John Wesley Hardin(1853-1895)
- Writer
Gunfighter John Wesley Hardin was one of the most notorious killers to come out of the Old West (while staying overnight at a
hotel, he was awakened by the snoring of a man in the next room; Hardin
reached over, grabbed his pistol and fired a shot through the wall,
killing the man). He was a Southerner who harbored a deep hatred
of blacks; the first man he is known to have killed, when he was 15,
was black, and while fleeing the law for that murder he shot and killed
at least one, and possibly four, Union soldiers, most of them black,
who were attempting to arrest him.
Hardin later got a job herding cattle on the Chisholm Trail, but the combination of his white-hot temper, a quick draw and the prodigious amounts of alcohol he regularly imbibed resulted in his killing at least seven men along the way; when the herd arrived in Abilene, KS, he got into more gunfights, resulting in three more deaths. He returned to Texas soon afterwards, got married and settled down to raise a family (he had three children), but he soon reverted to his old ways, adding four more murders to his total, before being captured by a county sheriff. Although jailed, he soon broke out and was on the run again.
His hatred of Northerners in general and blacks in particular caused him to become involved in a political battle between pro- and anti-Reconstruction forces in Texas (he naturally took the side of the latter) in 1873 and he killed a former State Police officer who led the pro-Reconstruction forces. In 1874 he murdered a sheriff's deputy in Brown County, TX. The deputy was well liked, and it roused the fury of the locals, who formed a lynch mob. The mob actually lynched three men for the murder, none of whom had anything to do with it but all of whom were related to Hardin, which is why they were hanged; by this time Hardin had managed to flee to Florida (his wife and parents remained safe in protective custody). In 1877 he was captured in Pensacola, FL, by Texas Rangers (during his stay in Florida he was suspected of at least one and probably five more murders). He was tried for the Brown County deputy's murder in 1878 and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but only served 16 years before being pardoned in 1894. While in prison he had studied law, and after his release he was admitted to the Texas bar.
In 1895 Hardin testified as a defense witness in a murder trial in El Paso, and after the trial was over he decided to stay in that city and open up a law practice. Although he tried to remain "straight" after becoming a lawyer, he was--almost inevitably--drawn back to his old ways by his pride and a return to the heavy drinking he had once been known for. On top of that, El Paso Constable John Selman Sr., an outlaw in his own right, had an ongoing conflict with Hardin; Selman's son, a lawman, had attempted to arrest a female acquaintance of Hardin's and was pistol-whipped by Hardin for his trouble. Seething over Hardin's beating of his son, Selman entered the Acme Saloon where Hardin often played dice. The bustle of the saloon allowed Selman to enter unnoticed by Hardin. He got behind Hardin and shot him several times, although the first one actually killed him. Like many of the legendary figures of the old west, Hardin had met a violent end from someone who hadn't the courage to face him man-to-man and shot him in the back. It was said that in his last moments, even though slowed own by age and without the advantage of his youthful quick reactions, Hardin still managed to reach for his pistol before he died, although not aware of who it was who had shot him.
In the end, he died as he had lived--by the gun.
Hardin later got a job herding cattle on the Chisholm Trail, but the combination of his white-hot temper, a quick draw and the prodigious amounts of alcohol he regularly imbibed resulted in his killing at least seven men along the way; when the herd arrived in Abilene, KS, he got into more gunfights, resulting in three more deaths. He returned to Texas soon afterwards, got married and settled down to raise a family (he had three children), but he soon reverted to his old ways, adding four more murders to his total, before being captured by a county sheriff. Although jailed, he soon broke out and was on the run again.
His hatred of Northerners in general and blacks in particular caused him to become involved in a political battle between pro- and anti-Reconstruction forces in Texas (he naturally took the side of the latter) in 1873 and he killed a former State Police officer who led the pro-Reconstruction forces. In 1874 he murdered a sheriff's deputy in Brown County, TX. The deputy was well liked, and it roused the fury of the locals, who formed a lynch mob. The mob actually lynched three men for the murder, none of whom had anything to do with it but all of whom were related to Hardin, which is why they were hanged; by this time Hardin had managed to flee to Florida (his wife and parents remained safe in protective custody). In 1877 he was captured in Pensacola, FL, by Texas Rangers (during his stay in Florida he was suspected of at least one and probably five more murders). He was tried for the Brown County deputy's murder in 1878 and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but only served 16 years before being pardoned in 1894. While in prison he had studied law, and after his release he was admitted to the Texas bar.
In 1895 Hardin testified as a defense witness in a murder trial in El Paso, and after the trial was over he decided to stay in that city and open up a law practice. Although he tried to remain "straight" after becoming a lawyer, he was--almost inevitably--drawn back to his old ways by his pride and a return to the heavy drinking he had once been known for. On top of that, El Paso Constable John Selman Sr., an outlaw in his own right, had an ongoing conflict with Hardin; Selman's son, a lawman, had attempted to arrest a female acquaintance of Hardin's and was pistol-whipped by Hardin for his trouble. Seething over Hardin's beating of his son, Selman entered the Acme Saloon where Hardin often played dice. The bustle of the saloon allowed Selman to enter unnoticed by Hardin. He got behind Hardin and shot him several times, although the first one actually killed him. Like many of the legendary figures of the old west, Hardin had met a violent end from someone who hadn't the courage to face him man-to-man and shot him in the back. It was said that in his last moments, even though slowed own by age and without the advantage of his youthful quick reactions, Hardin still managed to reach for his pistol before he died, although not aware of who it was who had shot him.
In the end, he died as he had lived--by the gun.
