John Wesley Hardin 125 Years -- August 19, 1895

 

Daily Ardmorite, 20-August-1895

John Wesley Hardin, one of the last old-time outlaws in the West, was shot dead 125 years ago today, on 19-August-1895. Bass Outlaw was a former Texas Ranger. Heck of a name. 

JOHN WESLEY HARDIN

Killed Monday Night at El Paso, Texas.

Died with His Boots on in True

Desperado Style.

El Paso, Tex., Aug. 19. -Tonight at 11 o'clock John Wesley Hardin, the terror of the border, was shot and killed in the Acme saloon, this city, by Constable John Sellman. Sellman's son, on the police force, arrested a female friend of Hardin's a few nights ago and this afternoon Hardin threatened to run Sellman out of town.

At 11 o'clock tonight Sellman walked into the Acme with a friend, and Hardin was standing at the bar shaking dice with some friends. When he saw Sellman he whirled around and threw his hand to his hip pocket. In an instant Sellman's gun was out and a ball went crashing through Hardin's brain, and while he was falling Sellman pumped two more balls from his 44 into the man's body and then walked out and surrendered himself.

Hardin had in his life time killed nine men and served eight years in prison for one of his murders. While in prison at Huntsville he studied law and was admitted to the bar on his release from prison nearly two years ago. Several months ago he held up a faro game in this city. Sellman, the slayer of Hardin, is the officer who killed the noted Bass Outlaw in this city a year ago.