Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-16
A WESTERN BAD MAN.
Luke Short and Some Of His Thrillinx
Frontier Experiences.

Luke Short, who died in Kansas recently,
says the Chicago Herald. has place Of
prominence in the history Of the Kansas
frontier in the days when II. like Kentucky
might well have been called the dark and
bloody ground. A desperate himself. in
the western acceptatidh 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. Ex-
perience was his school. and he had taken
full course in all the frontier branches.
having been successfully cowboy, cattle
owner. saloon keeper and gambler. Bat
Masterson, now dead. Charlie, known as
Senator" Bassett, Doc Holiday and others
equally well known were his intimates.
the first three especially so. With them he
made a reputation which caused him to
be feared and respected by all members
of the lawless class.
In February, 1877, Short was proprietor of
a gambling house on the main street OF
Fort Worth, Texas. Jim Courtwright. a
terror" with the record Of five killings,
bad been in his employ as special officer,
but when the big strike occurred on the
Missouri Pacific railway he left to take
charge of body of deputies who were hired
TO protect the company's property from the
strikers. In fight with the strikers Court
wright and his deputies used their rifles
and killed four of the strikers. Popular
opinion pronounced this murder, and Court
wright, who gave the order to fire. was held
responsible for the bloodshed. When the
strike ended ne tried to get back his job in
the White Elephant. but Short would have
no more to do with him. He then gave 1t
out around town that he would run Short
out Of Fort Worth. and began a war on the
gambling house az a preliminary. His eff
forts In this direction met with no success.
so he made an attempt to compromise with
Short, but II failed.
The nervy gambler neither feared nor
cared for anything Cartwright could do to
injure him. This embttered Courtwright
and he concluded to kill Short. To this end
he adopted ruse. On February 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 Court
wright's game
Lets shake. Luke" said Courtwright
raising his right hand from his hip. where
1T had been resting. In the hand he held his
revolver, and as he pulled the trigger Short
shot. the bullet taking of Courtwright's
right thumb and entering his side Court
wrights bullet went through the window Of
the gambling house. Taking no chances.
Short continued to pump lead into Court
wright's body until he fell dead in the door
way Of a shooting gallery next door to the
White Elephant. Short pulled the trigger
five times and four Of the bullets were
found in Courtwright's body. For this XIII
ing Short was again arrested. but speedily
freed. as Cartwright was shown to be the
aggressOr
In 1877 and IS Luke Short settled in Da-
kota. In a camp there one night he was
dealing Spanish monte in a gambling house
when two noted horse thieves went against
the game and dropped all they had They
then demanded the return of their money
and being refused pulled their guns Short
was too quick for them, and when they were
picked up from under the tables both men
were dead with two Of Shorts 45-caliber
bullets in their bodies. Neither one was
given time to pull a trigger Later in the
same region. Short killed two other men of
the same character who tried to raid his
gambling house This made nine in all.