Perspective

The true story of John Johnston, "Crow Killer, The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson" is authored by Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. Much of the the story taking place in the middle decades of nineteenth century in the rugged terrain of the mid-western and plains states is told word of mouth. In that sense, the saga of the Crow Killer must be considered if not folklore then at least folk history.

The raucous and dangerous life the Mountain Men lead produce a breed of men who are loyal to one another and even protective. Therefore, it would not be a leap of faith to imagine that those friends and admirers of Johnston relating his legendary life in the wild would present it in the most positive and heroic manner. Based on that plausible assumption, one could question whether Crow actually killed the "400 or 500" Crow Indians over a twenty-five...