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Famous American Gamblers
John Wesley Hardin
Old West outlaw and gunslinger John Wesley Hardin was born May 26, 1853, in Bonham, Texas. Rumored to be so mean he once shot a man for snoring, Hardin was shot to death in El Paso on August 19, 1895, by a man he had hired to kill someone else.
Hardin was the epitome of the western gun fighter. In terms of speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, there was probably no one better. He led a life of hatred, murder, and constant fear of being captured. Throughout his 7 years of gun fighting, he is attributed with at least 41 killings. The first 31 killings did not concern most people because the kind of people that had been killed may have had it coming to them. That all changed when former Texas Ranger Charlie Webb was gunned down.
Soon Hardin turned to gambling. During the late evening of August 19, 1895, Hardin entered the Acme Saloon at the northwest corner of San Antonio and Mesa streets. He picked up the dice, rolled them down the bar, turned to a grocer and said, "Brown, you have four sixes to beat." At that instant, Constable John Selman stepped through the door, fired four quick shots, and Hardin was history. Eye witnesses say Hardin even drew as he fell dead to the floor.
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