Fisher was known both for his flamboyant style, which saw him wear brightly colored clothes and carry twin ivory-handled pistols, as well as for his propensity for violence. Ben Thompson was a gambler, gunfighter, and sometimes lawman who rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous figures of the Old West. The Long Branch Saloon was then filled with smoke. Blevins refused and tried to close the door. The O.K. And you don't get much more stress than when somebody's shooting at you.". Theres a big difference between a gunfighter and a killer, most of those guys were killers. Doc Holliday was able to speak Latin and French pretty good. 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. He resigned on his own a couple of days later. No business my buddie eyeball?! When the group was broken up by law-enforcement officers, the Kid escaped and shot a gambler in a New Mexico saloon. [13] Ed McGivern dispelled the myth of the inaccuracy of pistol fanning by shooting tight groups while fanning the revolver. He shot a man in the eye in Pisgah on a bet and killed a black man in Leon County, Texas. He killed at least 16 or 17 men and perhaps many, many more. Two-Gun Kid is another comic book gunfighter from Marvel Comics. After hitting one with a branding iron, he supposedly outdrew another and shot him. 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. WebFastest Gun that ever lived Don Hamilton 5.38K subscribers Subscribe 172K 5.4M views 9 years ago Amazing Fast Draw.- Draw and shot in less than 2/100's of a second. [1] In the real world, however, gunmen who relied on flashy tricks and theatrics died quickly, and most gunslingers took a much more practical approach to their weapons. Wyatt Earp should be #03, actually, hes had a rough life as a teamster against raiding parties, comancheros, and outlaws as a teamster, saloon, of course, Marshal. Jim Courtright and Dallas Stoudenmire both killed several men in gunfights both as lawmen and as civilians. In 1870, he joined a group of outlaws raiding ranches in Mexico. Hardin rode with outlaw Frank Polk in Navarro County until Polk was arrested for murder. These guys are all legends for different reasons but lets face it Kid Curry and Jesse James not on this list is a shame. "In the meantime, Billy Clanton gets off the first shot and Frank gets shot in the belly. I truly enjoyed the background information on each man. He ten went to Dodge City for a while. [5], Often, the term has been applied to men who would hire out for contract killings or at a ranch embroiled in a range war where they would earn "fighting wages". Hickhock should be second or first. His sarcasm revealed a dangerous man whose violence was controlled and focused through the barrel of a gun. The group called themselves the Regulators, but soon it gained its own reputation for violence, and its members were branded as outlaws. 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. In 1871, Hardin was arrested for the murder of Texas marshal Laban John Hoffman, but he escaped after killing another police officer, Jim Smalley. [8] They are depicted as similar to a knight-errant, wandering from place to place with no particular direction, often facing curious and hostile enemies, while saving individuals or communities from those enemies in terms of chivalry. 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). 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. Its alot easier to kill 50 in 10 years than it is to kill 11 in one fight. 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. His father was an ardent abolitionist, and their home may have been a stopping point on the Underground Railroad. But when his gun bumped the table as he drew, Allison reacted by shooting Colbert in the head. Allison fought in the Civil War, but was discharged after a blow to the head started causing erratic behavior in him. After his troops took down the remaining outlaw, Patton tied the three dead men to the hood of his touring car and drove the bodies back to his commanding officer. They drew their pistols at close range, and Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. Dr. Bolivar managed to get his six-shooter out and fire twice at the highwaymen before he dropped, badly wounded. [39] Richardson had developed some affection for Loving's wife Mattie, and the two began to argue about her. Corral, with a bunch of men unloading at each other all at once, than a mano-a-mano showdown in the middle of town. Bill Longley and Tom Horn were executed. Straight out of For A Few Dollars More ha! Corral in 1881. While there he left for periods while he went to Deadwood and another time to Texas. Miller and the others were in the city jail not a prison. Biographics History, One Life at a Time. The two last attackers were the men who had been wounded in a previous bandit raid. Fifteen-year-old Samuel Houston Blevins ran out the front door, with his brother's revolver, and yelled "I'll get him." [7], In films, the gunslinger often possesses a nearly superhuman speed and skill with the revolver. In June 1887 Old Man Blevins disappeared, presumably killed by the Tewksbury faction of the Pleasant Valley War. No Orrin Porter Rockwell on a top ten list of gun fighters? Gunslingers usually gave each other a wide berth, and it was uncommon for two well-known gunslingers to face off. the OK Corral. 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. [1], Another classic bit of cinema that is largely a myth is the showdown at high noon, where two well-matched gunslingers agree to meet for a climactic formal duel. The last was debunked by Mythbusters as an impossibility, as unjacketed bullets tend to shatter into fragments that can hurt or even kill. The mob formed in front of the Free Masons hall and walked to the jail two blocks away. WebBass Reeves (1838-1910) was a famous Old West lawman. I like the psychoanalytical approach which takes intellect clearly Garrett was smart if indeed he wrote this book (or even had it ghosted). Though, in the end that doesn't register a smudge on Earp's reputation as the quintessential American gunfighter. The following are ten of the most famousand downright deadlyof these Old West gunslingers. [70], Jonah Hex, from DC Comics, is a ruthless bounty hunter bound by a personal code of honor to protect and avenge the innocent. What other gunslingers did we not mention? [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. WebJames Miller Hired Killer of the Old West. Wyatt Earp searched for Ike Clanton in his vendetta, but never found him Ike moved north to Apache County to continue rustling cattle and killing. My grand father was one of the mob who drug Miller out of the and hung him. The shootout took less than one minute and made Owens a legend. One of the most legendary figures of the Old West, Wild Bill Hickok was an actor, gambler, lawman, and gunfighter who was regarded as one of the most skilled gunslingers of his day. Years later, I found out that Arness was known to be horribly slow at drawing a gun and was filmed many times before he could "beat" the gunslinger to the draw. ', "When it comes to gunfights, the idea is to stay alive, not necessarily draw fast. But the absolute, without-a-doubt, hands-down, fastest gun in the West? Rare are the gunfighters who, like William Sidney "Cap" Light, died accidentally by their own hand. The hitman Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men shares many elements of a hunted outlaw. "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.". An estimate of 20,000 men in the American West were killed by gunshot between 1866 and 1900,[21] and over 21,586 total casualties during the American Indian Wars from 1850 to 1890. [citation needed], Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off, waiting for one to make the first move. The terms "gunslinger" and "showdown" were unknown in the Wild West. Most of the time, gunfighters would just hide their pistols in their pockets and waistbands. [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. The gunfighter could be a lawman, outlaw, cowboy, or shooting exhibitionist, but was more commonly a hired gun who made a living with his weapons in the Old West. 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. Allison fought for the Confederacy under Captain W. H. Jackson and General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Civil War. But he killed all the way from back east to the west coast. Alll this info is interesting. Tom Horn died by hanging in Cheyenne,Wyoming after the wealthy ranchers of the day deserted him. [9] Some were simply the result of the heat of the moment, while others were longstanding feuds, or between bandits and lawmen. Gordon wanted her to stop working. This was rarely the case. [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. The two fired at the same time, but Hickok's shot hit Tutt in the heart, while Tutt's shot missed. [citation needed], There are no records to support the reputation that Johnny Ringo developed. [54] In other cases, certain gunfighters were possibly confused, over time, with being someone else with a similar name. 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. 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. Behind him is the gun-toting priest named Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who carries with him a heavy machine gun and rocket launcher shaped like a cross. He never cleaned up any town where he served either. Theres more to his biography than meets the iris. 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. He formed a gang, and increased his notoriety after shooting down a gambler in a New Mexico saloon. 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. The most famed gun slinger was actually a slow draw. On February 8, 1887, the two quarreled, and with Bat Masterson at Short's side, Courtright and Short dueled in the street. Because of a dubious identification by two of the Nickell children, and Horns drunken boasts about the murder of young Willie, he was arrested and convicted of murder. [15] Fast-draw artists can be distinguished from other movie cowboys because their guns will often be tied to their thigh. When she told him to leave her alone, he became angry, went outside the saloon, and started shooting out the windows with his pistol. It is widely believed that the name Kid caused his exploits to be attributed to the Sundance Kid (who wasnt much of a gunfighter). 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. Millers hanging was in 1909. After three months, Sheriff Pat Garrett and two deputies shot and killed the Kid at Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881. Hardin was eventually arrested at age 17 for the murder of a Texas City Marshal, but he was able to procure a gun while in jail, and when transferred he killed one of his guards and again went on the lam. William H. Bonney or just Billy the Kid, started his life of crime with petty theft and horse thievery, but is said to have first killed a man at the age of eighteen. Obviously the most well-known Old West figure in history, Bill the Kids life has smarter and tougher than any of them!!!!!! [74][75], Modern-day western gunslingers have also appeared in recent Neo-Westerns. 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. and not everybody really can do that, especially when there's live rounds coming at you," says Marshall Trimble, Arizona's official state historian. 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