On the morning of July 5, 1911, D.S. Neal left his house south of Sorensen Creek in Idaho's Teton Valley to irrigate his field. His neighbor, Ellington Smith, mounted his bay horse and rode the short distance to where Neal was working. Shouldering his rifle, a Winchester Model 86, Smith dismounted, climbed over the fence, and stepped into the field.
Thus begins the story of the murder of David S. Neal and the subsequent trial of Ellington Smith. Both men were members of the same Mormon ward and came from polygamous families.
Drawing from family letters, historical newspapers, state archives, and interviews, the author presents a detailed narrative of the two families involved, Smith's insanity defense at trial, the conditions at the Idaho State Penitentiary, and the many prominent businessmen and politicians who took sides in the case.
Meticulously researched and written by Neal's grandson, journalist Daniel H. Neal, the book intertwines a hidden family history with themes of politics, the culture of Mormon theocracy, plural marriages, and frontier justice.