I have been fairly new to Quantrill research (about eight years now) and I have learned that you have to double, triple, and quaddruple(sp) check any information of any man that rode with Quantrill. I have been told by many people that you cant always go by what one or two or twenty people wrote or have published. I have found it very confusing sometimes. For example (and this is just made up examples): Some one might say that Houts is a great source. Then someone else says that Houts isnt, but Petersen is. Then yet another person might say that Houts is, Petersen isnt and Banasik is. Then someone else says that you cant trust Banasik or Houts, but Connelley is great! Etc, etc., etc., I am not saying Houts is wrong about Baker in "Quantrill's Thieves." I am just getting different opinions and help. I find I have to cross reference several times over to make sure someone really rode with Quantrill. But when you have ten different Quantrill authors and opinions are made thrity different ways, it can be very frustrating and time consuming! I try to pay attention to everyone to weigh my own options. I shut out no one. There are Eakin, Hale, Banasik, Houts, Connelley, Schultz, Lankford, Hansen, Breihan, Brownlee, Castel, Edwards, Trow and McCorkle to name a few who have written Quantrill books. And it seems EVERYone has an opinion on who is right, wrong, on, off and untrustworthy and reliable!