The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-11-24
LUKE SHORT.
The Career of Typical Western
bad Man"
Nine Men Fell Victims to His I'm
erring Aim.


it, like Kentucky, might well have
bean called the dark and bloody
ground. A desperate himself, in the
western accoptation of the word, no
man knew better than he how TO
hold in check the lawless element
which sought to control all things by
means of force. Experience was his
school, and he had taken a full coursein
all the frontier branches, having been
successfully cowboy, cattle owner,
saloon keeper and gambler. But Mas
terson, now dead, Charlie, known as
"Senator" Bassett, Doc Holiday and
others equally well-known we're his
intimates, the first three especially so.
With them he made areputation which
caused him to be feared and respected
by all members of the lawless class.
In February, 1877, Short was pro-
prietor of gambling house on the
main street of Fort Worth, Texas.
Jim Cartwright, terror" with the
record of five killings, had been in his
employ as special officer, but when the
big strike occurred on the Missouri PH-
cific railway he left to take charge of
body of deputies who were hired topro-
tect the company's property from the
strikers. In fight with the strikers
Cartwright and his deputies used
their rifles and killed four of the
strikers. Popular opinion pronounced
this murder, and Cartwright, who
gave the order to fire, was held re-
sponsible for the bloodshed. When
the strike ended he tried to get back
his Job in the White Elephant, but
Short would have no more to do with
him. He then gave it out around
town that he would run Short out of
Fort Worth, and began war on the
gambling house as a preliminary. His
efforts in this direction met with no
success, so he made an attempt to
compromise with Short, but it failed.
The nervy gambler neither feared
nor cared for anything Cartwright
could do to iniure him. This embit-
tered Cartwright and he concluded
to kill Short. To this end he adopted
a ruse. On February Z he called at
the White Elephant and, meeting Jake
johnson, Shorts partner, at the door,
said that he wanted to make up with
Short. Stepping inside, johnson told
this to Short The latter sized the
matter up in its true light, and when
he went out his gun was loosened and
he was ready for Courtwright's game.
"Let's shake, Luke" said Court
wright, raising his right hand from his
hip, where it had been resting. In the
hand he held his revolver, and as he
pulled the trigger Short shot, the bull
let taking off Courtwright's right
thumb and entering his side. Court
wright's bullet went through the win
dow OF the gambling house. Taking
no chances, Short continued to pump
lead into Courtwright's body until he
fell dead in the doorway of shooting
gallery next door to the White Ele-
plant. Short pulled the trigger five
times and four of The bullets were
found in Courtwr1ght's body. Fol-
this killing Short was again arrested,
but speedily freed, as Cartwright was
shown to be the aggressor.
In 1877 and '78 Luke Short settled
in Dakota. In camp there one night
he was dealing Spanish monte in a
gambling house, when two noted horse
thieves went against the game anG
dropped oil they had. They then de
manded the return of their money
and being refused pulled their guns
Short was too quick for them, anC
when they were picked up from under
the tables both men were dead with
two of Shorts 45-caliber bullets il
7 theii bodies. Neither one was giveI
time to pull a trigger. Later, in the
same region, Short killed two othc
men of the same character, who trie,
to raid his gambling house. This mad
nine in all