Wild Bill HIckock
John Wesley Hardin
Old west poker game
John Wesley Hardin, aka “Young Seven Up”, “Little Arkansas”, “Wes Clemmons” and “J. H. Swain”, was a notorious outlaw and
gunfighter who killed his first man at age 15 in 1868 and, according to himself, went on to kill over 40 more by the time he was
sent to prison at age 25. He served 16 years of a 25 year sentence before being pardoned. While in prison he studied law and
after his release managed to pass the Bar exam and took up the occupation of attorney.
During the Reconstruction Era in Texas, just after the Civil War, many folks considered him a hero for standing up to the
Federal Army of occupation and the State Police, many of whom were former slaves. His first victim was a black man and he
went on to kill many more.
Others say he was a cold-blooded murderer who killed more for personal reasons and minor disagreements than any other
cause. He supposedly shot and killed a man for simply snoring too loud. He always had a reason to justify his killing. He once
said, “I never killed a man who didn’t need killin!’”
This book contains the story of his life and escapades in his own words. Read it and judge for yourself.
| Hero or Villain? |
| To Return to Badgley Publishing Click Here |
| To Return to the Historical Collection Click Here |
