The abduction and apparent murder of Colonel Albert J. and Henry Fountain on February 1, 1896, shocked and outraged the citizens of New Mexico. It was not the killing of Colonel Fountain, a Union Civil War veteran and a prominent New Mexico attorney, which roused the physical disgust of the citizenry - after all, it was not unknown for distinguished men to be killed. It was the cold-blooded murder of his eight-year-old son which provoked the public outcry and revulsion. The evidence indicated that although Colonel Albert J. Fountain was killed during the ambush, his son was taken alive, and only killed the next day. The public was left without answers to the questions: Who ambushed and killed Colonel Fountain? Who was willing to kill his young son in cold-blood after holding him captive for 24 hours? The case was never solved. Two men were eventually tried for and acquitted of the crime. The case file for the crime contains almost no information. There are no trial transcripts or witness testimonies. The only reports that exist today of the investigation of the case are these Pinkerton Reports, which were commissioned by the Territorial Governor, and then stolen from his office four months after the murders. These Reports, now recovered, are published here. These Reports are important historical documents, not only for what they reveal about the Fountain murders, but also as a fascinating window into the how the most famous professional detective agency in the United States in the 1890s - the Pinkerton Detective Agency - went about investigating a murder, at a time when scientific forensic evidence was virtually non-existent. The two Pinkerton Operatives sent to investigate the crime were John Conklin Fraser and William C. Sayers, the Agency's most competent detectives. Their investigative methods revolved around taking witness and suspect statements, and then working to verify what they were told, a process that remains at the heart of criminal investigation today. As of the date of this writing, the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office has reclassified the murders as an Active Case. "Out of the book's 184 pages, 100 pages consist of the reports by Pinkerton agents John Conklin and William Sayers. The book can be read as an overall account of the Fountain case thanks to an introduction that nicely sets the stage and introduces you to the principal characters. It also follows the steps of the Fountains on their ill-starred journey that ended horrifically and without justice. The book concludes with an account of the trial of two of the suspects...." "The book has an excellent selection of photographs, as good as any I've seen dealing with the topic.... Another very helpful feature of this book is its cast of characters. Quite an asset!" -- Garth Gould, Wild West History Association Journal The murder of Albert Jennings Fountain on Feb. 1, 1896, caused even more shock and outrage than might be expected in New Mexico Territory, as killed alongside the prominent attorney was his 8-year-old son, Henry. The double murder was never solved, despite an investigation by Dona Ana County Sheriff Pat Garrett.... Because there are no surviving trial transcripts or witness testimonies, the Pinkerton reports commissioned by New Mexico Territory Governor William T. Thornton and published here are the only extant reports on the murder investigation. -- Gregory Lalire, editor, Wild West Magazine Author, historian, filmmaker, producer, actor, screenwriter and travel writer. Associate Producer of the 2019 documentary film "The Wonder of the Century," based on the author's book on Giovanni Maria de Agostini, an Eighteenth Century world traveler. Co-founder of the Pat Garrett Western Heritage Festival and the Friends of Pat Garrett. 2022 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Excellence in Western Media, Western Maverick, Finalist. 2021 Pasajero Del Camino Real Award Winner 2020 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Excellence in Western Media, Western Biography, Third Place 2020 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Winner, Historical Biography. 2020 Pasajero Del Camino Real Award Winner 2019 National Indie Excellence Finalist, Historical Biography 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist, United States History. 2019 Best Indie Book Notable 100 Award Winner. 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Award Winner, Second Place, Historical Non-Fiction