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. They were a typically diverse and motley group of Gold Rush bandits: two Americans, one Frenchman, two Britons, five Sydney Ducks, and four Mexicans. 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. Corral. Owens shot and Sam fell backward, dying in his mother's arms. Blevins returned to Holbrook and was heard bragging about his killings. Despite surviving the civil war and being involved in a multitude of gunfights, Allison is most remembered for killing a suspected murder, cutting off his head and bringing it to his favorite bar to share a drink. So when they went to arrest the Cowboys at about 3 p.m., they expected the Cowboys to be unarmed. There are different categories shooters can compete in. ringo was a back shooting goby dummy. Hardin drifted around, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Sometimes, however, just to make things "official", they would go through the formality of deputization. I like the psychoanalytical approach which takes intellect clearly Garrett was smart if indeed he wrote this book (or even had it ghosted). After the conversation, Richardson drew his pistol, and Loving drew his in response. In 1884, Fisher was ambushed and killed, along with Ben Thompson, by friends of a man whom Thompson had previously killed in a gun battle. He married Urilla Sutherland, but she and their unborn child died of typhoid fever about a year later. Wyatt Earp was famous mostly because he said, himself, that he was famous. Thomas Horn was hanged the day before his 43rd birthday in 1903 and buried in Columbia Cemetery, Boulder, Colorado. the OK Corral. In 1895, he was killed after being shot in the back by a lawman in El Paso, Texas. Obviously the most well-known Old West figure in history, Bill the Kids life has But Prof. Bill O'Neal cites just five incidents in his Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters. But they would not have understood if you'd have said, 'Who's fastest with a gun? In his typical maniacal fashion, prior to being hanged Miller is said to have shouted, Let er rip! and voluntarily jumped off the box to his death. He formed a gang, and increased his notoriety after shooting down a gambler in a New Mexico saloon. Miller was never convicted for any of the deaths. Miller and the others were in the city jail not a prison. [20], Gunfighters King Fisher, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, and Pat Garrett all died as a result of ambushes, killed by men who feared them because of their reputation. Earp was on the police force of Wichita until he was released over a dispute . While a deputy in Dodge he and another deputy shot at a retreating criminal. Reformed form his years behind bars, Hardin began studying law and even passed the bar, but his old reputation eventually caught up with him. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. One account says that after the party recognized Cruz, they chased him down and a gunfight ensued. He should be replaced on the list by John Ringo or the Sundance Kid-. Even other gunslingers were likely to avoid any unnecessary confrontation. Gentleman. Stoudenmire had a reputation for being tough and short-tempered when he was drinking. They may not have dressed like Clint Eastwood, with a holster slung low on the hips, but these gunmen made names for themselves nonetheless. His gravestone is said to read: Clay Allison. James B. Hickok, in the 1860s, during his pre-gunfighter days. The outlaws' bullets tore at Davis's clothing but caused only two slight flesh wounds. From what I have gathered, many of the gunfighters were violent racists, and a significant number of their victims were former slaves who wanted to vote. Less than a year after these incidents, he would kill as many as six more men in gunfights while in the line of duty, eventually gaining a reputation as one of the most feared lawmen in Texas. 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. Gentleman. Wyatt Earp was a Nobody whose ONLY claim to fame is he lived long enough to sell his fiction to Hollywood. Tom Horn died by hanging in Cheyenne,Wyoming after the wealthy ranchers of the day deserted him. He was involved in several gunfights, mostly just maiming opponents, so he was a gunfighter because he did fight armed opponents. [1] The gunslinger's reputation often was as valuable as any skills possessed. At 15, he gunned down an ex-slave, and then proceeded to kill three Union soldiers before going on the run. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on Oct. 26, 1881. Scott Cooley, a pal of John Ringos from the Mason County War, Cochise County Sherriff, John Slaughter and Will Carver of Butch Cassidys Wild Bunch are all more deserving to be on this list than Wyatt Earp. Nothing proved Earp's mettle more than the tumultuous gunfight near the O.K. At the same time, Luke Short, a former friend of Courtright's, was running the White Elephant Saloon and Jim was trying to get Short to utilize his services. Famed gunman Clay Allison died in a wagon accident. ", Wyatt yelled and watched Ike desert his brother Billy and run. Well, I love that quote, regardless of where he fits on this list. Many gun toters who did the same often lined their pockets with silk or another slippery material so as to keep the gun from catching on the fabric in case they needed to pull it out quickly. For a short time, Miller was an upstanding citizen and was committed to the Methodist church. [citation needed], Another well-known duel in the American West happened in Fort Worth, Texas, and was known as the Luke Short-Jim Courtright Duel. 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. [citation needed], Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off, waiting for one to make the first move. [7], Western gunslinger heroes are portrayed as local lawmen or enforcement officers, ranchers, army officers, cowboys, territorial marshals, nomadic loners, or skilled fast-draw artists. Following his resignation, he developed a reputation as a killer for hire, and is said to have been responsible for the deaths of some 20 cattle rustlers over the course of several years. The two had a history of disagreements, and with no warning Colbert pulled out his pistol to shoot Allison. In the book, Garret claimed that Doc was a hard man with no moral compass (made him sound like a psychopath) and didnt understand how Wyatt was his friend. When a gunman did square off, it rarely was with another gunfighter. There's the gunfighter, frontiersman, classic cowboy, and duelist each with its own specifications. 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. 16 individual kills and involved in the death of over 180 others! [31] By the second half of the 19th century, few Americans still fought duels to solve their problems, and became a thing of the past in the United States by the start of the 20th century. In 1900, Miller began offering his services as a paid assassin, committing over six murders. He killed at least 16 or 17 men and perhaps many, many more. It's "High Noon." [60] While technically working as lawmen, they were little more than hired guns. The last was debunked by Mythbusters as an impossibility, as unjacketed bullets tend to shatter into fragments that can hurt or even kill. When the Civil War broke out, John Wesley attempted to run away to join the Confederate Army. The group went on a killing spreekilling three people within three days, including a sheriff and a deputy. Tops, Masterson said, is a steely will and the ability to use that to your advantage. They returned to California around 1911 and settled in Los Angeles, where they became a popular fixture in Hollywood as Earpserved asa technical adviser for Old West films. Clanton had instigated the Gunfight at the OK Corral and was charged with the later ambush shooting of Virgil Earp. Miller pulled his gun on Frazer, who proceeded to shoot him six times. 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. John was known for carrying two pistols in holsters strapped to his chest, which enabled him to be one of the fastest guns in history. [49] As city marshal, Virgil made the decision to disarm the Cowboys in Tombstone and requested Wyatt's assistance. It is this ailment that many historians have said explains his shockingly brutal actions, which included once beheading a man he suspected of murder and carrying the head into his favorite bar. Corral, at least in part because he was the only one who was not wounded or killed. One the lesser-known but more notoriously violent gunslingers of the Old West was John King Fisher, who was in and out of prison from the age of sixteen. After hitting one with a branding iron, he supposedly outdrew another and shot him. 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. He missed and Owens shot John Blevins in the arm, putting him out of the fight. They drew their pistols at close range, and Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. "Gunslinger" redirects here. Allison fought in the Civil War, but was discharged after a blow to the head started causing erratic behavior in him. Bottom line is nobody can confirm all these guys kills. Sheriff Owens shot him through his back and chest, killing him. "Wyatt Earp," Masterson wrote in his later career as a journalist, "is one of the few men I personally knew in the West in the early days, whom I regard as absolutely destitute of physical fear.". 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.) Sheriff Owens had inherited a warrant for Andy Blevins' (Cooper) arrest for horse theft so he rode to Holbook on September 2, 1887. Often their reputation was as much "self-promotion" as anything else; such was the case of Bat Masterson. John King Fisher was born in 1853 in Texas, to Jobe and Lucinda Warren Fisher. [1], The term "gunslinger" was used in the Western film Drag Harlan (1920). A few days after the fight, friends of the men Stoudenmire had shot hired the town drunk to assassinate him. 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WebQuick-draw world champion Nicole "Fastdraw" Franks rates 11 gunslinging scenes from movies and TV shows for realism. There they found themselves victims of an ambush. No Kid Curry? In actuality, this kind of thing very rarely occurred, and the true life Western storieslike Wild Bill Hickok being shot in the back while playing cardstell a much more gruesome and less gallant tale. Mose Roberts, boarding with the family, jumped out of a side window with a pistol. By 1879 he had moved to Tombstone with his brothers Virgil and James, and got involved in a feud with Tom and Frank McLaury and Ike and Billy Clanton. [59] A good example was the 1882 decision by the El Paso, Texas, town council to dismiss Town Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire. The James Younger gang was just a gang of cowards, not "revolver fighters". Sorry, Doc Holiday needs to be up there too, eleven confirmed kills and twenty-two more suspected or rumored. WebLegend says the Wild West outlaw Billy the Kidcattle rustler, gunslinger, murderer, escape artistkilled 21 people before he turned 21 years old, his age at death. This was the first recorded example of two men taking part in a quick-draw duel. Though, in the end that doesn't register a smudge on Earp's reputation as the quintessential American gunfighter. And you don't get much more stress than when somebody's shooting at you.". This respect for one another is why most famous gunfights were rarely two or more well-known gunmen matched up against one another, but rather one notable gunman against a lesser-known opponent or opponents. A sharpshooter when she was still a young woman, she engaged in The U.S. Calvary hired him as a scout and interpreter during the Apache Wars. "Having said that, there was this sense of a reputation of dangerous men with a gun. I have always been fascinated with Billy The Kid, Although i dont want to glamorize what these men did in their time it certainly was a time to die with their Cowboy Boots on. They had ordered the Cowboys to give up their guns earlier in the day, warning them with a pistol-whipping at the hands of Wyatt. [57] Ben Thompson, best known as a gunfighter and gambler, was a very successful chief of police in Austin, Texas. Hickock was acquitted of all charges, having claimed self-defense. Bartholomew Bat Masterson had made a living with his gun from a young age. [48] He is often viewed as the central character and hero of the Gunfight at the O.K. Stoudenmire was shot from behind by James Manning and died instantly. After three months, Sheriff Pat Garrett and two deputies shot and killed the Kid at Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881. [23] Actual gunfights in the Old West were very rare, very few and far between, but when gunfights did occur, the cause for each varied. [11] In popular folklore, men who held noteworthy reputations as a gunfighter were eager to match up against another gunman with the same reputation. He started his criminal career at the age of 17, when he stabbed and killed a fellow gambler whom he had accused of cheating him at cards. [29], General George S. Patton himself had a gunfight when he was a young second lieutenant chasing Pancho Villa all over northern Mexico in 1916. King Fisher. But Billy rushes his shot and misses.". In his typical brutal style, he then shot two of the mans unarmed accomplices. Earp and Holliday then led a team of gunfighters on what has become known as their Vendetta Ride, and they eventually killed several men connected with the murders before fleeing the territory. I agree with Mander. 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. Munden was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but his family later moved to Southern California to be closer to his father after he suffered from a life-altering injury during World War II. 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. Billy The Kid. And in a close-range free-for-all, speed is not all it's cracked up to be. 8. Hollywood has warped us to the point where somebody has to go full Rambo before we are impressed. Then Sheriff Owens turned his attention to the Blevins family, the other rustling gang in the county. Owens shot his rifle from his hip through the door, hitting Andy Blevins in the stomach. Davis whipped out his Bowie knife and quickly warded off the thrusts from the two of the bandits. In 1901, Horn got involved in a feud between the Miller and Nickell families in Iron Mountain, Wyoming. Tom Horn Jr. was a scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century In turn, the cowboy called upon 80 of his associates to murder Baca. Still, theres no denying that among the bandits and lawmen of the day there were a number of larger-than-life gunfighters whose exploits helped pave a bloody path for the characters that would later populate Western movies and dime novels. In eight months Sheriff Owens had rid Apache County of two notorious gangs of rustlers and killers. Hickok was supposedly holding a pair of Aces and Eights at the time, a combination now known as the Dead Mans Hand., Known for his mercurial personality and violent temper, Clay Allison was a gunfighter who is remembered as one of the most notorious and downright deranged outlaws of the Old West. Though known as being eerily cool under pressure, Horn was considered to have a dangerous capacity for violence, and in 1894 he was forced to resign his post as a detective after he became linked to the murders of 17 people. Wanting to escape this reputation, he took a job as the City Marshall of Austin, Texas, but he was forced to resign when he killed a local theater owner named Jack Harris during an argument. He has been said to have been involved in more than one hundred gunfights in his lifetime. [35], The LangfordPeel shootout occurred on July 22, 1867, between gunmen John Bull and Langford Peel. He sent two deputies to arrest Ike Clanton. 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. 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