John Wesley Hardin
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- For entries on other people named John Wesley, see John Wesley (disambiguation).
John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853–August 19, 1895) was a well-known outlaw and gunfighter in late 19th-century Texas. He was reputed to be the meanest man alive, an accolade he supposedly earned by killing a man for snoring. He admitted to killing more than 40 men over 27 years.
Perhaps his most famous encounter was with Wild Bill Hickok, who was then marshall of Abilene, Kansas, and who managed to disarm him, after which Hardin fled town. There are many stories of this encounter, perhaps the most believable is that Hardin simply found a man who was not afraid of him, and was at least as good with a gun. [link]
Early life
Born in Bonham, Texas, to James G. Hardin (a Methodist preacher) and Elizabeth Hardin, he grew up during the trying times of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. At the age of 15, Hardin committed his first murder, the shooting of a black man. After admitting this crime to his father, he was urged by his family to flee.
Outlaw life
His killing spree began in earnest in his flight, during which he claimed to have killed at least one Union soldier and possibly more. Surfacing on the Chisholm Trail, Hardin continued killing men, all over a manner of personal disagreements. He later famously claimed that he never killed a man that didn't need killing. His spree lasted just under a decade.
In May 1874, Hardin killed [Charles Webb], the deputy sheriff of Brown County, for which he was relentlessly pursued. John Barclay Armstrong, a Texas Ranger known as "McNelly's Bulldog" since he served with the Special Force of the Texas Rangers as a sergeant and Captain Leander H. McNelly's right hand, asked for permission to arrest the gunman, which was granted. Pursuing Hardin across Alabama and into Florida, Armstrong caught up with Hardin in Pensacola.
After Armstrong boarded a train that Hardin and four companions were on, with his Colt revolver in hand, the outlaw shouted, "Texas, by God!" and attempted to draw his own pistol, but it became stuck in his clothing. When it was over, one of his gang members was killed and his three surviving friends were staring at Armstrong’s pistol. Hardin had been knocked unconscious. Armstrong's hat had been neatly pierced by a bullet, but he was uninjured.
Hardin was tried for murder, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Seventeen years later, Hardin was pardoned by Governor Jim Hogg and released from prison on March 16, 1894. He moved to El Paso, where he began practicing law. On August 19, 1895, he was shot in the back of the head and murdered in the middle of a dice game at the Acme Saloon by lawman John Selman. Selman had arrested Hardin's girlfriend previously for a gun violation, so there was bad blood between them.
An experienced gunfighter later said of Hardin's murder "If he was shot in the head by the front, that is good marksmanship, if he was shot in the head by the back, that is good judgement."
Although often being dubbed a gunfighter, Hardin was not in the traditional sense a gunman. Most of his gunplay was the result of his quick temper, and he never really utilized his skills by employing himself as either an outlaw or a lawman. He was, in a sense, a bully with a quick temper, but none the less a man to be feared. After his death, an autobiography was released containing Hardin's accounts of many of his murders.
Hardin in popular culture
- An American folk song describes his activities with a folk hero patina. A version of the song was recorded by Bob Dylan as "John Wesley Harding" (with a G added to the name), the title song of one of his albums.
- Johnny Cash wrote and recorded a song about Hardin entitled "Hardin Wouldn't Run". It relates some of the true events of Hardin's life, including his murder at the Acme Saloon. Most song and movie accounts, though, go beyond the truths into myths or outright untruths in order to glamorize him or the gunfighter who kills him. For example, his character, with many of the myths intact as well as having some new myths created for sensationalism, has appeared in popular works, including a prominent role in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove sequel, Streets of Laredo. In the miniseries of the novel, Hardin was portrayed by actor Randy Quaid.
- A 1959 episode "Duel at Sundown" of Maverick has the character of Maverick and his brother posing as "John Wesley Hardin" to stage a fake gunfight and shootout in order to avoid a real gunfight. As Maverick and his brother ride out of town, they meet a stranger who wants directions to meet the "fake" John Wesley Hardin. The stranger is none other than the "real" John Wesley Hardin.
- Rock Hudson starred in a 1950's very fictionalized version of John Wesley Hardin's life called The Lawless Breed -at the end he gets shot in a saloon in Texas. Unlike the real John Wesley Hardin he survives.
- Hardin was briefly portrayed in the movie Dirty Dingus Magee by actor Jack Elam.
- Hardin was briefly portrayed in the movie Maverick by actor Max Perlich.
Hardin and the Law
- Prior to his killing of Deputy Sherriff Charles Webb in May 1874 and his July 23,1877 arrest, he had 3 confirmed clashes with the law.
- On January 9, 1871 he was arrested by Constable E.T. Stokes & 12 citizens in Harrison County, Texas on a charge of 4 murders and 1 horse theft. (Texas State Police Arrest Reports for 1870 to 1871-he is listed as "Hardin, J.R."). The victims are not identified nor is it reported from whom the horse was stolen. He later claimed to have escaped after killing a guard named Jim Smolly and in Bell County, Texas killed 3 men named Smith, Jones, and Davis after being arrested again for an alleged killing; he also made another claim that in September 1871 in Gonzales County, Texas he killed 1 man named Green Paramour and wounded another named John Lackey who tried to arrest him and then forced a african-american posse to flee back to Austin after having killed three of them - but evidence is lacking. There are no contemporary newspaper accounts from either Bell County or Gonzales County Texas to confirm these alleged triple killings. The only mention of Hardin in Texas State Police records is the arrest report.
- September 1872 he surrenders to Sherriff of Cherokee County, Texas - escapes in October 1872 [link]
- In May 1873 he was involved in the killings of Sherriff Jack Helms and a J.B. Morgan of Cuero, Texas. (Letter from DeWitt County, Texas Museum citing Metz's work).
- In several cases where he claimed to have been involved in killings, the reports either cannot be confirmed or prove to be nonexistent. For example:
- * his claims of having shot Union soldiers in 1868-1869: the US National Archives has records of August 14, 1868 ambush deaths of 1st Sgt Edward Gregory/Greevy and Private John Miller of Co H of the 6th U.S. Cavalry along with three unnamed Freemen at Sulphur Springs, Texas; what were described as "bands of desperadoes" were involved in a wounding on September 2,1868 of Bugler Michail Connelly Bryler of Co H of the 6th U.S. Cavalry; likewise the Official Reports of the 5th Military District (Texas) list one report of two soldiers Private D.O'Conner & Private B. Currey of Co B of the 6th U.S.Cavalry being killed September 23,1868 in Travis County, Texas-a John McGuire was arrested ; in none of these records is Hardin named as a suspect nor do they agree with his claims.
- * his alleged killing of two Pinkerton National Detective Agency Agents sometime between April and November 1876 never happened. (Letter from Pinkerton Archives)
- * his claim that on election Night November 1876 he and a Jacksonville Florida Policeman named Gus Kennedy were involved in a gunfight with Mobile Alabama Policemen in a saloon in which one was wounded and two killed; that Hardin and Kennedy were arrested but later released-this also never happened.
Triva
- Hardin's supposed weapon of choice was the 1860 Army .44 Caliber [link].
- A photograph of Hardin was appraised on Antiques Roadshow and was estimated to be worth up to $50000USD.
External links
- [John Wesley Hardin] from the Handbook of Texas Online
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