Frank Loving
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Frank Loving, sometimes called "Cockeyed" Frank Loving (1860 - April 16th, 1882) was an Old West gambler and gunman. His two known gunfights were two of the better known and well publicized shootouts of the day, although over time they have become obscure.
Loving was born in Jackson County, Missouri, and later moved with his family to Texas, where his father died in the early 1870's. He began making his living as a professional gambler by his late teens, frequenting saloons and eventually landing in Dodge City, Kansas. Once settled in Dodge City, Loving began to frequent the Long Branch Saloon, where he became associated with other well known gamblers, gunmen and lawmen, to include Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Charlie Bassett, John Allen, and with a friendship developing between he and gunman/gambler Levi Richardson. He also became good friends with Long Branch Saloon owner Chalkley Beeson.
Levi Richardson had a tough disposition and was disliked by most, but did get along fairly well with Bat Masterson. He had a reputation as a gunman, despite it being mostly hearsay. In early 1879, Loving quarreled with Richardson, with Loving, who had married, claiming that Richardson was making unwanted and disrespectful advances toward his wife, Mattie Loving. The two threw taunts back and forth for a time, but with nothing more than verbal confrontations until March, when the two became involved in a fist fight on Front Street. After exchanging punches, Richardson exclaimed "I'll blow the guts out of you, you cockeyed son of a bitch". Loving, not being armed, simply turned and walked away.
On April 5th, 1879, Richardson had evidently had enough. He strode into the Long Branch Saloon, specifically looking for Loving. However, Loving was not there at that time. Richardson then settled into a game of poker, and around 9:00pm Loving strode in. Loving took a seat at a long table, at which point Richardson moved over and sat across from him. The two men could be heard talking low to one another, but what was said could not be understood. Suddenly, Richardson said loudly "You wouldn't fight anything you damned son of a bitch", to which Loving said calmly "Try me and see".
Richardson stood and drew his gun, which prompted Loving to do the same. Both men began firing, with Richardson firing five rounds and Loving firing six. When the shooting stopped, Richardson had been shot in the chest, the side, and the arm. Loving was grazed on the hand by one bullet, but otherwise was uninjured. Town Marshal Charlie Bassett quickly responded, having heard the shots, but his Deputy Marshal Duffey arrived first, taking hold of Richardson, just before he crumpled to the floor. No one else in the saloon was injured, and Loving was arrested per standard procedure in such a case. On April 7th, 1879, a coroners inquest ruled the shooting self defense, and Loving was released without charges. The newspaper The Globe later reported "It seemed strange that Loving was not hit, except for a slight scratch on the hand, as the two men were so close together that their pistols almost touched each other". The shootout was dubbed the Long Branch Saloon Gunfight, and although there were numerous gunfights that took place in that saloon, this would be the most well known.
By 1880 Loving had moved on to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he settled in to gamble for a matter of months before moving on to Trinidad, Colorado. There, he quarreled with John Allen, who worked at the Imperial Saloon, and an earlier acquaintance from Dodge City. Allen opened fire on Loving, who returned fire, then Allen fled out the rear door. Loving went in pursuit, but at first was unable to find Allen. John Allen feared Loving, and had gone into hiding inside the Hammond's Hardware Store. When Loving entered the hardware to buy more ammunition, Allen shot and killed him from behind, shooting from a darkened area where Allen had hidden. Town Marshal Jim Masterson responded and arrested Allen, who was later acquitted due to jurors believing that had Loving located Allen he certainly would have killed him. The shootout became known as the Trinidad Gunfight.
