The historical Isaac C. Parker (1838-1898) has been overshadowed by his legend--the notorious "hanging judge" of the Wild West. In his time as district court judge, he did sentence over 160 people to execution, but Parker's reputation as a bloodthirsty monster is unfounded. In reality, Parker assigned the penalty mandated by law but had personal reservations about capital punishment. Born in Belmont County, Ohio, Parker served as city attorney,...