BIG HOWDY!
Welcome! If you enjoy Western vistas, steamship sounds plying the Missouri, and train whistles blowing across wide prairies, we are excited to share our interests with you. Join us as we forge our way through the myth and magic of the 1800's.
WHAT JOHN WAYNE DIDN'T TELL US: As authors, we love a colorful, unusual "bad boy" to bring conflict to our stories/novels. This is especially true in the historical genre. History has to overcome the stigma of "boring"--hence the need for the "bad boy" to bring life to our writing. Many times, truth IS stranger than fiction and--given a little imaginative flair--can bring history out of the realm of boring into the light of reality and excitement. For the next few weeks, I'd like to highlight some of the Bad Boys of the West.
Jim Courtright1848-1887
Painting by Lea Franklin McCarty
Jim was one of the few gunfighters who was dark-headed and dark eyed. The majority had blue eyes with fair complexions. Long-haired Jim learned to shoot in back of the Iowa barn where he lived during his boyhood. He could fire a single or twin Colts accruately and fast as greased lightning.
There is no doubt that he was ruthless! Jim managed an appointment in the mining town of Lake Valley, NM. It was considered a suicide job because of the murders of the previous lawmen.
Jim wasted no time--he antagonized the top men 'til they drew on him; then methodically cut them down in street fights. He cut one man to pieces by breaking his hands, then his legs--the man pleaded for his life but Jim gave him no quarter.
When the mines petered out and the town folded, Jim couldn't get a job.
Finally, he was forced to hire on as foreman of General Logan's ranch. His job was to catch and kill rustlers. Trouble was, when Jim got to shooting he didn't know when to quit--honest homesteaders also fell under his vicious gun-fire. Irate residents pressured the General until he let Jim go and advised him to leave the area pronto!
Moving to Fort Worth, TX, he became a bouncer in saloons and gambling houses; killing under the guise of self-defense. Finally, he opened the Commercial Detective Agency; a front for shaking down gamblers who had to pay up or risk being shot.
Luke Short established himself in his White Elephant Saloon in Fort Worth. When he refused to pay Jim "protection" money, the famous street fight between Courtright and Luke Short took place. It was February, 1887, Luke got off the first shot which tore off Courtright's hammer thumb. Luke blasted him three more times and Jim sank to his knees then fell over on his face in the street. He died in his thirty-ninth year.
The video below is Hollywood's portrayal of the incident--it's about 28 minutes long.
