NationMaster - Encyclopedia: John Wesley Hardin

John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853—August 19, 1895) was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West. He was born in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. In history of the West, John Wesley Hardin ranks as one of the most prolific killers of all. By the time he went to prison in 1878, he claimed to have slain 44 men^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Jwhardin. ... Image File history File links Jwhardin. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other senses of this word, see outlaw (disambiguation). ... Categories: Stock characters | Stub ... The cowboy, the quintessential symbol of the American Old West, circa 1887. ... Bonham is a city in Fannin County, Texas, United States. ... Fannin County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

Early life

His father, James G. Hardin was a Methodist preacher and circuit rider. His mother, Elizabeth, was described by him as being "a blonde, highly cultured, and charity predominated in her disposition." Hardin's father travelled over most of central Texas on his preaching circuit until 1869. He eventually settled in Sumpter, Texas, in Trinity County. Here he taught school and established an institution that John Wesley and his brother Joe G. Hardin would later attend. The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Preacher is a term the for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. ... A circuit rider is a concept from the history of American Methodism. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Trinity County is a county located in the state of Texas. ...

Hardin was born in Bonham, Texas in 1853. Named for the founder of the Methodist faith, Hardin grew up to be an attractive lad -- blue-eyed ("mild blue," a contemporary recalled), handsome in a square-jawed way and rather slight of a build. But even in early adolescence, he revealed a capacity for stark, murderous fury. He was about 14 when another child taunted him as the author of some graffiti on the schoolhouse wall, a puppy-love paean to a girl in his class. John Wesley went for the boy with a knife; before they could be separated, he stabbed his tormenter twice, obviously ready to kill him.

Life on the run

As a fugitive, Hardin traveled throughout Texas evading the law. He was arrested several times, but always managed to escape. After the last of his escapes, he found refuge among relatives, the Clements family. They informed him that by getting into the growing cattle market he could make money in Kansas. This would allow him to get out of Texas long enough for things to cool down. So Hardin took up work with the Clements, gathering cattle for Jake Johnson and Columbus Carol. He would then begin his trip to Kansas. On his way, Hardin fought Mexican vaqueros, Indians, and cattle rustlers. At the end of his trip in Kansas came one of the most famous confrontations between Hardin and the law. This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Abilene

The "Bull's Head Tavern", in Abilene, Kansas, was established by gambler/gunman Ben Thompson with businessman and gambler Phil Coe. These two gamblers painted a rather vulgar picture of a bull as an advertisement for their establishment. Then the "prudish" (as described by Dee Brown) citizens of the town complained to Abilene's Marshal "Wild Bill" Hickok. When Thompson and Coe refused to take down the bull, Hickok altered it himself. Infuriated, Thompson exclaimed to Hardin, "He's a damn Yankee. Picks on Rebels, especially Texans, to kill." Hardin simply replied, "If Wild Bill needs killin', why don't you kill him yourself?". Abilene is a city in Dickinson County, Kansas, United States, 163 miles (262 km) west of Kansas City. ... Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving the risk of money or valuables on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity is partially or totally dependent upon chance. ... Ben Thompson, born in Knottingley, Yorkshire, England on November 11, 1842. ... Phil Coe, born Phillip Houston Coe (1839-1871), was an Old West gambler, soldier and businessman from Texas, and the business partner to gunman Ben Thompson in Abilene, Kansas. ... Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English, but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. ... Not to be confused with William Wild Bill Hickok, American football player. ...

By all accounts, despite Hardin's having been a dangerous man, he seemed to have, at the very least, respected Hickok. Later that night, Hardin was confronted by Hickok, who told Hardin to hand over his guns, which Hardin did. Hickok did not arrest Hardin, for reasons unknown, and it was later claimed that Hickok had no knowledge that Hardin was wanted. Hickok did advise him to avoid problems while in Abilene. Phil Coe was later killed by Hickok during a street brawl, during which Hickok also accidentally killed his own deputy. Thompson did not confront Hickok over the Coe shooting, allegedly believing that Hickok had been justified in the event.

Back in Texas

Within a year, Hardin did kill. Like gunman Bill Longley, he was spurred by the hatred that seethed between newly freed blacks and defeated Southern whites. Visiting relatives near Moscow, Texas, in 1868, he was egged into a wrestling match with an ex-slave named Mage. In the rough-and-tumble bout, Mage's nose was bloodied. By Hardin's version, the black man then declared that "no white boy could draw his blood and live." The next day, Mage caught up with him as he was riding home and dared him to fight again. Hardin was armed. When Mage seized the bridle of his horse, he later recounted, "I shot him loose. He kept coming back and every time we would start, I would shoot him again and again until I shot him down." Bill Longley (October 6th, 1851-October 11th 1878) was an old west outlaw and gunfighter noted for his ruthless nature, speed with a gun, quick temper, and unpredictable demeanor. ...

Hardin's father, "distracted" by the killing, urged his son to go into hiding. The elder Hardin believed, in the son's words (and probably correctly), that to be tried "at the time for killing a Negro meant certain death at the hands of a court backed by Northern bayonets." The boy fled, and for the next 10 years he stayed on the run, eluding pursuers who sought to bring him for justice for one crime or another.

He seldom wandered far from his native ground. Central Texas abounded with John Wesley's kin-folk. All of them--and most of their neighbors-- were happy to shelter any fugitive from carpetbagger justice. At one point, while he was in hiding, he received word from his other brother Joseph that Union soldiers were looking for him. Knowing the byways through the back country, John Wesley bushwhacked three of the pursuing Yankees--two white and one black man--at a creek crossing. "Parties in the neighborhood took the soldiers' horses and as we burned all their effects everything was kept quiet," he noted in the remarkable autobiography that he composed in the last year of his life. "Thus by the fall of 1868 I had killed four men." He was only 15 years old.

Arrest and escape

By ironic chance, Hardin was arrested in 1870 for a murder in Waco that he had not committed. Unable to persuade a judge of his innocence, he was held temporarily in a log jail in the town of Marshall, awaiting transfer to Waco. In the privacy of this crude lockup, he bought two useful items from a fellow prisoner: an overcoat against the winter cold, and a revolver. Thus he was ready when a Captain Stokes of the state police and a guard named Jim Smolly came to convey him to Waco for trial. Hardin was wearing the overcoat when they arrived. Under it, tied to his shoulder with twine, was the handgun.

One night while the three men were camping en route, Stokes went to rustle up some fodder for the horses, and Hardin was left alone with Smolly, a loud, over-bearing man. Smolly began to revile his 17-year-old charge. Hardin, who had a canny sense of the uses to which callow youth could be put, burst into tears and huddled against his pony's flank while Smolly watched in amusement. Behind the pony, Hardin slipped his hand into his coat and untied the string that held his gun. He shot Smolly dead and ran. A few days later, several of Hardin's relatives were gathering at Gonzales, in southern Texas, for a drive up the Chisholm Trail to Abilene, Kansas. They persuaded a rancher to hire John Wesley as a trail boss for his herd. Toward the end of the drive, a Mexican herd crowded in behind Hardin's and there was some trouble keeping apart. Hardin got into a verbal battle with the Mexican in charge of the other herd. Both men were on horseback. The Mexican fired, putting a hole through John Wesley's hat. Swift to retaliate, Hardin found that his own weapon, a worn-out cap-and-ball pistol with a loose cylinder, would not fire; he dismounted, managed to discharge the gun by steadying the cylinder with one hand and pulling the trigger with the other, and hit the Mexican in the thigh. A truce was declared, but John Wesley was not content with merely winging his opponent. He borrowed a pistol from a friend, went after the Mexican again, and this time shot him through the head. A general fire fight between the rival camps ensued. The Mexicans suffered all the casualties. Six vaqueros died in the exchanges--five of them felled by the six-shooter in John Wesley Hardin's hand.

Second encounter with "Wild Bill" Hickok

In Abilene, Hardin met Wild Bill Hickok, at the time the cattle town's reigning peace officer. Hickok took an indulgently paternal attitude toward the young killer. He drank with Hardin, whored with him and gave him advice, and at one point, when a gang of Hardin's Texas pals and relatives got into trouble, disarmed them but left Hardin his weapon, presumably to allow him to either protect his friends or to keep them in line.

For his part, Hardin was fascinated by Wild Bill and glowed at being seen on intimate terms with such a celebrated gunfighter. But all the while, down deep, he realized that Wild Bill would kill him without qualm if circumstance suggested the need--perhaps not out of ill will, but certainly for self-protection.

The climax for association came with one of Hardin's most callous crimes, so ignoble that even he showed some sign of shame and attempted to pass off as the justifiable shooting of a man who was trying to steal his pants. Actually, he had less excuse than that. At the American House Hotel, where Hardin had put up for the night, he began firing bullets through a bedroom wall simply to stop the snoring of a stranger in the next room. The first bullet merely woke the man; the second killed him. In the silence Hardin realized that he was about to plunge into deep trouble with Wild Bill Hickok. Still in his undershirt, he exited through a window and ran onto the roof of the hotel portico--just in time to see Hickok arriving with four policemen, alerted by other guests. "I believe," Hardin said later, "that if Wild Bill found me in a defenseless condition, he would take no explanation, but would kill me to add to his reputation."

Not waiting to determine Hickok's disposition in the matter, Hardin leaped from the roof into the street and hid in a haystack for the rest of the night. Towards dawn he stole a horse and made his way back to the cow camp outside town. The next day he left for Texas, never to return to Abilene. Years later Hardin made a casual reference to the episode. "They tell lots of lies about me," he complained. "They say I killed six or seven men for snoring. Well, it ain't true, I only killed one man for snoring."

{Notes for remarks on Hardin arrest in Marshall Texas-see reference below "Hardin and the Law"; in regard to his escape after killing Smolly-see reference below "Hardin and unconfirmed claims". For possible confirmation of Kansas American House killing see link on the following source [1] {reference only})

Sutton-Taylor feud

About this time Hardin turned up in southeastern Texas, in the area around Gonzales County, reuniting with his Clements cousins, who were allied with the local Taylor family, who had been feuding with the rival Sutton family for several years. Already notorious, Hardin was wounded by a shotgun blast in a Trinity City gambling dispute on August 7, 1872. After recovering, he resumed his depredations. is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Hardin's main claim to fame in the Sutton-Taylor feud was the killing of Jack Helm, a former captain in the Texas State Police who was the sheriff of DeWitt County, Texas. For years, Helm had been allied with the Suttons and participated in killings with them. On the afternoon of May 17, 1873, Jack Helm was at a blacksmith's shop in the hamlet of Albuquerque, Texas when Hardin and Jim Taylor stumbled into him. Helm advanced on the two men with a knife, only to be cut down by a Hardin-administered shotgun blast. As Helm writhed on the ground, Taylor marched over with his pistol drawn and emptied it into his head (with each bullet he fired, Taylor called out the name of a relative who had met death at the hands of Helm and the Suttons.) DeWitt County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The next night, Hardin and other Taylor supporters surrounded the ranch house of Sutton ally Joe Tomlinson. A shouted truce was enacted and both sides signed a peace treaty in Clinton, Texas. Within the year, war once again broke out between the two sides, culminating when Jim and Bill Taylor gunned down Billy Sutton and Gabriel Slaugther as they waited on a steamboat platform in Indianola, Texas on March 11, 1874 (ironically, Sutton was set to leave the area forever at the time of his killing). {Allegedly Hardin was involved in these twin killings}. Indianola, Texas in 1875 Indianola, Texas is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay, and was formerly the county seat of Calhoun County. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

On May 26, 1874, Hardin, Jim Taylor, and others were cornered in Comanche, Texas by Brown County Texas Deputy sheriff Charles Webb. In the ensuing gunfight, Webb was shot dead by Hardin. A couple of weeks later, a lynch mob killed several of Hardin's friends and his brother Joe. Shortly after this he and Jim Taylor parted ways for the final time. {Jim Taylor was killed on December 27, 1875} is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Comanche is a city located in Comanche County, Texas. ...

Capture, later life, and death

Catching Hardin was no easy matter. The Texas Rangers caught up with Hardin by intercepting a letter that was sent to his father-in-law by his brother-in-law (outlaw Joshua Robert "Brown" Bowen). The letter mentioned Hardin's whereabouts as on the Alabama and Florida border under the assumed name of James W. Swain. Hardin was arrested on a train in Pensacola, Florida by Texas Rangers and a local authority. The lawmen went on board the train to effect Hardin's arrest. When Hardin realized what was going on he attempted to draw his gun but got it tangled in his suspenders. Texas Ranger John B. Armstrong shot and killed one of Hardin's gang members, knocked out Hardin, and arrested two other gang members. Hardin's problems with his suspenders probably saved some lives that day including his own.

Hardin was tried and sentenced to prison but entered prison with a pre-law degree he had earned along with his brother. He finished his law degree while incarcerated. After serving 17 years in prison Hardin was released, and he began practicing law as an attorney in El Paso, Texas. Despite his law practice, Hardin was frequently drunk and violent, often demanding his money back at gunpoint if he lost at cards. Rumor had it that he was haunted by past atrocities. In 1895 he began work on his autobiography. He also married again. See [2]. An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... El Paso redirects here. ...

On August 19, 1895, El Paso lawman John Selman arrested Hardin's prostitute girlfriend. Hardin confronted Selman, and the two men had a verbal dispute. Hardin then went to the Acme Saloon, where he began playing dice. Selman walked in shortly thereafter and shot Hardin three times from behind, killing him. Selman was arrested for the murder and stood trial, but a hung jury resulted in his being released on bond. Selman was killed in a shootout several months later by US Marshal George Scarborough, who had been close friends with another man Selman had killed. Scarborough was mortally wounded in a gunfight with two robbers and died on April 5, 1900, exactly four years after he shot John Selman. is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... John Selman (1839-11-16-1896-04-06) was an outlaw and sometimes lawman of the Old West. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... Two standard six-sided pipped dice with rounded corners. ... Look up trial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The United States Marshals Service, part of the United States Department of Justice, is the United States oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ...

Hardin in popular culture

Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... John Wesley Harding is an album of original songs by Bob Dylan, produced by Bob Johnston and released on December 27, 1967. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... Lonesome Dove, written by Larry McMurtry, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning western novel and the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series. ... This article is about the novel. ... Randall Rudy Randy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and comedian. ... Maverick is a comedy-western television series created by Roy Huggins that ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and featured James Garner, Roger Moore, and Jack Kelly as poker-playing travelling gamblers. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Jack Elam (November 13, 1920 â€” October 20, 2003) was an American film actor. ... Dirty Dingus Magee is a light-hearted 1970 western film starring Frank Sinatra as the title outlaw and George Kennedy as a sheriff out to capture him. ... Max Perlich at the Hollywood premiere of New Lines Blow Character actor Max Perlich spent many years playing bit parts on television and in teen films such as Cant Buy Me Love (1987) and Lost Angels (1989); his roles usually were of the slacker or juvenile delinquent variety. ... Maverick is a 1994 comedy Western movie, based on the 1950s television series Maverick, and created by Roy Huggins. ... Time-Life is a book, music, and video marketer, that since 2003 has been combined with catalog reseller Lillian Vernon as a subsidiary of Direct Holdings Worldwide, and is no longer owned by its former parent Time Warner. ... Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 13, 1945 in Dallas, Texas) is a successful American country singer/songwriter whose biggest hit was Wildfire in 1975, produced by Bob Johnston. ...

Hardin and the law

Prior to his killing of Deputy Sheriff (and ex-Texas Ranger) Charles Webb in May 26, 1874 and his arrest in July 23, 1877, Hardin had at least three confirmed clashes with the law: Texas Rangers, a body of law enforcement in the state of Texas which is the oldest law enforcement body in North America with statewide jurisdiction and serves as a State Bureau of Investigation. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For the painter, see John Constable. ... Harrison County is the name of several counties in the United States: Harrison County, Indiana Harrison County, Iowa Harrison County, Kentucky Harrison County, Mississippi Harrison County, Missouri Harrison County, Ohio Harrison County, Texas Harrison County, West Virginia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... The Texas State Police were formed during the administration of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis on July 22, 1870 to combat crime statewide in Texas. ... Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cherokee County is the name of several counties in the United States: Cherokee County, Alabama Cherokee County, Georgia Cherokee County, Iowa Cherokee County, Kansas Cherokee County, North Carolina Cherokee County, Oklahoma Cherokee County, South Carolina Cherokee County, Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cuero is a city located in DeWitt County, Texas. ... DeWitt County is the name of several counties in the United States: DeWitt County, Illinois DeWitt County, Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

Hardin and unconfirmed claims

Like his contemporary fellow outlaw Bill Longley, in several cases where Hardin claimed to have been involved in killings, the reports either cannot be confirmed or prove to be nonexistent. For example: Bill Longley (October 6th, 1851-October 11th 1878) was an old west outlaw and gunfighter noted for his ruthless nature, speed with a gun, quick temper, and unpredictable demeanor. ...

In this map: Union states prohibiting slavery Union territories Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis The Confederacy Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... The 5th Military District was a temporary administrative unit set up during the Reconstruction period following the American Civil War. ... The 6th Cavalry was organized in August, 1861, where it took to the fields as part of the Army of the Potomac. the regiment took part in sixteen campaigns, among them Antietam, Gettysburg, the Wilderness Campaign and Appomattox. ... Bell County is the name of several counties in the United States: Bell County, Kentucky Bell County, Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Gonzales County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Posse may refer to: Look up Posse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. ... The Texas State Police were formed during the administration of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis on July 22, 1870 to combat crime statewide in Texas. ... Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. ... Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. ... â€œJacksonvilleâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... It has been suggested that List of people from Mobile, Alabama be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... It has been suggested that List of people from Mobile, Alabama be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

John Wesley Hardin in Movies

Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the novel. ... Randall Rudy Randy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and comedian. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Maverick is a 1994 comedy Western movie, based on the 1950s television series Maverick, and created by Roy Huggins. ... Max Perlich at the Hollywood premiere of New Lines Blow Character actor Max Perlich spent many years playing bit parts on television and in teen films such as Cant Buy Me Love (1987) and Lost Angels (1989); his roles usually were of the slacker or juvenile delinquent variety. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dirty Dingus Magee is a light-hearted 1970 western film starring Frank Sinatra as the title outlaw and George Kennedy as a sheriff out to capture him. ... Jack Elam (November 13, 1920 â€” October 20, 2003) was an American film actor. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

References

Categories: Articles lacking sources from October 2006 | All articles lacking sources | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | American outlaws | Americans convicted of murder | Texas Ranger Division | People from Texas | 1853 births | 1895 deaths | People from El Paso, Texas | Deaths by firearm in the United States The Handbook of Texas (ISBN 0-87611-151-7) is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published jointly by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. ...

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