw Joel Fowler and even tracked Billy the Kid’s mother to White Oak. In Sorocco, Stanley stood at the exact spot where Fowler was hanged by angry citizens.

Stanley would continue to hunt down many other outlaws of the Old West such as Dave Rudabaugh who was a gunfighter, train robber, and killer. Stanley would continue to pursue outlaws like Clay Allison, Black Jack Ketchum, and even conducting an extensive research into the life of “Longhair Jim” Courtright, city marshal of Fort Worth, Texas. Many of Stanley’s books makes reference to Billy the Kid and the lost towns that he stay in.

In his first book, Stanley wrote about Raton, New Mexico in 1948. Never had anyone researched this small town’s history. Stanley discovered facts about the town’s lawlessness history and tracked the killer of Jesse James, Bob Ford, to the town’s little-known past.

Remarkably, Stanley personally financed all of his publications. His publications were always very simple, mostly with the same yellow coverings. Illustrations or photographs are very scarce in his books. He would never accumulate any monetary gain. Stanley’s writings was a direct reflection of his caring and giving nature. Many critics today cite many errors in Stanley’s books. In his defense, unlike many history books of today, Stanley’s books were the first of their kind. Many of his books, initiated the search for history. Stanley challenged historians after him to dig deep into history of the forgotten past. Due to his finances being very limited, he would only produce a few hundred each of his books. Astonishingly, Stanley wrote over 175 books in his life. Collecting his books can be somewhat of a challenge. Many of his books can cost hundreds of dollars today. It’s rare to find one of Stanley’s books that is not autographed and numbered. It was his way of giving the book a personal touch.

In 1969, Stanley seemed to have made his home in a small parish in Nazareth, Texas. The Holy Family Catholic Church is where Stanley settled for the rest of his life. He contributed so much to the community. He was very influential in the city of Nazareth being incorporated. He began the annual Christmas celebration, started a youth social club, and held painting classes. His paintings are extremely rare today.
Even though, Stanley did not live during the times of most notorious outlaws, he did come closer to them than most people. Stanley walked where outlaws walked and lived where outlaws lived. He traveled the long-lost stagecoach trails and talked with old timers that witnessed many historical events.

Father Stanley Monsignor Crocchiola passed away on February 5, 1996. He was eighty-seven years old. Even among his harshest critics, he would say, “Pardon my mistakes, but say a kind word for my effort.” Stanley’s passion for writing about history was only second to his love for God and the people he served.

His last wish was to be buried in Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. He settled for Nazareth, Texas.