The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-15
SNORED AND WAS SHOT.
He Was John Wesley Hnrdin's First
Victim.

From the New York Press.
Ell Paso, Tex, March John Wesley
Hardin was cut out by his family for a.
preacher, but his name was the only min
isterial suggestion about him. For years
he was at the top Of his class in the South
west. and his fellows were bad men, sec
ond only in desperado's ability to himself.
Jack Sellman killed him last August in
spite of the shirt of mail which covered
his heart. When undressed by the IN
dertaker the scars of ten bullets and
two knife wounds were barred. His record
was sixteen dead men, not including ne
groes, who didn't count.
John Wesley Hardin-he never was.
spoken OF by any one except in that way
was the son OF Baptist minister, and
was born in Kimball county, Texas, in
1852; Before he was is years old he had
broken away from home and had killed
his man for snoring too loud Hardin
slept on one side a thin partition In a
lodging house, and the man who snored
awakened by the noise, located the pre-
else point where the sleeper lay, fired
through the partition, killing his man
and then turned over again and slept
quietly until morning.
Then, at the age of II. he allied himself
with the Taylor brothers in the famous
Taylor-Sutton feud. which originated in
1868 in Dewitt county with the killing Of
old man Sutton by the Taylors. The
counties of Comanche, Dewitt and Con-
zales were the stamping grounds of the
two factions. and the feud lasted from
1000 10 lof4 IN INdL Time no fewer imam
forty men were killed. and Hardin, it is
said, killed in hand-tO-hand conflict six
teen of this number. The two factions
were divided into three gangs-one for
each county. The worst fighting was done
in Comanche county, and Hardin had
charge of the Taylor forces in that coun-
ty From 1874 to 1875 Hardin and his gang
made attacks upon the town of Comanche
almost every night, when they would
shoot it up This shooting it up" con-
sists of riding break-neck through town
shooting into bar-rooms, houses and at
every one who shows his head. 1t used to-
be popular pastime, but it has fallen
much into diSrepute except in very select
little towns in New Mexico and in Ari-
iona. In the fall of 1874 Hardin killed
deputy sheriff who tried to arrest him
and then he went to Florida, where he
worked as a quiet farm hand under the
name of Sloane: In 1876 he was recegniz-
ed and captured, brought back to Texas.
put on trial and sent to the penitentiary
at Austin for twenty-five years. In 1894 he
was pardoned by Gov. Hogg. He at once
went to PecoS City and was mixed up in
the Frazer Miller rows, and when Miller
was arrested he came here and defended
him, having studied law while he was in
prison. He was shot by constable in Au-
gust.
The terror in which Hardin was held was
exempliied in 1873 when his brother, JOS
eph was lynched by the people of CO.
manche simply because he was John Wes-
ley Hardin's brother.
Shortly before his capture young man
and a young woman were walking through
the streets of Guerro They were engaged
to be married. and the event was to take
place in few weeks. During their walk
they met a noted bully of the place, who.
after passing Them turned, and, without
a word between them, shot the man. The
brother of the dead man got down his
shotgun and went looking for the bully.
Hardin met him.
You'll have no chance" Hardin said to
the avenger, hell have the drop on you
The young man was reckless and deter
mined.
"Tll just go along to see that there's fair
play said Hardin.
At this moment the young man caugnt
sight of the desperate across the narrow
street, pulled the trigger the gun missed
fire and the bully had him covered
you've got. just two minutes to say
your prayers he grinned Hardin was IN
the shadow Before the two minutes were
up Hardin had fired and the desperate
was dead. That was one of Hardin's Few
Finally things got too hot for Hardin.
Large rewards were out for him, ana ne
A shrewd, painstaking Texas detective
got on his track in this way Old man
Hardin had ranch near San Antonio,
ranch. In the course of time he became
friendly with the father. Five months
had passed when one day old Hardln, re-
marked that he had a letter to mail. me
detective said he'd ride over to the post
Office with him. He did so, and at luS
postoff1ec he saw the address that the e ola
man wrote on the envelope. In rev
days he remarked that he had business IN
st. Louis, departed without raising the
leaSI suspicion IN the old man, Hluu eh-,
instead of going to St. Louis, landed IN
Florida. He found John Wesley Hardlh
working for a farmer in an obscure place
in the interior, working like good, ue
cent, Industrious farm hand. He Learned
from the agent at the railroad stalloa
station up the road to call on a young
woman. He waited until the next Satur77
day. and then. with other men, all Wen ven
armed, he went to this other station anu
arrested John Wesley Hardin, who 1ousn5I
like wildcat, handcuffed him anu
brought him back to Texas. ,.,
In facial appearances Hardin looked me
a rattlesnalxe. He was short, stocky anu
active and possessed of great strength;
His face was broad. his eyes small anu
pig-like, with the peculiar glitter OF the
rattlesnake. He looked more ike g coyoss
lean that he was.