The history of Walls Fargo from its inception during the California Gold Rush through its growth as a major express company and banking firm is a tribute to the advanced business methods and courage of its founders. The story is spiced with full portraits of a few of the most treacherous and brilliant highwaymen who attempted to impede progress and of the skillful detectives who doggedly tracked them down. Frustrated miners who could not make their fortune legally peopled the highway gangs. Rattlesnake Dick and Tom Bell were the most notorious. Perhaps the most fascinating highway robber was Black Bart who led detective Jim Hume a marry chase for 8 years before his capture. The story loses none of its excitement in this straightforward factual retelling.