Nonsense. The old west wasn't total anarchy. People policed themselves. You may not like the manner in which they did so, but anarchy it was not.
In my life, I have had the opportunity to travel....some places that even Andrew Zimmern wouldn’t go. :)
Imagine a tiny [[third world] village with no electricity, a single common well for the inhabitants. A heinous crime takes place....an event we would call a capital felony here; The village elders meet, decide immediately to take action and the perps are hung by their necks until dead.
No lawyer, no appeal, no court preparation of brief, no far in the future court date. We might think it is brutal and uncivilized.
Done. Hang. Shovel and shut up. Adults were in charge.