Many well-known gunfighters were so feared by the public because of their reputation that when they were killed, they died as a result of ambush rather than going down in a "blaze of glory". Johnny Ringo built a reputation as a gunslinger while never taking part in a gunfight or killing unarmed civilians. Richardson then got up and started toward the billiard table, when he fell to the floor with a fatal gunshot in the chest, as well as a shot through the side and another through the right arm. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, video games, and literature. A gunfighter, gambler, showman, and peace officer, Hickok may have killed more than 100 men. Hardin killed for the first time in November of 1868 at the age of 15 years, when he shot a former slave who allegedly attacked him with a stick. Most of the time he did satisfactory at his job. 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. [9] Gunfights could be won by simple distraction or pistols could be emptied as gunmen fought from behind cover without injury. Doc Holliday was able to speak Latin and French pretty good. He killed at least 17 and was credited or at least partially credited with up to 180 from his bushwacking days correct this error or your list is meaningless. He was buried in Alleyton Cemetery in Colorado County, Texas. Colton White was the protagonist of 2005's best-selling western video game Gun. One of the most famous stories about him involves a confrontation he had with a sheriff named Bud Frazer over Millers alleged involvement in the murder of a cattle rancher. WebGunslingers in the 19th century. Although sanctioned by law enforcement officials, the gunmen were not always actually deputized. Allison fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, but was discharged after a blow to the head started causing erratic behavior in him. They drew their pistols at close range, and Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. Bass Outlaw Lawman, Gunfighter, & Texas Ranger. [citation needed], Mythology and folklore often exaggerate the skills of famous gunfighters. [3] Bat Masterson used the term "gunfighter" in the newspaper articles which he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws whom he had known. And in a close-range free-for-all, speed is not all it's cracked up to be. After more problems with the law, Bonney was captured and sentenced to death. Millers hanging was in 1909. That means he's better than Wild Bill, Wyatt Earp, John Wesley Harden (about whom his contemporaries said he "could get out a six-shooter and use it quicker than a WebAnswer (1 of 10): No rifle of the period shot more often or as reliably as did the Winchester some models were capable of holding as many as 16 cartridges, but (I hate to admit) Capt. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws [31], The famous lawman Wyatt Earp gave an account of having participated in a duel once during his vendetta. After the death of his wife, Earp began drinking heavily and drifted around until he joined his brother in Wichita, Kansas, in 1874. A few years later, he re-enlisted and served as a private in Company F, 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment. [citation needed], People relive the Wild West both historically and in popular culture by participating in cowboy action shooting events,[61] where each gunslinger adopts his or her own look representing a character from Western life in the late 1800s, and as part of that character, chooses an alias to go by. Type above and press Enter to search. In eight months Sheriff Owens had rid Apache County of two notorious gangs of rustlers and killers. I agree with Mander. An example of this is "Han shot first", in which Han Solo, a gunfighter-like protagonist in Star Wars, kills his opponent with a subtle, under-the-table draw. The first man had been fatally wounded in the exchange and tried to draw his pistol before Patton killed him with a single shot. 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. He was both more or less friendly and viciously, lethal if tempted. One journalist reckoned that if Munden had Andy Blevins answered with a pistol in hand, the lawman told him to come out, that he had a warrant for arrest. 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. He escaped and killed the men guarding him. In 1865, Hickok and David Tutt had several disagreements, culminating in a shootout in which Hickok killed Tutt with a single bullet from 75 yards away. Gunslingers usually gave each other a wide berth, and it was uncommon for two well-known gunslingers to face off. [37] One of the women who worked there had an ex-boyfriend named Mike Gordon who had just been discharged from the Army. During the dust up there with the Clantons he was deputized for the incident. 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. 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. 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. The most famed gun slinger was actually a slow draw. [21] However, face-to-face fast draw shootouts did occur in the real West. But Billy rushes his shot and misses.". Corral (though it wasnt really in a corral at all), cemented Earps reputation as a [54] In other cases, certain gunfighters were possibly confused, over time, with being someone else with a similar name. [25][38] Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright was running the T.I.C. He was part of the mission to find Geronimo and was present at his surrender. It was very interesting and informative. He would get drunk and shoot unarmed men in bars, but outside of that his reputation is almost entirely myth. Wyatt has been portrayed in a number of films and books as a fearless Western hero. They weren't. [46] Wyatt Earp with his brothers Morgan and Virgil along with Doc Holliday killed three outlaw Cowboys in the Gunfight at the O.K. Hickhock should be second or first. His name which is thoroughly documented to be the most well known identity was John Rambo. It's Hollywood. Jonathan R. Davis shot eleven bandits single-handedly on 19 December 1854. It is still the largest robbery ofany train on theUnion Pacific Railroad. Might as well replace Ringo with Holliday. Ive been in several gunfights, people have no idea how scary it is when your trading rounds with someone trying to kill you. Patton drew his obsolete single-action Colt Peacemaker revolver and shot two of the men. Billys group, called the Regulators, became known for their wanton violence, and were themselves soon regarded as outlaws. He's older, and he's probably not going to rush his shot,'" Trimble says. A gunfighter would use tie-downs to keep his pistol from catching on the holster while drawing. 19 May 2020. One of those killed was an innocent Mexican bystander. Longabaugh was reputed to be the best shot and fastest gunslinger of the Wild Bunch, a group of robbers and rustlers who ranged through the Rocky Mountains He was abused by his father, whichmotivated him to leave home at 16. [9][15] Shooting a pistol with one hand is normally associated with gunslingers,[18] and is also a standard for them of the era to carry two guns and fire ambidextrously. In 1899 the Earps went to Alaska during the Gold Rush and again opened a successful saloon. When he was 15, he attempted to join the Confederacy to fight in the Civil War, but he was discharged when his true age was revealed. Gunslinger and gunfighter historically refers to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and had participated in gunfights and shootouts. 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. John Ringo was a nobody that shouldn't even be on the same page as Earp or Holliday. Some of his time in Dodge he was on the police force there. Jesse James was not a gunfighter. He wasnt an 1800s era guy, so he cant be used here, however, I think his unquestioned expertise on Unlike contemporary peace officers, these lawmen generally pursued other occupations, often earning money as gamblers, business owners, or outlawsas was the case with "Curly" Bill Brocius, who, while always referred to as an outlaw, served as a deputy sheriff under sheriff Johnny Behan. 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. He's rumored to have been in a lot of gunfights, but outside of the OK Corral there's only a few that are actually confirmed by historians. There is more speculation than history in this list. [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. [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. [51] Of the documented instances where Ringo killed men, they were unarmed, and there is no evidence to support his participation in a single gunfight. Doc Holliday only killed one man and that was at the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral. Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, to William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok in Illinois. Owens saw Andy Blevins in the window moving to shoot back. Virgil, Morgan and Holliday were wounded but recovered. No business my buddie eyeball?! 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. Kid Curry killed no less 30 people. how about Jesse James? The gunfight at the O.K. Owens shot through the wall, striking Andy in the right hip he died that night. Reeves was born into [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. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: John Donovan James McDonald died instantly, without time to draw his revolver or react in any way. How can you not include the most famous outlaw of all? That 30-second throwdown, which came to be known as Wyatt Earps daring and apparent recklessness in time of danger is wholly characteristic; personal fear doesnt enter into the equation, and when everything is said and done, I believe he values his own opinion of himself more than that of others, and it is his own good report he seeks to preserve He never at any time in his career resorted to the pistol excepting cases where such a course was absolutely necessary. Famed gunman Clay Allison died in a wagon accident. IGN ranked Jonah Hex the 73rd greatest comic book hero of all time. Fournier, Richard. This story is not true because Laurel arrived the first time in the USA (was english) in 1910 together with Chaplin (born english too) for the first American tour and met Oliver Hardy ten years later. Wyatt warp wasnt even a gunfighter to be honest. Ferd Patterson Living and Dying by the Gun. 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. 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. 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.) Corral, with a bunch of men unloading at each other all at once, than a mano-a-mano showdown in the middle of town. A gunfighter, gambler, showman, and peace officer, Hickok may have killed more than 100 He once told someone that the only times he wasn't nervous was when he was working on teeth or killing somebody. [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. [6], Gunslingers frequently appear as stock characters in Western movies and novels, along with cowboys. He resigned on his own a couple of days later. How embarrassed I was! [59] A case in point: the service of the Jesse Evans Gang, and outlaw Jesse Evans himself, as agents for the Murphy-Dolan faction during the Lincoln County War. ", Wyatt yelled and watched Ike desert his brother Billy and run. [13] Ed McGivern dispelled the myth of the inaccuracy of pistol fanning by shooting tight groups while fanning the revolver. Both claimed to have fired the shot which killed him. Several members of the prosecution and men who had testified against Miller were mysteriously killed. He was involved in several gunfights, mostly just maiming opponents, so he was a gunfighter because he did fight armed opponents. A gunfighter was someone who was good with a gun and willing to use this skill in a dispute, not exactly the best shot in the world like a sniper, but just someone willing to standup and fight a foe. And you don't get much more stress than when somebody's shooting at you.". "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. Henry McCarty, a.k.a. Shotguns were also a popular weapon for "express messengers" and guards, especially those on stagecoaches and trains who were in charge of overseeing and guarding a valuable private shipment. He shot down his assailants, one after another. The captain reacted in an instant. His father, Nicholas Porter Earp, moved the family to Iowa, where Earp spent most of his childhood. [25], In January 1887 Commodore Perry Owens took office as Sheriff of Apache County, Arizona. the OK Corral. Wyatt moved to California and married Josephine Marcus in 1882. [10] How famous gunfighters died is as varied as each man. He was at the time the most fearless man I ever saw, and Satan and all his imps could not scare Wyatt Earp," Richard Codgell, a Wichita clerk, wrote in his memoirs, as detailed in Hornung's book. They are normally masculine persons of integrity and principle courageous, moral, tough, solid, and self-sufficient, maverick characters (often with trusty sidekicks), possessing an independent and honorable attitude (but often characterized as slow-talking). As to Clay Allison, Earp had aleged that he had confronted Allison in Dodge and that Allison had backed down. WebJames Miller Hired Killer of the Old West. Bank robbertom horn was an indian hunter and bounty hunter?? Who can say what is truly accurate here? His mother ran out after him. [78], Gunfighters have also been featured in many video games, both in traditional Old West and in contemporary and future settings. Nolan (1818-54) of Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava fame, observed in 1851: I have been assured that Captain Mini, with the culot ball, hit a mark seven times [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. They arranged to walk toward each other at 6 pm. [57] Ben Thompson, best known as a gunfighter and gambler, was a very successful chief of police in Austin, Texas. Jim Killer Milller ( supposed killer of Pat Garrett), no I dont believe he should be among the ranks. He then spun around and shot the other two, who evidently had not produced weapons and both of whom were merely sitting on the fence the entire time. Wow great info. In fact, the faster draw generally misses, and therefore gets killed.". The result was the gunfight at the O.K. 10 Infamous Deadly Real-Life Gunslingers of the Wild West. Bottom line is nobody can confirm all these guys kills. 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. "Gunslinger" redirects here. Two days later, the coroner's inquest ruled that the killing had been in self-defense and Loving was immediately released. 8. No Kid Curry? He entered the council hall and dared the councilors to try to take his guns or his job, at which point they immediately changed their mind, saying he could keep his job. When the group was broken up by law-enforcement officers, the Kid escaped and shot a gambler in a New Mexico saloon. [32] Writer Wyatt-Brown in his book "Southern Honor: Ethics and Behavior in the Old South" described dueling in the American frontier as a "custom", and was primarily used for teenage disputes, rise in rank, status, and scapegoating. That 30-second throwdown, which came to be known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Wild Bill Hickok should be straight to # 01. Historians believe this event explains some of his shockingly brutal actions. Gunmen Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bass Reeves, Commodore Perry Owens, and Luke Short all died of natural causes, living out their lives on reputation and avoiding conflict in secluded retirement. The two last attackers were the men who had been wounded in a previous bandit raid. Such tropes that are frequently seen in Westerns include shooting the center of a coin, stylistic pistol twirling, glancing shots that intentionally only graze an opponent (the bullet through the hat being an example), shooting an opponent's belt buckle (thus dropping his pants), a bullet cutting the hangman's rope, or shooting the guns out of opponents' hands (typically as an alternative to killing). Bob Munden, the worlds fastest gunslinger, was one of those special few. , 1837, to William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok in Illinois shouted, Let er rip time! Dont believe he should be straight to # 01 have no idea how scary it is still the largest ofany. Pistols at close range, and it was uncommon for two well-known gunslingers to face.. Ringo was a gunfighter, & Texas Ranger and you do n't get much more stress than when somebody shooting... Pretty good Gun slinger was actually a slow draw name which is thoroughly documented to be most! Shooting at you. `` been fatally wounded in the middle of town Mexican bystander other a wide,... F, 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment, than a mano-a-mano showdown in the exchange and tried draw... Bottom line is nobody can confirm all these guys kills wide berth, and 's! Were not always actually deputized he re-enlisted and served as a gunslinger while never taking part in a Mexico... Arranged to walk toward each other at 6 pm for two well-known gunslingers face. Blevins in the right hip he died that night draw his pistol from catching on the same fastest gunslinger in the 1800s Earp! 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