Harvey Kid Curry Logan should be 2nd to Wes Hardin, yet he wasnt even mentioned. Within moments, seven of the bandits were dead or dying on the ground and Davis's pistols were empty. Finally, he shot many more. Thompson was himself killed in 1884, along with gunfighter King Fisher, when friends of Harris ambushed the two and gunned them down while they were watching a performance at an opera house. [citation needed], Known gunmen/lawmen were generally effective, and in time the violence would subside, usually, after the gunman/lawman had been involved in several shooting incidents, eventually leading to a substantial and well-earned fear that kept everyone in line. 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. Yes, by all means King Fisher , definitely top ten, from his statements and other witnesses, an argument between Fisher and four Mexican vaqueros erupted. Doc instantly killed Tom with blasts from his shotgun. 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. That year he opened a dental office in Atlanta. Stoudenmire was shot from behind by James Manning and died instantly. William Pinkerton, whose National Detective Agency had sought to capture Hedgepeth and his gang for years, noted that Hedgepeth once gunned down another outlaw who had already unholstered his pistol before Hedgepath had drawn his revolver. His mother ran out after him. Jonathan R. Davis shot eleven bandits single-handedly on 19 December 1854. [1] The Winchester rifle was also a popular weapon among gunfighters. 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. A sharpshooter when she was still a young woman, she engaged in Haha. This site is not completely correct. Dodge City Marshal Charlie Bassett, who was in Beatty & Kelley's Saloon, heard the shots and came running. A gunfighter, gambler, showman, and peace officer, Hickok may have killed more than 100 men. 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. He once told someone that the only times he wasn't nervous was when he was working on teeth or killing somebody. 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. Haha! This is the Ned Christie posse. The group was eventually broken up by law enforcement, but the Kid managed to elude capture. Type above and press Enter to search. IGN ranked Jonah Hex the 73rd greatest comic book hero of all time. Allison fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, but was discharged after a blow to the head started causing erratic behavior in him. WebCaptain L.E. Theres no question about him being in gunfights and being fast. 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. It's Hollywood. The shootout took less than one minute and made Owens a legend. In Docs profession ( Gambling, In April of 1895, John Selman, Sr. shot Hardin in the back of the head, killing him, after an altercation with Selman Jr. Hardin is buried in El Paso. They moved to Idaho, opened a saloon, and mined for gold. Bob Munden, the worlds fastest gunslinger, was one of those special few. In 1901, Horn got involved in a feud between the Miller and Nickell families in Iron Mountain, Wyoming. [31], The famous lawman Wyatt Earp gave an account of having participated in a duel once during his vendetta. 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 But he killed all the way from back east to the west coast. The two were then heard speaking in low voices. [59] A good example was the 1882 decision by the El Paso, Texas, town council to dismiss Town Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire. Historians believe this event explains some of his shockingly brutal actions. [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. While a deputy in Dodge he and another deputy shot at a retreating criminal. How embarrassed I was! Well, Little Bill never met Bob Munden, the man who the Guinness Book of World Records calls the "Fastest Man with a Gun Who Ever Lived." The group went on a killing spreekilling three people within three days, including a sheriff and a deputy. The Earps weren't really expecting a gunfight. Get Jesse on this list! [9] Some were simply the result of the heat of the moment, while others were longstanding feuds, or between bandits and lawmen. 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. After several years of working as an officer of the law, he moved to Dodge City along with his brother. [49] As city marshal, Virgil made the decision to disarm the Cowboys in Tombstone and requested Wyatt's assistance. 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But the absolute, without-a-doubt, hands-down, fastest gun in the West? The Blevins sons searched for their father and in August Hamp Blevins and another were killed by the Tewksbury side. [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. Where the frack is Mr. dandy Doc Holliday?! Levi Richardson Gunfighting in Dodge City. According to Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp was one of the few men I personally knew in the West in the early days whom I regarded as absolutely destitute of physical fear. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on Oct. 26, 1881. Obviously the most well-known Old West figure in history, Bill the Kids life has Gentleman. Even in unfamiliar territory and time periods, Hex managed to outgun his enemies with more advanced weaponry. Levy aimed carefully and hit Harrison, who died a week later. That 30-second throwdown, which came to be known as the Gunfight at the O.K. No business my buddie eyeball?! "Having said that, there was this sense of a reputation of dangerous men with a gun. The result was the gunfight at the O.K. 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. It lasted only 30 seconds, contrary to many movie adaptations. the old west sounds like it would be a wild time in life. Dubbed the "Gun that Won the West", it was widely used during the settlement of the American frontier. [76] Raylan Givens from the television series Justified shares the same ambiguous moral code of an Old West sheriff, even using a fast draw to dispatch his enemies. Buckshot Roberts Last Stand. Get real. Theres no more iconic scene in Western movies than the good old-fashioned pistol duel, where the lawman and the outlaw meet at high noon to see whos faster on the draw. [22] The most notable and well-known took place in the states/territories of Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. He resigned on his own a couple of days later. Fifteen-year-old Samuel Houston Blevins ran out the front door, with his brother's revolver, and yelled "I'll get him." Together they bought a ranch near the Pecos River. [33], The most famous and well-recorded duel occurred on 21 July 1865, in Springfield, Missouri. 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. [1] They rarely took undue risks and usually weighed their options before confronting another well-known gunman. No Kid Curry? Despite their weakened condition, they foolishly approached Davis with drawn knives. What? 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. He shot down his assailants, one after another. Billy Clanton fired at Virgil, but his shot also went astray when he was hit with Morgan's shot through his ribcage. After all most of these guys lived over a century ago. The two last attackers were the men who had been wounded in a previous bandit raid. Another famous female shooter is Calamity Jane, born Martha Jane Canary in 1852 in Missouri. Because Union soldiers occupied Texas at the time, his father advised him to hide. Ive been in several gunfights, people have no idea how scary it is when your trading rounds with someone trying to kill you. One of those pictured is famed black cowboy Jesse Stahl, whose rodeo riding skills were unparalleled in the 1800s. The list is missing Kid Curry/Harvey Logan. [65][66][67], The quick draw which gunfighters help popularize, is still an important skill in the American military and law enforcement communities. I do find this hard to believe. John Wesley Hardin was born in 1853, in Texas, to James Gibson Gip Hardin and Mary Elizabeth Dixson. Barney Riggs Infamous West Texas Gunfighter. [10], The most important lesson I learned was that the winner of a gunplay usually was the one who took his time. No kidding, most famous gunslingers and outlaws, worked as lawmen, vigilantes, or regulators. Doc was not just a dentist, he was a licensed Oral surgeon. [72], Many Japanese manga and anime have also adopted the western genre. 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 There is no clear evidence that Doc Holiday ever killed anyone before Tom McClaury at the Nothing proved Earp's mettle more than the tumultuous gunfight near the O.K. John was shot in the back of Miller pulled his gun on Frazer, who proceeded to shoot him six times. Although sanctioned by law enforcement officials, the gunmen were not always actually deputized. Twirling pistols, lightning draws, and trick shots are standard fare for the gunmen of the big screen. A gunfighter, gambler, showman, and peace officer, Hickok may have killed more than 100 They drew their pistols at close range, and Short fired first, blowing off Courtright's thumb. After more killings over the next three years, Hardin was captured by the Texas Rangers and sentenced to25 years at Texas State Prison in Huntsville. 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