Among certain sectors, however, I was very much criticized for daring to defend Baby Doe and for writing fictional passages in this booklet for which I still have no proof. But oddly enough in some instances documentation later turned up for scenes that began as invention. In 1956 the late John Latouche was chosen to write the libretto for an opera, The Ballad of Baby Doe. He read all available treatments of the Tabors but preferred this booklet (as he said in Theatre Arts magazine). His lyric telling of the story follows fairly closely the same line and found audiences across the United States and in Europe, where the opera has had a number of productions. During the intervening years I have received fan mail from as far away as Yokohama, Japan, and Stuttgart, Germany, and the booklet continues to have wide appeal. It had been my intention to write a definitive large-size book on Baby Doe but I am not certain if there is sufficient interest for such a work. I should be glad to have the opinion of current readers. Caroline Bancroft, 1962 _Acknowledgments_ (reprinted from the fourth, fifth and sixth editions) For Research Aid: Father F. M. McKeogh of St. Peter’s, Oshkosh, James E. Lundsted of the Oshkosh Public Museum, and J. E. Boell of the State Historical Society at Madison have supplied masses of Wisconsin data. Their courtesy and unusual interest in running down many obscure points in the last three years have amplified and verified my knowledge of the Doe and McCourt families. In Denver, The Western History Department of the Denver Public Library—Ina T. Aulls, Alys Freeze and Opal Harber—have suffered with me intermittently for the eighteen years that I have been working on the Tabor Story, lending aid and enlightenment. At the Colorado Historical Society, Agnes Wright Spring and Dolores Renze have been phenomenally generous and helpful. For Criticism: Marian Castle, author of “The Golden Fury,” has made pertinent suggestions for clarifying captions and improving the general style. For Proofreading: Mrs. J. Alvin Fitzell has graciously read and re-read galley sheets in order to catch errors. For Photographs: