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.
Handy With A Gun...! 