3 minute read
Texas History Minute
to the North, supposedly at his father’s behest He later claimed to have shot and killed three Union troops on their way to arrest him as they approached the home However, no military records exist of the incident
The Bent Creek Band
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Dr Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
The violence of the western frontier has alternately fascinated and repelled readers for generations Gunfights between the law, outlaws, and even in-laws have since become tales retold for decades Notorious gunman John Wesley Hardin was one of the bloodiest of all In his short fortytwo years, Hardin killed more than two dozen people across Texas
John Wesley Hardin was the second son of ten children born to a Methodist preacher and his wife Hardin was born in the North Texas community of Bonham in May 1853. His father, Rev. James Hardin, was a circuit rider preacher, having to ride from one church to the next to deliver services on successive Sundays It was a difficult life for a man of faith as well as difficult on the family because of the long distances and sometimes long absences, but the family always had all the necessities
By 1859, the elder Hardin had settled in Sumter in East Texas to establish a school and finally enjoy a quiet life, something that the younger Hardin would make extraordinarily complicated All of his children would eventually attend this school
However, from a young age, Hardin was always in trouble of some kind At the age of nine in 1862, he attempted to run away from home to join the Confederate Army At the age of 14 in 1867, he got into a knife fight at his father’s school, nearly killing a fellow student His father had no choice but to expel him The next year, at age fifteen, he killed for the first time when he shot and killed a former slave named Maje Holshousen following a fight
Following the death of Holshousen, Hardin hid out at his older brother’s house some thirty miles
Other records at the time suggest that a murder may have occurred in the area around that time Because of poor records, conflicting accounts, and Hardin’s own tall tales and exaggerations, his exact record is shrouded in mystery He denied some deaths for which there was considerable evidence but bragged about the deaths of others for which no evidence existed
Regardless, Hardin was on the run again, scrambling from place to place and picking up a variety of jobs for money At one point, he taught school in Navarro County He also traveled with another wanted man briefly before his capture
As he grew older, a mixture of alcohol, a quick temper, and a surly disposition landed him in a series of knife fights and gun fights that left a trail of bodies across Texas He turned to gambling, which only deepened his problems with the law He allegedly shot out the eye of a man to win a bet at the age of 16 In January 1870, he got into another gun fight with a man named Ben Bradley who had accused him of cheating at cards at a local saloon He killed Bradley in the streets of Towash in Hill County; and Bradley’s associate, a man known only as Judge Moore, disappeared shortly afterward Hardin later claimed to have killed Moore Several other fistfights and gunfights followed
In January 1871, he was arrested in Harrison County on four charges of murder and one charge of horse theft One of the charges was allegedly for the murder of Waco Town Marshal L. J. Hoffman As he was being brought from East Texas to Waco for the trial, Hardin escaped, killing a state policeman in the process He was arrested in Bell County some weeks later and killed three more men, escaping once again Before he even turned 18, Hardin had killed at least eight men and possibly more
He found work as a hand on a cattle drive on the Chisolm Trail shortly afterward While Hardin managed to escape authorities in Texas for the time being, he still found himself in gunfights on the way to Kansas Hardin’s deadly career was just starting
Summit Hill pulls final permits
Fifteen building permits were filed with the City of Howe last week which completes the total of 113 lots purchased by LGI Homes in Summit Hill Rex Real Estate brokered the deal which set a record for building permits for
Howe in one year (75 in 2016)
LGI has also constructed a small park on the premises entering the development Negotiations are underway to dedicate the park to the City of Howe
