b'HARD CASE: JOHN WESLEY HARDINBy Bill Roberts Reprinted from The TravelerT HE KILLING CAREER OF JOHN WESLEY HARDIN started in 1868 when the Methodist preachers son was 15. It ended when he was 42, in a pool of blood on the floor of the Acme Saloon in El Paso. Hardin was born on May 16, 1853, in Bonham, Texas. He had two brothers and several sisters. His father was a school teacher who practiced law and was a Methodist minister who hoped his son would follow in his footsteps. He even named his son John Wesley after the esteemed Methodist leader.His fathers wish was partially fulfilled. After a youth asJohns uncle calmed everyone down. The next day Mage wasjust 16 years old, had the fastest draw these Texans had a fugitive, John Wesley ended up in prison in Huntsville,still deeply angered. As John rode his horse past Mage, theever seen.Texas, where he educated himself and when released tookbig man yelled Im gonna kill you at the boy and came at up the practice of law in El Paso. All of this came after hehim with a large stick. John had a pistol with him and heA Month Later, Another Notch killed some 40 men from the first killing at age 15 during apulled it, yelling Get back or Ill shoot. Mage kept coming.Hardin and a pal were in Horn Hill, Texas, in January of life as a fugitive filled with gambling and drinking. John shot him three times in the chest. Mage died a few1870. A circus was in town and the two men decided to days later from the wounds. go. Somehow, John Wesley got into a dispute with a circus First Blood man, reportedly over a game of chance. Both men went for The first man to die at the hands of John Wesley was anOn The Lamb their guns. Hardin won the draw and gunned down the ex-slave named Mage. Hardin was visiting his uncle whoThe Reverend James Hardin saw little chance for his son tocircus worker.had a plantation near Moscow. Mage was a burly black manget a fair hearing on the matter in Texas of the time. It was who had a reputation as a wrestler. John and his cousin,during Reconstruction. The Union army was occupyingHe left Horn Hill and rode to Kosse, Texas. There he Barnett Jones, decided to take Mage on and challenged himTexas. 180,000 former slaves were now full citizens ofwent into a saloon to do a little drinking and play cards. to a wrestling match. Mage grinned at the two against onethe United States. Texans were bitter and resentful. TheirHe met a saloon girl and was escorting her home when a challenge from the teens and accepted the challenge. As theeconomy had been devastated by the loss of the Civil Warman jumped from a dark alley and demanded his money. boys scrapped with Mage, John scratched the big mans faceand times were hard. Repression and rebellion filled the air.Hardin obliged, throwing the money on the ground. The badly. Mage was furious at Johns not so sporting tactics andman bent down to pick it up and Hardin drew one pistol threatened to get a gun and kill John. James Hardin advised his son to go into hiding until theputting a single bullet into the thiefs head.matter of Mages death was forgotten. John Wesley fled to a friends farm in Sumpter, Texas. At 15, John Wesley HardinBy now, just about any killing that happened in Texas was became a fugitive on the lamb, and would remain ablamed on John Wesley Hardin, the 17-year-old with the wanted man throughout his teens and twenties. lightning-fast cross draw. Hardin rode into Longview, Texas and two state policemen arrested him for a killing A year later, Hardin would kill again. He was in Towash,he insisted he did not do. The state lawmen shackled him, Texas, in a saloon card game. It was Christmas Day, 1869.tied him on a horse bareback, and set out for Waco with Hardin had become a skilled card player and had wontheir prisoner. On the trail, Hardin drew a hidden gun and many hands when a local tough guy named Jim Bradley,killed one of the lawmen. The other fled. Hardin rode into who had lost heavily in the game, pulled a knife and said,a nearby town and forced a blacksmith to cut the shackles. You win one more hand, kid, and Ill cut your liver out.This was the first but not the last lawman that Hardin Hardin politely excused himself and went to his room.would kill.Recognizing he was a wanted man, Hardin spent much of his time practicing a unique draw that he devised thatCowboy Troublewas exceptionally fast with no wasted motion. Hardin worked as a cowboy at times. One ranch where he worked frequently was the Cohron place. Cohron had In his room, he put his two six-guns into two holstershired a man named Juan Bideno to wrangle cattle but he had sewn into his vest. The butts of the two gunsbecame suspicious of his new hand when he heard Bideno pointed inward across his chest. He had practicedwas tied in with a band of rustlers who were planning to many hours with these guns using a cross draw tosteal Cohrons herd. Cohron accused Bideno of shirking his yank them out of the holsters and level them at anwork. They had words. Bideno threatened the ranch owner, opponent in one swift motion. Now armed, Hardinwho was a close friend of Hardin.went down onto the main street of Towash. Jim Bradley was down the street wearing his gun. He hadA trail drive was started to move the herd. When Cohron been looking for Hardin. and his men drove the herd across the Cottonwood River in Kansas in July of 1871, Cohron again accused Bideno of Bradley spotted Hardin, pulled his gun, and fired.not doing his job. Bideno pulled his gun and killed Cohron. Bradley missed. Hardin crossed his arms in frontHardin was in Abilene when he heard the news. He of his chest, drew both pistols at once in one swiftorganized a small group and hunted down Bideno. Hardin arc, and fired. Dozens of people on the street hadand three men rode hard for 100 miles tracking Bideno. witnessed the lightning-fast manner Hardins gunsFinally, after changing horses at several ranches, Hardin had flipped into his hands and leveled at Bradley.and his men caught up with Bideno in a saloon. The killer Word soon spread that John Wesley Hardin, a kidwas having dinner in the back when Hardin and his men 20 November 2020'