Luke Short
| Luke L. Short | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 22, 1854 Polk County, Arkansas |
| Died | September 8, 1893 (aged 39) Geuda Springs, Kansas, United States |
| Cause of death | Bright's disease |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Gambler, saloon owner, gunfighter, Army scout, boxing promoter |
| Spouse(s) | Hattie Buck |
| Parent(s) | Josiah Washington Short and Hetty Brumley |
Luke L. Short (January 22, 1854 – September 8, 1893) was an American Old West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter and saloon owner. He survived three gunfights, one against Charlie Storms in Tombstone, Arizona Territory and two in Fort Worth, Texas against Jim Courtright and Charles Wright. Short also had business interests in three of the most well-known saloons in the Old West: the Oriental in Tombstone, the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, and the White Elephant in Fort Worth.
Luke Short was born in Polk County, Arkansas on January 22, 1854. He was the fifth child of Josiah Washington Short (February 2, 1812 – February 8, 1890) and his wife Hetty Brumley (February 2, 1826 – November 30, 1908). Short had nine siblings. Martha Frances, John Pleasant, Josiah, Jr., Young P., Mary Catherine and Henry Jenkins Short were all born in Polk County. The family soon moved to Montague County, Texas, where Josiah and Hetty had three more children: George Washington, Belle Nannie, and William B. Short.
In 1869, at age 15, Short started work as a cowboy, which he continued through 1875 and during which he made several trips to the Kansas railheads. In an interview later in his life, Short told researcher George H. Morrison that he moved to the Black Hills in 1876 and to Ogallala, Nebraska the next year. Short was reported, possibly beginning in a 1907 magazine article by Bat Masterson, to have killed six drunk Sioux Indians at various times. Later writers have relied on Masterson's story as truthful and added to it, but no documentation of these killings has been found. From October 6 to 8, 1878, Short worked as a dispatch courier from Ogallala for Major Thomas Tipton Thornburgh; Short earned $30 (about $740 in 2016). He then served as a civilian scout for Thornburgh through October 20. He enlisted at Sidney, Nebraska to be paid $100 a month (around $2480 today). However, he only served for 12 days and was paid a total of $40.
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