Meet the unhinged killer cowboys who made Texas legendary and the Old West ‘wild’

As overmuch arsenic nan “Gunfighter Era” of nan Old West was characterized by shoot-outs successful nan streets, truthful excessively was it known for gangly tales and speedy quips.

Consider nan lawsuit of Pink Higgins. Higgins stumbled upon a cattle rustler who had conscionable killed and butchered 1 of his herd, truthful he changeable nan man dormant and stuffed him wrong nan steer.

As Bryan Burroughs recounts successful “The Gunfighters: How Texas Made nan West Wild” (Penguin Press, June 3), “then [Higgins] rode into municipality to show nan sheriff he should travel spot a miracle, a cattle giving commencement to a man.”

The first nationally known gunfighter was “Wild Bill” Hickok, whose fame was cemented by a Harper’s Weekly floor plan successful 1867 that claimed he’d killed “hundreds” of men. While that number was laughably exaggerated, Wild Bill killed plenty.

The first was astatine a Nebraska stagecoach position successful 1861, erstwhile Hickok was told to butt retired of a large conflict because it was nary of his business.

“Perhaps ’tis,” he was said to nonchalantly reply, “Or ’tain’t.”  Then he drew his pistol, sidesplitting 1 man and wounding 2 others.    

But to unrecorded by nan “Gunfighter’s Code” of nan Old West was to dice by it, too. As a Kansas marshal successful 1871, Hickok changeable dormant a cowboy who’d unexpectedly fired connected him, but past erstwhile his ain lawman came racing astir a area pinch guns drawn “Wild Bill” accidentally killed him, too.

Then successful 1875 successful Deadwood, SD, a man Hickok had beaten astatine poker executed America’s astir celebrated gunfighter pinch a cowardly changeable to nan backmost of his head.

When gunfighters weren’t sidesplitting aliases being killed though, a batch of clip they were cracking wise. 

Clay Allison was a fearsome “shootist” apt suffering from Civil War PTSD, who erstwhile rode his equine done a frontier municipality wearing only a gun-belt.

Before shooting 1 of his victims, Allison first invited him to meal — nan 2 yet exchanging bullets correct astatine nan table. Asked why he would induce his unfortunate to stock a repast earlier sidesplitting him, Burroughs writes that Allison conscionable shrugged.

“Because I didn’t want to nonstop a man to hellhole connected an quiet stomach.”

There’s Mysterious Dave, who announced, “You person lived agelong enough,” to a cowboy he past changeable dead.  And master gambler Ben Thompson, who was told by a threatening gunfighter to debar a definite metropolis because men were waiting for him there. But nan paper shark was hardly scared, Burroughs writes. “I’m Ben Thompson,” he purred. “If I should spell up there, I would service nan boys conscionable so.”

Ditto Doc Holliday astatine nan O.K. Corral, who replied to an opponent’s threat that he would sprout him down pinch a laconic “you’re a daisy if you do.”

And astatine nan extremity of that gunfight, it was nan infamous Wyatt Earp who had nan past word. Looking down astatine nan dormant men Earp and his brothers had conscionable defeated successful a conflict complete carrying their weapons successful town, Wyatt joked they nary longer “have to disarm that party.”

Even section newspapers could kid astir gunplay successful nan streets, pinch an 1872 communicative successful Kansas noting nan deficiency of shootings that summertime pinch a header announcing “No One Killed Yet.”

Another notable characteristic of nan Old West’s “Gunfighter Era” was its exaggerated exploits.

William “Wild Bill” Longley claimed to person killed much than 30 men, but nan much apt number was 4 aliases five.

And though Johnny Ringo was erstwhile considered nan astir fearsome gunfighter successful nan country, it was only confirmed that he’d fired his pistol twice. Once he wounded a man successful a barroom room argument, Burrough writes, pinch nan different incident moreover little impressive.

“The only different clip we’re definite Ringo fired… he changeable himself successful nan foot.”

There were plentifulness of existent gunfights successful those days, though, complete slights large and small, whether rustling a man’s cattle aliases cutting successful connected his dance. One siege astatine a homestead went connected truthful agelong that nan farm’s hogs yet began devouring nan bodies of dormant combatants.

Maybe nan astir unthinkable gunfight of them each occurred successful New Mexico successful 1884, erstwhile a sole, 19-year-old wannabe lawman named Elfego Baca took connected 80 angry Texas cowboys. Wearing an unofficial, mail-order badge, Baca arrested and jailed 1 Texan for misbehaving successful nan town’s streets. When a fistful of nan captive’s friends demanded his release, Baca squared disconnected pinch them and told them he would statesman to shoot.

The Texans laughed, but Baca began to fire. He killed 1 arsenic nan others fled, astatine slightest until they returned 80 strong. All alone, Baca past engaged nan Texans successful a weapon battle,  yet being chased into an abandoned home.

The Texans unloaded truthful galore bullets that yet nan location collapsed onto itself. Four 100 slug holes were later counted successful its beforehand doorway alone, but erstwhile rule enforcement yet intervened, Baca had killed 4 and walked distant unscathed.

Writes Burroughs: “Covered pinch dust, Baca emerged successful his underwear, a revolver successful each hand.”