Billy Claiborne ran as soon as shots were fired and was already out of sight. In 1899 the Earps went to Alaska during the Gold Rush and again opened a successful saloon. How can you not include the most famous outlaw of all? In the 1880s, Horn was popular as a tracker and a bounty hunter; he was hired by the Pinkerton Detective Agency but was forced to resign after he was associated with the murders of17 men. [82] Gunfighter is also a callsign for a group of two Apache Helicopters in the video game Medal of Honor. He was released from his sentence after having served17 years, and became a lawyer in El Paso. Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid both wore badges as lawmen at least once. It is widely believed that the name Kid caused his exploits to be attributed to the Sundance Kid (who wasnt much of a gunfighter). Both claimed to have fired the shot which killed him. Fourteen-year-old Willie Nickell was found murdered; a month later his father, Kels, was killed and most of his stock was slaughtered. [62], Alongside the iconic cowboy, gunfighters have become a cultural image of the American people abroad, and also as an idealized image of violence, frontier justice, and adventure. [citation needed], Known gunmen/lawmen were generally effective, and in time the violence would subside, usually, after the gunman/lawman had been involved in several shooting incidents, eventually leading to a substantial and well-earned fear that kept everyone in line. "Anything that has created this myth of the fast draw is a byproduct of entertainment," says Jim Dunham, the director of special projects and historian at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. Ive enjoyed the info and discussion. Billys group, called the Regulators, became known for their wanton violence, and were themselves soon regarded as outlaws. He shot down his assailants, one after another. All told, Billy the Kid is said to have killed a total of 21 men, one for each of the years of his life, though this number is often regarded as inaccurate and exaggerated. After three months on the run, he was killed when Sheriff Pat Garrett and two deputies shot him to death in 1881. He was born in Arkansas territory but also lived in Lamar and Grayson counties Texas. Owens shot his rifle from his hip through the door, hitting Andy Blevins in the stomach. 15 of the most infamous and deadly gunslingers in history (15 Photos), Known for his unpredictable personality and violent temper, Clay Allison was a gunfighter who is remembered as one of the deranged outlaws of the Old West. [73] The story's protagonist, Vash the Stampede, is a wandering gunslinger with a dark past. A lot of the guys on this list worked as sheriffs at some point or another. I live in Colorado where Doc is reportedly buried and he knifed a man to death in Denver over a card game (knife instead of gun because there were no guns allowed in Denver at the time.) Often, a gunfight was spur-of-the-moment, with one drawing his pistol, and the other reacting. One of those pictured is famed black cowboy Jesse Stahl, whose rodeo riding skills were unparalleled in the 1800s. When the group was broken up by law-enforcement officers, the Kid escaped and shot a gambler in a New Mexico saloon. No kidding, most famous gunslingers and outlaws, worked as lawmen, vigilantes, or regulators. On March 1, 1872. [1][10] For instance, the gunfight at the O.K. But they were just as apt to be like the O.K. How embarrassed I was! Thompson was himself killed in 1884, along with gunfighter King Fisher, when friends of Harris ambushed the two and gunned them down while they were watching a performance at an opera house. According to Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp was one of the few men I personally knew in the West in the early days whom I regarded as absolutely destitute of physical fear. It lasted only 30 seconds, contrary to many movie adaptations. Inspired by the "Man with No Name" and other spaghetti-western characters, he himself is detached or unsympathetic, often reacting as uncaring or angry at signs of cowardice or self-pity, yet he possesses a strong sense of heroism, often attempting to help those in need, a morality much seen in Westerns. A sharpshooter when she was still a young woman, she engaged in Rare are the gunfighters who, like William Sidney "Cap" Light, died accidentally by their own hand. "[81] The main character Caleb in the video games Blood and Blood II: The Chosen is also a former Old West gunfighter. "He is a man who never smiled or laughed. [7], In films, the gunslinger often possesses a nearly superhuman speed and skill with the revolver. [50] But because Wyatt outlived Virgil and due to a creative biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal published two years after Wyatt's death, Wyatt became famous and the subject of various movies, television shows, biographies and works of fiction. While he served his time, Hardin studied religion and law, but he suffered from bad health. "Go to fighting or get away! Stoudenmire got involved in a feud with members of the Manning family, which ended when he and three of the Manning brothers got into a gunfight. As Captain Davis and his companions trudged on foot, the bandit gang charged out of the brush, pistols flaming. In the end the fight lasted only 30 seconds or so, with at least 20 shots being fired Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers died. Doc was not just a dentist, he was a licensed Oral surgeon. After the murder of Allen Bobbitt, he was arrested and jailed. [58] "Big" Steve Long served as deputy marshal for Laramie, Wyoming, while the entire time committing murders and forced theft of land deeds. After an argument with the other gang members, Fisher killed three of them, took over as the leader, and killed seven Mexican bandits. On February 8, 1887, the two quarreled, and with Bat Masterson at Short's side, Courtright and Short dueled in the street. What other gunslingers did we not mention? Movies and books glorify gun battles, trust me there is no glory in killing someone. Where is Elfego Baca. These duels did occasionally happen, as in the case of the Luke ShortJim Courtright duel, but gunfights were typically more spontaneous, a fight that turned deadly when one side reached for a weapon, and no one knew who actually won the fight for several minutes until the air finally cleared of smoke. But they would not have understood if you'd have said, 'Who's fastest with a gun? [citation needed], On December 1, 1884, a town sheriff named Elfego Baca came face-to-face against 80 gunmen which became known as the Frisco shootout. Though, in the end that doesn't register a smudge on Earp's reputation as the quintessential American gunfighter. Frank was running to Fremont Street, and he challenged Holliday for killing his brother, but Doc dropped his shotgun, drew his pistol, and shot Frank in the right temple. [24], The Gunfight at the OK Corral is a famous example of a real-life western shootout, between the Earp Brothers together with Doc Holliday, and the Clanton-McLaury gang. He was abused by his father, whichmotivated him to leave home at 16. Andy Blevins answered with a pistol in hand, the lawman told him to come out, that he had a warrant for arrest. He was both more or less friendly and viciously, lethal if tempted. A few years later, he re-enlisted and served as a private in Company F, 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment. So Andy Blevins (aka Cooper) ambushed and killed John Tewksbury and Bill Jacobs in revenge. The Earps weren't really expecting a gunfight. This garnered nation wide news. And in a close-range free-for-all, speed is not all it's cracked up to be. Stoudenmire was shot from behind by James Manning and died instantly. Doc hollidy, kid curry, Luke short and dave matter should be on there before half those guys. Just one example of Jesse Jamess skill was when he shot one of his gang who had fired at him while they were riding at speed. Gun Fighter. He once told someone that the only times he wasn't nervous was when he was working on teeth or killing somebody. The Western hero usually stands alone and faces danger on his own, commonly against lawlessness, with an expert display of his physical skills (roping, gun-play, horse-handling, pioneering abilities, etc.). I think Docs reputation was well justified. Unlike other violence-themed gunslingers, Vash carries a Shane-like pacifist attitude, and avoids killing men, even dangerous enemies. One account says that after the party recognized Cruz, they chased him down and a gunfight ensued. And you don't get much more stress than when somebody's shooting at you.". Stoudenmire had a reputation for being tough and short-tempered when he was drinking. While a deputy in Dodge he and another deputy shot at a retreating criminal. Fifteen-year-old Samuel Houston Blevins ran out the front door, with his brother's revolver, and yelled "I'll get him." Here are the top 10 real-life deadly gunslingers from the wild west era. [10] Gunmen Kid Curry, Jim Courtright, Dallas Stoudenmire and Dave Rudabaugh were killed in raging gun battles, much as portrayed in films about the era, and usually against more than one opponent. He kept his pistol in the pocket of his coat. Related story from us:The tangled story of Pat Garrett, the Old West lawman who kept getting into trouble. [6], Gunslingers frequently appear as stock characters in Western movies and novels, along with cowboys. My grand father was one of the mob who drug Miller out of the and hung him. He was also known to have participated in lynchings and vigilante murders. When in the 1920s he was approached by Author Sturat Lake who wrote the ficionalized book, Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal. Blevins returned to Holbrook and was heard bragging about his killings. The group was unfazed by their new classification as bandits, and proceeded to go on a killing spree, gunning down three people in the course of just three days, including a sheriff and his deputy. [22] The most notable and well-known took place in the states/territories of Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. [citation needed], Mythology and folklore often exaggerate the skills of famous gunfighters. While many of the deaths attributed to these gunmen were committed within the scope of the law, folklore and stories as to the number of people they each killed continue to add to their mystique. Laurel was born in England and didnt arrive in the USA until much later (not sure in the date but around 1919). Lawless violence such as range wars like the Lincoln County War and clashes with Indians were also a cause. He was buried in Round Rock Cemetery, and the road to the cemetery was later named Sam Bass Road. Then Sheriff Owens turned his attention to the Blevins family, the other rustling gang in the county. After being wounded several times while fighting in the Civil War, Stoudenmire moved to the lawless city of El Paso, Texas to serve as sheriff. Blevins refused and tried to close the door. Patton positioned his men by the south gate and was making his way up to the north gate when a trio of Villa's men came into the ranch on horseback. [10], The most important lesson I learned was that the winner of a gunplay usually was the one who took his time. In 1870, he joined a group of outlaws raiding ranches in Mexico. [21][25] Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt quarreled over cards and decided to have a gunfight. Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (/nslr/), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. In fact , in Dodge the city leaders wanted to keep a fine a balance between wild and tame in order to keep the attraction of the Texas Cattle drives. Years later, I found out that Arness was known to be horribly slow at drawing a gun and was filmed many times before he could "beat" the gunslinger to the draw. Doesnt add up so your story cant be true. Other western genre-themed manga and anime include Cowboy Bebop and Kino's Journey, which both incorporate knight-errant gunslinger themes. (As a kid wearing my own Bill Hickock gunset on, every Saturday morning I'd await "Gunsmoke" to come on TV; then I would wait for Marshall Matt Dillon (actor James Arness) to start his draw at the show's intro. Earp, as any Wild West buff knows, was in the center of the most famous street fight in American history. Earp was on the police force of Wichita until he was released over a dispute . After the confession, Wyatt told Cruz to draw, challenging him to a duel, and the posse counted to three before Wyatt gunned Cruz down. While played five-card-draw poker in Deadwood, South Dakota, on August 2, 1876, Hickok was shot point blank by Jack McCall as revenge for a perceived insult. WebFastest Gun that ever lived Don Hamilton 5.38K subscribers Subscribe 172K 5.4M views 9 years ago Amazing Fast Draw.- Draw and shot in less than 2/100's of a second. Tom Horn spent a good portion of his life legitimately employed both as a lawman and a detective, but in actuality he was one of the most cold-blooded killers of the Old West. "His draw was only fairly fast," Earp's assistant, Arthur King, told True West magazine in 1959, relayed in "Wyatt Earp's Cow-boy Campaign," by Chuck Hornung, "but his accuracy was uncanny.". and not everybody really can do that, especially when there's live rounds coming at you," says Marshall Trimble, Arizona's official state historian. Among them was civilian Billy Dixon, who made one of the longest recorded sniper kills, by shooting an Indian off his horse almost a mile away with his Sharps rifle, during a standoff in the Second Battle of Adobe Walls. But Hardin was forced to flee the city soon after his arrival when he is said to shot and killed a fellow guest at his hotel because the mans snoring was keeping him awake. At 25, Hardin was finally arrested by a team of Texas Rangers, and eventually served a total of 16 years in prison before being released at the age of 41. Over the next several years, Allison was reported to have killed several men over disagreements, and in one case he decapitated a man and brought the severed head into a saloon. [3] Bat Masterson used the term "gunfighter" in the newspaper articles which he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws whom he had known. The body count of 44 for John Wesley Hardin was all from the recorded names of lawmen and two individuals he was actually convicted of killing not the uinknown total of others who stood in his way. A gunfighter could be an outlawa robber or murderer who took advantage of the wilderness of the frontier to hide from genteel society and to make periodic raids on it. John Ringo was a nobody that shouldn't even be on the same page as Earp or Holliday. A few days after the fight, friends of the men Stoudenmire had shot hired the town drunk to assassinate him. James Butler Hickok is one of the most famous gunmen of the Old West. The first man had been fatally wounded in the exchange and tried to draw his pistol before Patton killed him with a single shot. Some historians have since stated that it is possible that over time he was confused with another Wild Bunch member, Kid Curry, who was without a doubt the most dangerous member of the gang, having killed many lawmen and civilians during his lifetime before being killed himself. Owens shot and Sam fell backward, dying in his mother's arms. Curry was known to be faster. He stabbed one of them to death; the other he disarmed by knocking the knife from his grasp and slicing off his nose and a finger of his right hand. Dr. Bolivar managed to get his six-shooter out and fire twice at the highwaymen before he dropped, badly wounded. As for Johnny Ringo, there is almost no evidence that he ever participated in a real gunfight. He was wounded several times but stayed in service until the end of the war. Long before holsters were steel-lined, they were soft and supple for comfortable all-day wear. [56], Tom Horn, historically cited as an assassin, served both as a deputy sheriff and as a Pinkerton detective, a job in which he shot at least three people as a killer for hire. This caught the attention of the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency, and Horn worked for them for several years as a tracker and bounty hunter. WebCaptain L.E. This site is not completely correct. Our newest biography website and YouTube channel. Wow great info. [citation needed], On April 14, 1881, lawman Dallas Stoudenmire participated in a gunfight in El Paso, Texas which many dubbed the Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight, in which he killed three of the four fatalities with his twin .44 caliber Colt revolvers. Wyatt moved to California and married Josephine Marcus in 1882. There were also a few historical cowboys who were actual gunfighters, such as the Cochise County Cowboys who participated in the bloody 1879 Skeleton Canyon massacre. Corral. In fact, the faster draw generally misses, and therefore gets killed.". Munden was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but his family later moved to Southern While there he left for periods while he went to Deadwood and another time to Texas. [citation needed], Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off, waiting for one to make the first move. Earp had a varied career that saw him travel to boomtowns like Wichita, Dodge City and the lawless town of Tombstone to serve as sheriff, and he participated in some of the most legendary gunfights of the 1800s. He never cleaned up any town where he served either. Theres more to his biography than meets the iris. Tom Horn died by hanging in Cheyenne,Wyoming after the wealthy ranchers of the day deserted him. After failing to succeed in business, he joined a group of outlaws and began robbing stagecoaches. Later in the same month, he killed a man in an argument in Limestone County, and two weeks later shot a man who attempted to rob him. Only three days into his tenure, he became involved in one of the Wests most legendary battles, what is common known as the Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight, in which he shot three men. Who killed John Wesley Hardin? Gunfighters, also called gunslingers ( / nslr / ), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were Most of the time, gunfighters would just hide their pistols in their pockets and waistbands. Often it would develop into a shootout where both men bolted for cover. Mose Roberts, boarding with the family, jumped out of a side window with a pistol. [citation needed], Another well-documented gunfight resulted in the most kills by one person in a single event, when Capt. [3] Others, like Billy the Kid, were notorious bandits, and still others were lawmen like Pat Garrett and Wyatt Earp. There is more speculation than history in this list. 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