The hitman Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men shares many elements of a hunted outlaw. They followed them to the horse barn and witnessed the hanging. "His mind calculated he was kind of like a quarterback when the defense moves on you, and you have to calculate, 'What's my backup plan, here?' [43] Gunfighters Jim Levy and Tom Carberry became infamous for participating in at least two quick draw duels in their lifetimes. Hickok got his start as a constable and rider for the Pony Express, but he gained a reputation for being handy with a gun after he killed outlaw David McCanles with a single bullet from 75 yards away. THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 14 1882 July 14 Gunfighter John Ringo found dead John Ringo, the famous gun-fighting gentleman, is found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona. In January of 1874, Allison and fellow outlaw Chunk Colbert enjoyed a race on their horses and afterward went to dinner at the Clifton House in Colfax County. Corral, which occurred in 1881 when Earp, his brothers Morgan and Virgil, and friend Doc Holliday confronted a group of cowboys who had recently been arrested for robbing a stagecoach. He was a real tough person. The terms "gunslinger" and "showdown" were unknown in the Wild West. Wild Bill Hickok should be straight to # 01. I truly enjoyed the background information on each man. In 1901, Horn got involved in a feud between the Miller and Nickell families in Iron Mountain, Wyoming. Murdering unarmed homesteaders from hiding was Tom Horns style. Gunfighters range from different occupations including lawman, outlaw, cowboy, exhibitionists and duelist, but are more commonly synonymous to a hired gun who made a living with his weapons in the Old West. On the contrary, in cases where two men held a similar reputation, both would avoid confrontation with one another whenever possible. Thompson was known for being lightning fast on the draw, and gained a reputation as a gunfighter after killing two men in a shootout on Christmas Eve of 1876. Gordon wanted her to stop working. Hollywood has warped us to the point where somebody has to go full Rambo before we are impressed. The sport originated in Southern California, USA, in the early 1980s but is now practiced in many places with several sanctioning organizations including the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), Western Action Shootists Association (WASA), and National Congress of Old West Shooters (NCOWS), as well as others in the US and in other countries. Gunfights happened, for sure. James B. Hickok, in the 1860s, during his pre-gunfighter days. He kept his pistol in the pocket of his coat. No Jesse James in your list?! 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. In 1900, Miller began offering his services as a paid assassin, committing over six murders. [3] Bat Masterson used the term "gunfighter" in the newspaper articles which he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws whom he had known. Both claimed to have fired the shot which killed him. I agree with Mander. Who killed John Wesley Hardin? Wyatt and his brother Warren set out on a vendetta ride to locate and kill those they felt were responsible. The Blevins sons searched for their father and in August Hamp Blevins and another were killed by the Tewksbury side. Both parties simultaneously drew their guns, which added to the confusion about who fired first. What other gunslingers did we not mention? The son of a Methodist preacher, Hardin displayed a capacity for violence early on in life when he stabbed a fellow student in the schoolyard at the age of 14. It didnt happen. Famed gunman Clay Allison died in a wagon accident. In 1877 he argued with and killed a blacksmith. Earp was on the police force of Wichita until he was released over a dispute . Andy Blevins answered with a pistol in hand, the lawman told him to come out, that he had a warrant for arrest. Even J.W.H., admired most of his gunshow marksmanship yadyadayda. However, Joseph Rosa noted that, even though Masterson used the term "gunfighter", he "preferred the term 'mankiller'" when discussing these individuals. 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. Gun Fighter. Patrick Floyd Jarvis Pat Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender and customs agent. [59] A good example was the 1882 decision by the El Paso, Texas, town council to dismiss Town Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire. He was born in Arkansas territory but also lived in Lamar and Grayson counties Texas. This list is absolutely terrible.. king fisher was hardly a gunfighter but more of a cowboy type figure who for intl a few scrapes with ranch hands..btk was not a gunfighter he was a cattle rustler/hired hand who handled himself well and used a gun when he had to(only 4 kills). [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. rob Campbell Wyatt Earp has no business on this list whatsoever. He sent two deputies to arrest Ike Clanton. WebVery large text size Bob Munden was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as The Fastest Man with a Gun Who Ever Lived. He was wounded several times but stayed in service until the end of the war. They drew their pistols at close range, and Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. 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 have often remarked, and I am not alone in my conclusions, that what goes for courage in a man is generally fear of what others will think of him in other words, personal bravery is largely made up of self-respect, egotism, and apprehension of the opinions of others. [27] Less than a year after these incidents, he would kill as many as six more men in gunfights while in the line of duty. [42] The infamous assassin Tom Horn was also said to have participated in a duel with a second lieutenant from the Mexican Army, due to a dispute with a prostitute when he was twenty-six years old. Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, to William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok in Illinois. Theres no question about him being in gunfights and being fast. [14], In Western movies, the characters' gun belts are often worn low on the hip and outer thigh, with the holster cut away around the pistol's trigger and grip for a smooth, fast draw. [citation needed], The Long Branch Saloon Shootout, involving Levi Richardson, a buffalo hunter, and "Cockeyed Frank" Loving, a professional gambler, happened on April 5, 1879. After one of the gang turned informant, Bass and his men were ambushed by Texas Ranger Sergeant Richard Ware and Ranger George Herold in Round Rock, Texas, where the gang attempted to rob the Williamson County Bank. [77] Additionally, the comic book character Vigilante is a self-proclaimed gunfighter born in the 1940s. Wyatt warp wasnt even a gunfighter to be honest. No kidding John Wesley Hardin made 40 or more counts, although, some of it is just hearsay. 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. Jim Courtright and Dallas Stoudenmire both killed several men in gunfights both as lawmen and as civilians. Gordon died the next day and Holliday fled. obviously the worst shot in the west very few(If any ) fatalities. "Gunslinger" redirects here. Levy aimed carefully and hit Harrison, who died a week later. Hickock was acquitted of all charges, having claimed self-defense. [80] The New York Times stated: "he and his creators conjure such a convincing, cohesive and enthralling re-imagination of the real world that it sets a new standard for sophistication and ambition in electronic gaming. Wyatt could scrap with his fists, and had often taken all the fight out of bad men, as they were called, with no other weapons than those provided by nature.. They arranged to walk toward each other at 6 pm. He was in trouble from the age of16 for stealing horses and was in and out of prison. Hence, it is the Sundance Kid who is better known. Jonathan R. Davis carried two revolvers in his iconic gunfight,[19] while Jesse James himself carried over half a dozen revolvers in many of his gunfights. 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. As bullets went through the saloon, Doc unflinching, holstered his Colt Peacemaker revolver and walked outside. 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. He once told someone that the only times he wasn't nervous was when he was working on teeth or killing somebody. Patton and 10 enlisted men had been sent to San Miguelito Ranch to look for Villa, who had recently raided the city of Columbus, New Mexico. The men that hired Miller and were hung with him were local businessmen and ranchers not outlaws. [12] Others died secluded deaths either from old age or illness. They were often labeled as such due to one particular instance, which developed from rumors about them having been involved in many more events than they actually were. He married Urilla Sutherland, but she and their unborn child died of typhoid fever about a year later. "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.". This garnered nation wide news. Short shot him in the chest, killing him. In all my life as a frontier peace officer, I did not know a really proficient gunfighter who had anything but contempt for the gun-fanner, or the man who literally shot from the hip[15], The image of a Wild West filled with countless gunfights was a myth generated primarily by dime-novel authors in the late 19th century. In Western films and books, young toughs often challenge experienced gunmen with the hopes of building a reputation, but this rarely happened in real life. But Billy rushes his shot and misses.". In a relatively short life, famed outlaw and gunslinger John Wesley Hardin established himself as easily the most bloodthirsty figure of the Old West, and is credited with the deaths of no less than 42 people. [79] Another well-known video game Western protagonist is John Marston from Red Dead Redemption, who was nominated for 2010 Spike's Video Game Awards, as well as his friend Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: John Donovan WebBass Reeves (1838-1910) was a famous Old West lawman. Allison died in 1887 when he broke his neck after falling from a wagon. John Wesley Hardin was born in 1853, in Texas, to James Gibson Gip Hardin and Mary Elizabeth Dixson. [30], The image of two gunslingers with violent reputations squaring off in a street is a Hollywood invention. The first story of the shootout was detailed in an article in Harper's Magazine in 1867 and became a staple of the gunslinger legend. [citation needed], Usually, when a gunman was hired by a town as town marshal, they received the full support of the townspeople until order was restored, at which point the town would tactfully indicate it was time for a change to a less dangerous lawman who relied more on respect than fear to enforce the law. Hickok has the distinction of being one of the few gunfighters to ever participate in a real Western-style quick-draw duel, when he killed a man named Davis Tutt, Jr. over a dispute concerning gambling debts. In 1858, he became a constable in Monticello Township, and several years later he joined the Russell, Waddell & Majors Freight Company, the owners of the Pony Express. back shootin murders who were to scared to face there target definitely shouldnt make any list except for top ten p#$$?$ my opinion sure someone can argue my point but challenge u drop a hammer with lead flying at you and be steady and unflinching enough to fire one round and groundcheck your opponent thats where you weed out people willing to survive and (sorry for the expression pun or whatever) cowboy up and the people who ether get run over or who shoot you in your sleep unarmed or in the back, Ridiculous not to have Jesse James in the top 3 or 4. [1][10] For instance, the gunfight at the O.K. Tom Horn died by hanging in Cheyenne,Wyoming after the wealthy ranchers of the day deserted him. Breaking into the jail, an angry mob took Miller and two other prisoners to the gallows, where they were hanged. 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. how about Jesse James? [63][64] Even outside of the Western genre, the term 'gunslinger' has been used in modern times to describe someone who is fast and accurate with pistols, either in real life or in other fictional action genres. E otherThere were many gunfighters missing from this list and a good bit of rumors floating about but saying any of these men didnt belong is bull maybe not top ten but when you kill another human in a fight where ether could die and u come out on top your a gunfighter there is two things that happen when u have to draw and take a life ether you look at it as me or them and put no more thought in it or you spend the rest of your life in regret but never felt more than the recoil of my weapon mainly when you have to take a life ether you are numb or scared or a combination of the two but to not back down and meet it head on muzzle to muzzle and come out on top even one or two confirmed you are a gunfighter Alll this info is interesting. It is proven that he participated in single handedly killing over 1132 and gave the United States a tactical advantage unintentionally in its original formation. [1] They rarely took undue risks and usually weighed their options before confronting another well-known gunman. How can you not include the most famous outlaw of all? John King Fisher was born in 1853 in Texas, to Jobe and Lucinda Warren Fisher. Rare are the gunfighters who, like William Sidney "Cap" Light, died accidentally by their own hand. There is a story too, that he could put a coin on the back of his hand, then draw and fire twice before the coin hit the ground. Sam Bass was born on July 21, 1851, in Mitchell, Indiana. [21][25] Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt quarreled over cards and decided to have a gunfight. He's older, and he's probably not going to rush his shot,'" Trimble says. His sarcasm revealed a dangerous man whose violence was controlled and focused through the barrel of a gun. John Ringo was a nobody that shouldn't even be on the same page as Earp or Holliday. smarter and tougher than any of them!!!!!! Buckshot Roberts Last Stand. Millers hanging was in 1909. ), Billy the Kid only killed like four people, Some say 4, Some say 9, and some say 20+ (21 or 22 ish). He was never really considered 'deadly'. They appear on a mission named "Gunfighters", and the player will act as Captain Brad "Hawk" Hawkins from 1st Aviation Regiment. [60] While technically working as lawmen, they were little more than hired guns. After all most of these guys lived over a century ago. 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 came to Dodge first in the spring of 1876 and left or good in fall of 79. The most famous of these was against outlaw Chunk Colbert, whom Allison shot in the head when the other drew his gun on him following a meal they had shared. Still, there is no denying that he was responsible for a great many other killings. Corral, at least in part because he was the only one who was not wounded or killed. [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. Ironically, some modern historians have claimed that on this particular occasion Horn was actually innocent. Dubbed the "Gun that Won the West", it was widely used during the settlement of the American frontier. Fifteen-year-old Samuel Houston Blevins ran out the front door, with his brother's revolver, and yelled "I'll get him." He was known for carrying two pistols in holsters strapped to his chest, which he claimed facilitated the quick draw, and he used them to gun down three more people in various gunfights soon after his flight. In turn, the cowboy called upon 80 of his associates to murder Baca. Henry McCarty, a.k.a. [7], In films, the gunslinger often possesses a nearly superhuman speed and skill with the revolver. Often, a gunfight was spur-of-the-moment, with one drawing his pistol, and the other reacting. It was very interesting and informative. [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. Despite idealistic portrayals in television, movies, and even in history books, very few lawmen/gunfighters could claim their law enforcement role as their only source of employment. Type above and press Enter to search. 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. Men such as these were called gunmen, pistoleers, and shootists; the term gunslinger is only a Hollywood creation. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1894), an estimated 19,000 White men, women, and children were killed while the Indians killed numbered between 30,000 and 45,000 casualties during the American Indian Wars. Frank Loving, who had only a slight scratch on his hand, was immediately taken to jail. Horn was finally caught and hanged in 1901 after being linked to the murder of a 14-year-old boy. Many shootouts involving lawmen were caused by disputes arising from these alternative occupations, rather than the lawman's attempts to enforce the law. [25] The gunfight itself did not actually happen in the corral but in a vacant lot outside of it. Reformed form his years behind bars, Hardin began studying law and even passed the bar, but his old reputation eventually caught up with him. Times but stayed in service until the end of the war most famous outlaw of all charges, claimed. 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