March 11, 2025 - Pirate Sam Mason

Book 2: The Trial of Sam Mason

Post author:carterfsmith
Post published:March 11, 2025
Post category:Inspirational
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The Trial of Sam Mason: Frontier Pirate Justice Based on rare 1803 trial transcripts, this volume unveils the courtroom reckoning that exposed the cracks in early American justice. A chilling…

Carter F. Smith

Retired Criminal Investigator, Criminal Justice Professor

After 22 years in military and federal law enforcement, I turned to the archives—where I found Sam Mason, a Revolutionary War veteran turned river pirate, waiting in the footnotes of forgotten trials. My work bridges past and present, tracing how crime, justice, and power collided on the frontier. I’ve written on gangs, organized crime, and early American law in both academic journals and books like From Patriot to Pirate and The Trial of Sam Mason. Mason was no myth—just a man shaped by war, whiskey, and weak borders. And I’ve spent years chasing his story downstream.