Who Is Luke Short?

Luke Short is another often overlooked gunman of the old days. He was certainly gutsy, as well as being slick and charming. He was an extremely close friend to Bat Masterson, and had a good relationship with Wyatt Earp as well. He even worked in the same saloon in Tombstone as Bat and Wyatt, in fact killing a man in a gunfight on the sidewalk right outside the saloon doors.

Perhaps he was overshadowed by Doc Holliday; they were both gamblers foremost, and both known for being quick with a gun when someone tried to gain an advantage. But, Doc Holliday was such a sparkplug that he remains at the forefront of gambling western gunmen, so maybe Luke Short just wasn’t saucy enough to make the impression that Doc did.

None the less, Luke Short had an exciting life filled with cattle drives, indian fights, gambling scuffles, and straight up gun duels. He killed his fair share of men, and conducted a lot of business.

The sources of the Luke Short records are from the book Notorious Luke Short, by Parsons and DeMattos, Luke Short and His Era by William Cox, plus several documents and newspapers.

Luke Short Timeline

 

Year

Date

Notes

 

1854	Jan. 22	Born in Polk Co Arkansas
1858		Moved to Texas w/family at 4yo
1859	Late in year	Moved with family to Montegue Co, Tx
1862		First encounter with indians, witnessed fight with father
1869-75		Working primarily as cattle hand; also invested in cotton trades
1869		Involved in his first indian fight; approx. another 30 afterwards
1871		Made cattle drive to Abilene; at same time as J Hardin made cattle drive with Short’s friend as trail boss
1872		In Socorro, NM	Possibly moved from here to Coffeyville
1872		Pulled guns on local miners threatening a lawyer; covered him so he could continue to do his job
1873		Spent the year in Coffeyville, KS
1874		Moved back to Texas
1875		Left Texas, most likely for Nebraska
1875		Delivering cattle to the Souix under contract
1875		Selling whiskey to indians on the North Nebraska border to the indian land of S. Dakota
1876		Now keeping himself in the Black Hills
1876		Shootout w/indians on roadway	Fired back as he escaped attacking indians on roadway
1877		Moved From Black Hills to Ogallala, NB
1877-1878		Unaccounted for officially; Bat & Wyatt include him in Dodge at various times	Unaccounted for officially, could have spent time in Dodge and met Bat and Wyatt
1878	Oct. 6-8	Running dispatches out of Ogallala
1878	Oct. 9-20	Scouting for Thornburg
1878	Fall	Returns to Ogallala
1878	Winter	Possibly in Dodge City for the winter; claims he went to Leadville in ’79, but was done scouting in Oct. of ’78	Bat and Wyatt include him in recounting times in Dodge
1879	June	Recorded as being in Dodge by Wyatt and Bat	Probably here between Ogallala and Leadville
1879		Moved to Leadville, CO, via Denver	Bat claims this was Luke’s introduction to high society gambling life
1879		Opened gmaing establishment in Leadville
1879		Quick gunfight with local gambler bully trying to steal winnings; shot the man in the mouth (Isaac Brown?)
1880		Borrowed a shotgun and went after a stagecoach leaving town; nothing more is known	My suspicion is that he was catching up with someone who had wronged him
1880	Jun.	Moved from Leadville area to Kansas City
1880	Oct. 5	Arrested for three card monte, released 6 days later
1880		Moves from K.C. to Tombstone
1880	Nov.	Goes to work at Oriental
1881	Feb. 25th	Shootout w/Charlie Storms
1881	Late Apr.	Leaves Tombstone
1881	Early May	Spending time in Deming New Mexico
1881	May	Now living in Dodge City; will remain until late 1883
1881		Given position of Faro dealer at Long Branch Saloon
1882	Mar. 19th	Visiting Salida, Co; cheated on a bet, he robbed the winnings at gunpoint
1883	Feb. 6	Luke Short becomes partner in Long Branch Saloons with William Harris
1883	Apr. 28	Luke Short and Spcl. Policeman Louis Hartman exchange shots
1883	Apr. 30	Short arrested for Saturday’s gunfight
1883	May. 1	Short takes east-bound train to Kansas City
1883	May. 10	Visits Governor in Topeka to plead case and ask for assistance
1883	May. 16	Second trip to Topeka for further discussions with Governor Glick
1883	May. 21	Goes to Caldwell KS
1883	Jun. 3	Luke meets Wyatt Earp in Kinsley KS and they ride train to Dodge
1883	Jun. 9	“Dodge City War” is settled and Luke Short is back at Long Branch
1883	Jun. 10	Short, Masterson, Earp, & others pose for famous Dodge City Peace Commision photo
1883	Sep. 10	During trip to Kansas City, involved in group argument that results in guns drawn, no shots fired
1883	Late Sep.	Left Kansas City for tour of Texas and location prospects
1883	Nov. 16	Finalizes business at Long Branch and moves to San Antonio
1884	~Jan.	Makes the move from San Antonio to Fort Worth
1884		Fort Worth is now home to Luke Short for the remainder of his life (1893)
1884	May	Made visit to Dodge
1884	Dec.	Luke becomes partner in ownership of White Elephant Saloon
1885	Jun. 25	Referees boxing match in Weatherford TX
1885	Nov. 3	Pleads guilty to assualt charge, takes place at White Elephant; fined $25
1887	Feb. 7	Sells his interest in the White Elephant to Jake Johnson
1887	Feb. 8	Kills Jim Courtright in gunfight outside of White Elephant and in front of shooting gallery
1887	Mar. 15	Luke Short marries Hattie Buck
1888	Sep.	Luke calls out large-sized local bully in Manhattan; pulls gun in defense
1890	Dec. 23	Gunfight with Charles Wright at Bank Saloon in Fort Worth; both men injured but niether killed
1891	Oct.	Almost shot the wrong man in hotel lobby in Chicago following a fight
1893		Attends Chicago World Fair with wife Hattie
1893	Sep. 8	Dies at Geuda Springs, KS

 

 

Luke Short Conflicts

 

Year

Date

Location

Name

Notes

 

1862		Texas	First encounter with indians, witnessed fight with father
1869			Indian Fight
1869		Texas	Additional indian fights	Report is involvment with 30+ Indian fights. Amount of damage given or sustained completely unknown
1872		Soccorro, NM	Local miners in courtroom	Backed a lawyer threatened by local roughs by drawing guns and covering the man
1876		Black Hills	Shootout w/indians on roadway	Fired back as he escaped attacking indians on roadway, no known deaths or injuries
~1876/77		Nebraska	Claims to have killed 6 indians at various times during his business here	Impressoion is these were attacks at his “ranch” from which he was selling whiskey
1879		Leadville, CO	Shot a gambler in the mouth when they both went for their guns	Possibly named Brown, not confirmed
1880		Leadville, CO	“Robbed” a stage with a borrowed shotgun	My suspicion is that he was catching up with someone who had wronged him
1881	Feb. 25th	Tombstone, AZ	Killed Charlie Storms outside the Oriental Saloon	Went back inside and continued his gaming
1882	Mar. 19th	Salida, CO	Robbed the winning of a racing bet that he had been cheated on
1883	Apr. 28th	Dodge, KS	Shot at Spcl Policeman Louis Hartman when he thought he was about to be attacked	Neither man injured
1885	?	Fort Worth, TX	Charged with Assault, nothing more is knowm, not a sure-thing gunfight	Up to now only information is “Aggrivated Assault” at the White Elephant and subsequently fined $25
1887	Feb. 8th	Forth Worth, TX	Kills Long-Haired Jim Courtright
1888	Early Sep.	Manhattan, NY	Pulls guns on a local tough named Fred May, who then leaves instead of pushing the issue	Could have been elsewhere, but records seem to indicate it was during a Manhattan visit
1890		Fort Wright, TX	Charles Wright shoots Short from behind; Short then wheels around and fires back at Wright	Both men are injured but neither are killed
1891		Chicago, IL	Short pulls his guns on a man he mistakes for being someone he had brawled with earlier	Identities are straightened out and drinks are shared
Total Recorded Conflicts: ~15
Total Recorded Killings: 8 (counting in defense against indians)

 

Who Is Doc Holliday?

Doc Holliday, since the movie Tombstone, has become one of the more recognizable and, dare I say it, hipper of the old west gunfighters. Much is known about his life, and much is not known. He may have killed anywhere from one or two men, to as many as over a dozen. He was certainly quick, as well as brash, and no matter how many men he killed there always seemed to be a pattern of skirmishes wherever he was around, so imagining him to have been in more altercations, rather than fewer, is not a difficult stretch to make.

Many have said that he left Georgia because of a shooting incident, but there is no real fact to support this. Not that he didn’t do the shooting, at lest some sort of gunplay seems certain. It’s most strongly been believed, however, that he left for his health, which could also be, but again, there is no real support to the theory; in fact it’s possible that his tuberculosis wasn’t even manifesting by the time he left Georgia. So, the idea is possible that he left for other reasons. The ideas put forth are an uncomfortable love scenario, the need to work with an established dentist and develop his career, and of course the afore mentioned water hole shooting and the better environment for a soon-to-be “lunger”.

Whatever the reasons, he made his mark on the western frontier once he had settled in, and hopefully this timeline and conflict assessment will help anyone who wants to get a handy overview of the man and his activities. While I start with a more Karen-Tanner-heavy approach, slight edits will be made as I get my Gary Roberts notes worked in.

Who is Dallas Stoudenmire?

Dallas Stoudenmire is, perhaps, the most underrated of all the old west gunfighters. Where as Wyatt Earp was often said to be without fear when facing an opponent, Stoudenmire seemed to thrive on running head first towards gunfire. That may be a little bit of hyperbole, but if so, it isn’t by much. He survived several ambush attempts and never once ducked for cover. Though, he did once avoided ambush by passing out drunk in the saloon and remaining there on floor until the would-be-saboteur gave up and his anger simmered away.

While Billy the Kid was known for the Lincoln County War, or Wyatt and Doc for the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Dallas Stoudenmire had a gunfight known as the 4 dead men in 5 seconds gunfight. On top of that he was quite well known for his skills in detective work. Regarded a genius by some, he was certainly a thinker and possibly even a bit eccentric. But like all old west gunmen, he lived a life of danger that eventually caught up with him. And, like most old west gunmen, he enjoyed drinking to an extent which certainly sped along his demise.