American gunfighter (1853-1895). Born the son of a
preacher and named for the
founder of
Methodism, he was an
expert marksman at age 10, won a
knife fight at age 11, and
killed his first man at age 15 -- he was
ambushed by a
plantation hand after Hardin beat him at
wrestling. He shot the man three times and
fled, pursued by three
soldiers. When they caught up to him, he ambushed and killed all three. He was a renowned gunfighter throughout
Texas by the time he was 16.
Despite his
rough reputation, he was well-
educated, served as a
schoolteacher during his teens, and completed a course in Texas
law while he was
on the run from the law.
Hardin followed a fairly
predictable pattern: he'd ride into a town, quickly end up shooting someone, mount his
horse, and ride back out. He worked as a
cowboy occasionally and was an expert
gambler, as well as a
heavy drinker.
Hardin married
Jane Bowen in 1872. Although he spent little time at home, they had three
children together and were devoted to each other. He briefly
surrendered to authorities, hoping to face all the charges against him and become an
honest man, but after he was
accidentally shot in the
leg by a
nervous guard and learned that he was expected to
hang, he sawed through a barred window and
escaped.
On his 21st birthday, he killed a
deputy sheriff who tried to shoot him in the back in
Commanche, Texas -- he escaped from the
posse sent after him, but his
brother, who lived in Commanche, was
lynched by an
angry mob. Texas posted a $4,000
reward for Hardin,
dead or alive.
He lived under the name
J. H. Swain for three years and kept a
low profile, but he was seized on a train in
Florida by the
Texas Rangers and returned to Texas. He
defended himself well in
court -- he was
convicted only of
second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years
hard labor. He spent 16 years in
jail, where he studied law, attempted escapes, led
prison revolts, and wrote
letters daily. He was finally released from
prison in 1894, two years after his
wife had died.
After that, Hardin became a
model citizen. He ran for office and practiced law in
El Paso. In 1895,
John Selman, Sr. entered a bar where Hardin was
gambling, shot him once in the back of the head, then shot him twice more after he had fallen.
Legend says that Selman was acquitted by a
jury on the grounds that killing Hardin was a
public service.
Hardin may have been a
psychopath. He was completely without
remorse for his killings, arguing that he only killed when provoked (though he admitted that he was very easy to
provoke). He was very
loyal to his friends and family, almost entirely
fearless, and respected
bravery -- he once refused to fight
"Wild Bill" Hickock because Hickock had treated him
respectfully.
Research from GURPS Who's Who 2, compiled by Phil Masters, "John Wesley Hardin" by Peter V. Dell'Orto, pp. 92-93.