| John Wesley Hardin Born May 26, 1853 Killed by a bullet to the back of the head fired by John Selman Aug 19, 1895 |
| At age 14 John Hardin was� small� for his age. Born in 1853 to a Methodist Minister in Bonham,Texas, he grew up tough as many young men at that time, but John was different than most. Only 14 years old young Hardin had already stabbed a boy two times in a fight over a girl. At 15 John killed his first man, a former slave by the name of Mage. By most accounts John and Mage got into a fight, no one knows why but John had blooded Mage's nose. Mage put out the word that no white boy could draw blood from him and live to tell about it.The next day John was riding down the road when Mage ran up and dared him to fight again and seized the bridle of his horse. John later recounted, ''I shot him loose, He kept coming back and I kept shooting till I shot him down." John was now on the run. With the killing of the former slave the Union army dispacthed three soilders to bring Hardin in. John was holding up at his brother's house, twenty-five miles north of Sumpter, Texas. In the fall of 1868, The soilders luck ran out and they caught up with him. at a Creek crossing. John ambushed the three men killing them all, two whites and one black. Within a year, he killed another soldier at Richard Bottom. Only fifteen years old and John had now killed five men. |
| Seventeen years old five notches on his gun( Not really no one ever put notches on thier gun unless they were a tenderfoot and they weren't around long.)John was arrested in Marshall, Texas in late 1870 for a murder in Waco, that He did not commit. Unable to prove his innocence to the judge He was held in jail awaiting transfer back to Waco. �� �� While in jail John acquired a 45 Colt. (know one really knows how) When Captain Stokes of the state police and a loud mouth overbearing guard by the name of Jim Smolly came to get John, He had the Colt hidden under his coat. One night on the trail Stokes left the camp for some reason and while he was gone Smolly strated to harrass John. Well, to make a long story short the state of Texas had an opening for a Guard the next day. John� pulled the 45, killed Smolly and escaped before Stokes returned. � ���� John at only 17,� was hired as trail boss to take a herd of cattle to Kansas. Toward the end of the drive a Mexican herd crowded in behind Hardin's, and they were having trouble keeping the herds apart. It was said that John and the Mexican in charge of the other herd exchanged words and� started firing at each other, with the Mexican being wounded in the leg. ��� ��� A truce was declared but J.W. was not in a good mood. He borrowed a pistol(His old gun was worn out) from one of the hands and went after the Mexican again, this time killing him. A gunfight erupted and when the smoke cleared six Mexicans had went to meet someone, and it was said that John sent five himself. �� ��� Later in Abilene, John met up with Wild Bill Hickok who was the sherriff at the time. Hardin got along well enough� with Bill, because both men respected each other. Hardin knew that Bill would try and kill him, if he felt that he was in any danger. This is where it is said that John killed a man for snoring by shooting through a wall to make him stop. He did in fact shoot the man but most people think he didn't mean to kill anyone. John left town that night not wanting trouble with Wild Bill. � ��� Hardin returned to Gonzales County, Texas, and married to his long time sweetheart, Jane Bowen who bore him four children. Hardin didn't spend much time at home, seems he was having a difficult time with Governor Edmund J. Davis's State Police. Hardin added at least four names to his death list before surrendering to the sheriff of Cherokee County in September 1872. Hardin was in jail only a month before he broke out and began raising stock, � �� John who seemed to always find trouble was drawn into the Sutton Taylor feud. Aligning himself with Jim Taylor of the anti-Reconstruction forces he killed the opposition leader, Jack Helm, a former State Police captain. �� Little Arkansas as he was now known started a herd of cattle up the trail, but made the mistake of going to a town called Comanche.There he ran up on a man named Charles Webb, a deputy of nearby Brown County. Word was out that Webb intended on killing Hardin. Upon meeting in a bar Hardin offered to buy Webb a drink and Webb excepted, as they moved toward the bar Hardin leading the way someone yelled,"Look Out!" Hardin turned, saw Webb with his gun drawn and jumped aside drawing his own gun as Webb fired.�Whether this was the way it happened or not I don't know but the fact is Brown County, was taking applications for a new Deputy the next day. ����������������� ��Even though most said the killing of Webb was justified, John was now wanted for murder. Being well known where ever he went, made it hard for him to avoid being captured as long as he stayed in Texas. John, with his wife and children packed up and moved first to Florida where he lived under the alias of J.H. Swain. Its said that Hardin actually helped the local police round up some wanted men and in the course of the hunt killed his 40th man. � After two years in Florida Hardin's identity was discovered by the Pinkerton detectives. John again was on the run and had hopes of getting to Mexico but was intercepted near the Florida Alabama State line. Hardin wasn't going to be taken easily and a gun fight erupted. Hardin killed two of the men before escaping across the state line to Alabama, where he and his wife took up residence. � It wasn't long till Hardin found himself in trouble again. During a poker game in which Hardin piled up winnings of over 3,000.00 tempers flared. Two unlucky gamblers lost the ultimate bet when they went for their guns. Hardin remained free for only 10 months before the Texas Rangers cornered him in a smoking car of a train at Pensacola Florida. On July 23, 1877, Ranger John Armstrong and local deputies rushed Hardin from both ends of the car. John went for his gun but it got tangled in his suspenders and the men subdued him. �After serving 15 years of a 25 year sentence Hardin was pardoned in 1895. Studying law while he was in prison, Hardin moved to El Paso Texas where He opened a law office.( Does this tell you a little about what it takes to become a lawyer) They say He spent more time in the bars than in court. �� �� August 19, 1895,� John Wesley Hardin at the age of 42 was shot in the back of the head by John Selman� one of El Paso's finest (A policeman) in the Acme saloon. Seems Mr. Hardin had made threats that He would kill Selman� over an arrest of Hardin's girl friend. Selman was tried for the murder and found not guilty. �� So ends the life of one of the west most famous gunslinger's. �� |
| Fact or Fiction |
| Killed 44 Men? Its hard to say for sure how many men Hardin actually killed. Its been said that He killed 44 men but in all probability He killed only 21. As I stated earlier getting facts on a lot of these events is hard to do. Some of the gunfights and killings were hear say, while others were true. How many men did He kill while He was on the run out on the trail? No one knows for sure. One thing that I can tell you that is the truth." He was one Bad Ass Son of a Bitch." |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| John W. Hardin |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|