JOHN J. KOBLAS

Mr. Koblas is one of the most prolific and detail-oriented authors of our day, having over fifty non-fiction books to his credit. Poetry publshers like to say that they are "always seeking new and original talent" . . . as long as it's like everything else they publish.

Here Mr. Koblas has assembled a book of poems that are packed with unique and powerful visual images that punch through the conscious brain into tantalizing realms so intense that readers no longer feel they are on this planet, in this plac, holding this book in their hand.

I highly recommend this book for poetry lovers as well as for other poets who feel that most modern poetery is suffering from lack of originality.

- Roger Brezina,
an accomplished poet whose works have appeared on radio and television as well as numerous publications such as Byline Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post.

Ma Barker and her boys . It's the stuff of legend. A criminal mother and her four sons. The aging matriarch dying side-by-side with her youngest boy in a Tommy gunduel with "G-men" at a Florida bungalow.

It's a haunting, somewhat Oedipal, image of a family-style crime that must have captivated Americans in a vein similar to the "romantic" boy-and-girl bandit team of Bonnie and Clyde.

- Rick Mattix, author of The Complete Public Enemy Almanac

Jesse James and his gang roamed the fields and valleys of Iowa, seeing targets in the many trains and banks in small towns scattered across the countryside.

From the robbing of the bank in Corydon to the derailing of the train at Adair the gang made their mark!

It was in Iowa where he and his gang honed their skills and practiced for the attempt at robbing the Northfield Bank in Minnesota.

John Koblas is one of the most dynamic, interesting and prolific writers in the outlaw genre and is the foremost authority on the James-Younger Gang's exploits in Minnesota.

Among his other biographical works are six books on the lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis. He was chosen by the Postmaster General to present the Sinclair Lewis stamp at its First Day of Issue ceremony and has been a featured guest on national television shows including Good Morning America and CBS Sunday Morning.

Koblas is the author of more than 500 short stories, articles, and poems published worldwide, a nationally syndicated column, and feature stories for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

John Koblas has appeared throughout the country giving speeches to outlaw/lawmen groups, civic clubs and library associations.He was the 2001 recipient of the Charlie Pitts award and is an honorary member of the James-Younger Gang in Northfield. He is also a member of both the national James-Younger Gang and the National Outlaw and Lawman Association (N.O.L.A.).

Mr. Koblas recently wrote a book about the Sontag Brothers, who were raised in Mankato, Minnesota and later in life became California train robbers.

Included in his works are two books about Col Dickison, a Confederate colonel during the Civil War:

When the notorious James-Younger gang rode into Northfield, Minnesota they didn't expect much resistance from the sleepy little farming community.

However, when they attempted to rob the bank, the town mobilized against them killing two of the outlaws and causing the rest to flee. Posses were formed and the gang was relentlessly pursued through the countryside. Jesse and Frank James escaped while the rest either lay dead or in custody.

The brave citizens who were involved in the defeat of the James-Younger gang deserve more credit than the anonymity of history. Here are the stories of twenty-one of these men, including Madelia's Magnificent Seven, who captured the Younger Brothers at Hanska Slough.

"My favorite stories are in a category I call 'unbelievably true tales.' They are wild enough that they might not work as fiction, because they aren't quite believable.

The story of the outlaw Pat Crowe belongs in this category. He was Jesse James without the name recognition. A bank robber, escape artist, low-life and devout ex-Catholic, Crowe wasn't a lunkhead criminal, although he did plenty of stupid things. He was a character with some appeal and flair. He proved it in spades when he sent wedding congratulations to his kidnap victim years after the kidnapping.

But I'm not going to spoil the story. Read the book. Jack Koblas has done his homework and told this true tale well. You'll be handsomely rewarded for the time you invest in it."

---David Harding
History Columnist
Omaha World-Herald

Here is a collection of all the reports that have surfaced, some factual, some not. Included is information discussing whether or not a particular account is accurate or just something that has evolved through folklore.

In September of 1876 a daring holdup occured at the First National Bank of Northfield. A holdup attempted by 8 men. Or was there a Ninth Man?

This book explores the story of a man who, in 1911 believing he was being followed by Los Angeles police, ducked into a mission and there found religion. Years later, in 1931, he claimed that his name was Bill Stiles and he was part of the gang that fateful day.

Recently, Confessions of The Ninth Man was filmed as a documentary by the Old West Society of Minnesota. The soundtrack featuring both tradional and new songs was recorded by Lonesome Ron and The Riverboat Cowboys with Carol Gappa and John Koblas adding background vocals.