John Wesley Hardin
| John Wesley Hardin | |
|---|---|
This ferrotype photograph is a mirror image of John Wesley Hardin.
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| Born |
May 26, 1853 Bonham, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1895 (aged 42) El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Occupation | gambling/card sharp, cowboy, cattle rustler, lawyer |
| Known for | very young outlaw and prolific gunfighter |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Parent(s) | James Gibson "Gip" Hardin Mary Elizabeth Dixson |
John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American, Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. From an early age, Hardin often got himself into trouble with the law. Pursued by lawmen for most of his life, he was finally sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder in 1877. When he was sentenced, Hardin claimed to have killed 42 men but newspapers of the day attributed only 27 murders to him. While in prison, Hardin wrote a biased autobiography and studied law. He was released in 1894. In August 1895, Hardin was shot to death by Constable John Selman Sr. in an El Paso saloon.
Hardin was born in 1853 near Bonham, Texas, to a Methodist preacher and circuit rider, James "Gip" Hardin, and Mary Elizabeth Dixson. He was named after John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist denomination of the Christian church. In his autobiography, Hardin described his mother as "blond, highly cultured... [while] charity predominated in her disposition." Hardin's father traveled over much of central Texas on his preaching circuit until he and his family settled in Sumpter in Trinity County, Texas in 1859. There, Joseph Hardin established and taught at the school that John Hardin and his siblings attended. Hardin was the second surviving son of ten children.
While in prison later in life, Hardin wrote in his autobiography which is the source for many stories about him. However, he was well known for wildly exaggerating or completely making up stories about his life. In several of his stories, he claimed to have been involved in events which cannot be confirmed. For example, Hardin wrote that he was first exposed to violence in 1861 when he saw a man named Turner Evans stabbed by John Ruff. Evans died of his injuries and Ruff was jailed. Hardin wrote, "...Readers you see what drink and passion will do. If you wish to be successful in life, be temperate and control your passions; if you don't, ruin and death is the result."
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