John Wesley Harden at Brenham

The State police had been organized and McAnally had been placed on the force, so on consultation with friends, it was thought best that I should leave Brenham.

Continuing John Wesley Hardin, Gunfighter,
our selection from The Life of John Wesley Hardin – Autobiography (published posthumously)  in 1925. The selection is presented in six easy 5 minute installments. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in John Wesley Hardin, Gunfighter.

Time: 1870-1871
Place: Texas

I went back to Pisga, fixed up my affairs with Aleck Barrickman, started for Brenham on the 20th of January, 1870. I intended to visit my uncle. Bob Hardin, there. About twenty-five miles from Pisga a circus was going on at a place called Horn Hill. One of the circus men had had a row with some of the citizens, resulting in some men being shot. We knew nothing about this and upon getting to town went to a hotel to get a bed. The circus people had all the beds engaged, so we could not get one.

About 10 p.m. we went out to the circus camp fires. It was quite cold and while we were all standing round the fire, I accidently struck the hand of a circus man who was lighting his pipe with a fagot from the fire. I begged his pardon at once and assured him it was a pure accident. He, however, just roared and bellowed and swore he would “smash my nose.” I told him to smash and be damned; that I was a kind of a smasher myself. He said: “You are, are you?” struck me on the nose and started to pull his gun. I pulled mine and fired. He fell with a 45 ball through his head. Barrickman covered the crowd until we could make a truce.

I saddled our horses and we rode off, apparently to the north, but soon changed our course south. We met nobody who knew us, so after Barrickman had ridden with me about sixteen miles he returned back to Pisga and I went on to Brenham by way of Kosse,

I was young then and loved every pretty girl I met, and at Kosse I met one and we got along famously together. I made an engagement to call on her that night and did so. I had not been there long when someone made a row at the door of the house. She got scared and told me it was her sweetheart, and about this time the fellow came in and told me he would kill me if I did not give him $100. I told him to go slow, and not to be in such a hurry; that I only had about $50 or $60 in my pocket, but if he would go with me to the stable I would give him more as I had the money in my saddle pockets. He said he would go, and I, pretending to be scared, started for the stable. He said: ”Give me what you have got first.” I told him all right, and in so doing, dropped some of it on the floor. He stooped down to pick it up and as he was straightening up, I pulled my pistol and fired. The ball struck him between the eyes and he fell over, a dead robber. I stopped long enough to get back most of my money and resumed my journey to Brenham.

I arrived there about the last of January, 1870, and went to Uncle Bob Hardin’s, who was then improving his place. He persuaded me to farm with him and his boys, William, Aaron and Joe. All the money I had I gave to my aunt to keep for me. I thus became a farmer and made a good plough boy and hoer. I would often want to go to Brenham and did go with William or Aaron or Joe. I used to find it hard to get my money from my good aunt. I used to tell her I had to go to town to get me a pair of shoes or a hat and that she could not suit me if she went. On one occasion I won about $60 at roulette and when I brought my aunt the money she wanted to know where I got that money. I told her with a laugh that I had that money all the time. On another occasion Will and I rode our best horses to town and hitched them to the court house fence. When we got through “sporting” and came back for our horses we found them gone. They had evidently been stolen and though we rode a hundred miles or more we never laid eyes on those horses again.

I met a good many well-known characters on those trips to Brenham. I used to gamble a good deal and it was there I got the name of “Young Seven-up.” I met Phil Coe first there in Brenham, that notorious Phil Coe who was afterwards killed in Abilene, Kansas, by “”Wild Bill.” I stayed at my uncle’s until the crops were laid by and though prospects were splendid, the country was getting pretty hot for me. The State police had been organized and McAnally had been placed on the force, so on consultation with friends, it was thought best that I should leave Brenham. I sold out my interest in the crop and again started on my roaming life.

I first went to Evergreen, about 40 miles from Brenham. There were some races there and the town was full of hard characters. Bill Longley and Ben Hinds were there, as was also Jim Brown. In those days they gambled in the open air out in the streets when the weather permitted. Ben Hinds and I commenced playing “seven-up” on a goods box and I won about $30 from him, when I concluded to quit. He got mad and said if I was not a boy he would beat me to death.

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