Gunslinger

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This article is about the Old West profession or avocation. For the Stephen King book, see The Gunslinger.
Gunslinger from "The Great Train Robbery"
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Gunslinger from "The Great Train Robbery"

Gunslinger, also gunfighter, is a name given to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.

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[edit] Origin of the term

According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang the word was first used in the 1928 novel Whispering Range by Haycox. It was soon adopted by other western writers such as Zane Grey and became common usage. In his introduction to The Shootist author Glendon Swarthout says that gunslinger and gunfighter are modern terms and that the more authentic terms for the period would have been gunman, pistoleer, or shootist. While Swarthout seems to have been correct about gunslinger we know that Bat Masterson used the term gunfighter in the newspaper articles he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws he had known.

[edit] Use of "Gunslinger"

Often the term was applied to men who would hire out for contract killings or at a ranch embroiled in a range war where he would earn "fighting wages." Others, like Billy the Kid, were notorious bandits and still others were lawmen like Pat Garrett and Wyatt Earp. A gunslinger could be an outlaw, a robber or murderer who took advantage of the wilderness of the frontier to hide from, and make periodic raids on, civilized society. The gunfighter could also be an agent of justice, sometimes a lone avenger, but occasionally a sheriff, whose duty was to face the outlaw and bring — or likelier, personally wreak — justice upon him.

Gunslingers frequently appear, along with cowboys, as stock characters in Western movies and novels. In Western movies, the characters' gun belts were often worn low on the hip and outer thigh, with exposed trigger and grip for a smooth fast draw, shot and reholster. Twirling revolvers was a stylish trademark of gunslingers, and spinning the gun was from time to time a habit. Fast draw artists can be distinguished from other movie cowboys because their guns would often be tied to their leg. Long before holsters were steel lined, they were soft and supple so they could be comfortably worn all day long. These old rigs molded themselves around the wearer and almost became a part of the person using them. Tie-downs were used to keep the pistol from catching on the holster as it was drawn.

[edit] Notoriety, fact vs fiction

Many men of the old west became associated with the term gunfighter. Contrary to popular belief, however, most of those men associated with that term never killed as many men as they were often given credit for. The famous Wyatt Earp was only known to have killed one man in a gunfight prior to the Gunfight at the OK Corral, and that one was surrounded by doubt, many believing the man to have been killed by Jim Masterson. Billy the Kid was given credit for killing twenty-one men in his lifetime, but less than ten are actually known to have been his victims. Although well known as being fast with a gun and having a reputation as being a dangerous man, Johnny Ringo was actually known to have killed less than five men in his lifetime. Bat Masterson was better known as an Indian fighter than a shootist, and is only known with confirmation to have killed one man in a gunfight, whereas his lesser known brother James killed at least three, but received no notoriety. "Doc" Holliday, whose reputation would suggest otherwise, is known with confirmation to have shot and wounded several people, usually while drunk, but there are factual accounts of less than five men actually killed by him during gunfights throughout his entire lifetime, despite his fame. The Sundance Kid, said to have been the fastest gun in the west during his days of riding as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," is never known to have killed anyone prior to the infamous shootout with Bolivian soldiers when he and Butch Cassidy were alleged to have been killed. Bill Hickok, while without a doubt and with historical confirmation did kill better than twenty men during gunfights, is viewed with some skepticism on the claim of his having killed over one hundred men in his lifetime.

It was, then, mostly spread by word of mouth, their reputation rather than actual events that led them to be so infamous as gunfighters. Word would travel, their names would become well known, and with that came fame. As word spread, their exploits would be stretched with each telling. And thus, they became famous as a gunfighter. Often, that word of mouth exposure was their own doing, as they would tell and retell their own exploits. In other cases, upon hearing of a certain exploit they were alleged to have done, they often simply did not comment, knowing it to be false but at the same time relishing in the added notoriety the false story brought them. There were few if any easy ways to verify a claim, and often even newspapers would repeat a claim to fame that was little more than rumor, giving even more credence to whetever that claim might be.

Clay Allison, Dallas Stoudenmire, Kid Curry, Ben Thompson and King Fisher, all lesser known than many others considered gunfighters, actually better fit the definition of a gunman than many of their counterparts, as they were all involved in several documented instances that are normally associated with a gunfighter shootout. In the case of Bill Hickok, he was made a star by Dimestore Novels of his exploits, which often made him appear bigger than life, although most of these were fictional accounts. Pat Garrett, receiving notoriety for being known for his killing of Billy The Kid, committed that killing by ambush with Billy The Kid being unarmed, and although he became known as a gunman and was involved in several shootings, most of these were in the presence of a posse, and he is only known to have taken on one man in what could be dubbed a shootout, in which Garrett killed the man.

In most cases, there would usually be one particular documented and publicized event that would make their reputation. In the case of Wyatt Earp, it was the OK Corral and his infamous vendetta ride afterward, both happening in 1881. For noted gunfighter and gambler Luke Short it was his 1887 shootout with gunfighter and lawman Jim Courtright in Fort Worth, Texas. The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight made lawman Dallas Stoudenmire a legend. For Commodore Perry Owens, it was his single handed 1887 shootout with four members of the Blevins gang in Holbrook, Arizona. With lawman Heck Thomas, it was his 1896 killing of outlaw Bill Doolin. For Billy the Kid, it was the Lincoln County War. Anything before or after those events were only foot-notes in their lives.

[edit] Fact versus fiction, gunfights

Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off, waiting for one to make the first move. This was rarely the case. Often, a gunfight was spur-of-the-moment, with one drawing their pistol, and the other reacting. Often it would develop into a shootout where both men scampered for cover. Other times, one or both were drunk, and missed several normally easy shots. Many times the shootout was little more than one taking advantage of the other looking away at an opportune moment. Regardless of popular folklore, the men who held a noteworthy reputation as a gunfighter were not anxious to match up against another gunman with the same reputation.

On the contrary, in cases where two men held a similar reputation, both reputable gunmen would avoid confrontation with one another whenever possible. They rarely took undue risks, and usually weighed out their options before confronting another well known gunman. This respect for one another is why most famous gunfights were rarely two or more well known gunmen matched up against one another, but rather one notable gunman against a lesser known opponent or opponents. Generally, two well known gunmen coming into contact with one another would result in either the two keeping one another at arms length, but being social, or avoiding one another all together. In cases where one well known gunman was a lawman, and another was merely in town, the one that was visiting would avoid problems, therefore avoiding a confrontation with the known gunman who served as the lawman for the town, in effect avoiding a confrontation that neither wanted in the first place.

How famous gunfighters died is as varied as each man. Many well known gunfighters were so feared by the public because of their reputation, that when they were eventually killed, they died as a result of ambush, rather than going down in a blaze of glory. Others died secluded deaths at either an old age or from illness. While some died exactly how they had lived, killed in gunfights or altercations.

Gunfighters like King Fisher, Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, Billy the Kid, and Bill Hickok all died as a result of an ambush, killed in such a manner by men who feared them due to their reputation. Gunmen like Kid Curry, Jim Courtright, Dallas Stoudenmire and Dave Rudabaugh were in fact killed in raging gun battles, much as often portrayed in films of the era, and usually against more than one opponent. Bill Longley and Tom Horn were executed. Famed gunman Clay Allison died in a wagon accident. On the contrary, gunmen like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Commodore Perry Owens, and Luke Short all died of natural causes, living out the remainder of their lives on reputation only, avoiding conflict in secluded retirement.

[edit] Most famous gunfights of the Old West

Throughout the history of the Old West, countless gunfights occurred on dusty or muddy streets throughout the areas considered to be the west. The most notable and well known gunfights took place in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas. They each varied in what led up to them. Some were simply the result of the heat of the moment, others were the result of long standing feuds, while others were between outlaws and lawmen. There were also various other reasons that resulted in gunfights. Some of these shootouts would become famous, while others simply faded into history with only a few accounts of them left today. Listed below are some of the more notable and remembered gunfights that did receive wide acclaim:

[edit] Gunfighter, outlaw, or lawman? Or all rolled into one

In many cases the term gunfighter was applied to lawmen. Despite Hollywood and at times history painting a more noble picture of these lawman/gunfighters, there are very few instances where lawmen were dubbed gunfighters but were working only as lawmen. Generally, they were either both lawman and gambler, or lawman and business owner/operator, or lawman/outlaw. These very different means of employment, held at the same time, were more often than not the reason for many of their shootouts, rather than their noble enforcement of the law.

It is often difficult to separate lawmen of the Old West from outlaws of the Old West. "Curly" Bill Brocious, always referred to as an outlaw, did serve as a Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Johnny Behan. Tom Horn, in history usually referred to as an assassin, served both as a Deputy Sheriff and as a Pinkerton detective, a job for which he was quite well suited, and in which he killed seventeen men in the line of duty, before going on to kill better than twenty two as a killer for hire. Ben Thompson, best known as a gunfighter and gambler, was a very successful Chief of Police in Austin, Texas. King Fisher had great success as a county Sheriff in Texas. Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid both wore badges as lawmen at least once during their lifetime. "Big" Steve Long served as Deputy Marshal for Laramie, Wyoming, while the entire time committing murders and forced theft of land deeds.

As often was the case, a town with a substantial violent crime rate would often turn to a known gunman as their town Marshal, Chief, or Sheriff, in the hopes that the gunman could stem the violence and bring order. More often than not, this move was successful. These gunmen/lawmen would generally be very effective, and in time the violence would subside, usually after the gunman/lawman had been involved in several shooting incidents, eventually leading to a substantial and well earned fear that kept everyone in line.

The only problem was that once order was restored, what should the town or county do with the gunman that made it happen? In most cases, the town would tactfully indicate it was time for a change to a more politically correct lawman who relied more on respect than fear. In others the gunman would simply become bored as the times changed, and move on without any hints for them to do so. A good example of both these scenarios was the 1882 decision by the El Paso, Texas Town Council to dismiss Town Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire. Stoudenmire entered the council hall and dared them to try and take his guns or his job, at which point they immediately changed their mind, telling him he could keep his job. He resigned on his own a couple of days later. Another example was the dismissal of Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens in Holbrook, Arizona, after which the local County Commission also withheld his last paycheck. Owens entered the county building and forced them to pay him at gun point, and received no resistance when he did so.

In the case of Marshal Jim Courtright, for example, he did clean up the town while serving as town marshal for Fort Worth, Texas. However, it was his habit of strong-arming local businesses in the area into paying him for protection that ultimately led to his fateful gunfight with gunman and saloon owner Luke Short, in which Courtright was killed. The Earp brothers, long dubbed heroes following the Gunfight at the OK Corral, have only recently been painted in a more realistic view as being almost as unsavory as those they fought and defeated. It was, more than their enforcement of the law, their interest in an opposing gambling house business and their habit of using their law enforcement positions to their own advantage that helped spur the ultimate conflict between them and the Clanton gang. Scenarios similar to that were repeated often throughout the old west, and the lines between outlaw, gunfighter and lawman were often very thin.

The main point that is driven home time and time again, is that very often in the Old West the lines between good and bad are not plain to see. Regardless, this in no way diminishes the events that gave fame to gunfighters or certain individuals dubbed gunfighters. They were, without a doubt, men of a different breed. This trait made them men to fear, and with their names becoming better known, each would often be faced with glory seekers, who wished to bolster their own reputation by taking on someone better known. However, it is safe to say that often, it was as much the attitude and personality of these men than their actual exploits that would lead to their overall fame as being a gunfighter.

[edit] List of famous historical gunfighters

While there is historical dispute about the authenticity of the records of most (or all) of these men, they have all had a reputation as dangerous gunfighters. In fiction the term gunslinger has anachronistically been tied to them. Also, it is difficult to separate these gunmen into catagories of lawmen or outlaws, as most of them at one time or another worked as a lawman, even if only briefly wearing the badge.

[edit] List of famous fictional gunfighters

This list is not limited to the fictional characters of the American west. It includes many characters from science fiction westerns as well.

[edit] See also

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