By Paige Gurgainers

The next Night at the Museum event for the year is scheduled for October 21 at 6 p.m. and will feature Claiborne Parish Historian Wesley Harris speaking about his new book. 

“Wild Boys: Outlaws Link Waggonner and Tom Kinder and the Policy of Violence in 1890s Louisiana” tells the story of two of the area’s most notorious outlaws. 

According to Harris’ extensive research on this time period, North Louisiana experienced decades of violence following the Civil War. While the region was mostly untouched by fighting during the war, the following Reconstruction era was marked by political and racial violence as well as traditional crime like stagecoach robberies, murder, and the like.   

“The book looks at some reasons for this rise in crime that did not exist before or during the war,” said Harris. “In particular, I examine two of the best-known outlaws from Northwest Louisiana during the 1880s and 1890s and the horrific crimes they committed that almost always involved the murder.” 

The event is free to attend, although donations are welcome. Potluck snacks and desserts will be served. Doors open at 5:30 and seating is limited. Harris’ new book will also be available for purchase. It is also available on amazon.com, No. 9 Books & Records in Ruston and the Claiborne Parish Library in Homer.