John Wesley Hardin, Texas Gunfighter

Here's an old book I never saw before: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Gunfighter. But it was at one of the thrift stores I go to. And since books are so cheap there -- a quarter -- I thought I'd get it.

I know the Bob Dylan album, which has "Harding" with a G.

'He was a friend to the poor, he traveled with a gun in every hand, and he was never known to hurt an honest man. No one could track him down, and he was never known to make a foolish move.'

The book is a short one, 127 pages, and a fast read. It was written by Lee Floren, published by Macfadden Books in 1962. It says it was a Macfadden original book, not published anywhere else before. And the original price was 35 cents. So, getting it where I got it, that was only a dime less than original. But if it had been at Goodwill, it would've been 50 cents. So, that's a savings! But 35 cents in 1962 was of course not 35 cents now.

The book plots the movements of John, usually called Wes Hardin. He's a kid who gets in a fight with a guy -- Mage -- then Mage later attacks him and Wes kills him. Getting away from that whole situation, he needs to kill a few other guys. Then he kills some other guys. Pretty soon he kills some other guys. Then he needs to kill some others. By the time he gets done killing, I've lost track of how many it was, but the cover says, "Murderer of forty men." Whether any of those were "honest men" who were killed, I suppose it depends on who you ask.

There's a big moment when Wes is in Abilene, Kansas, and Wild Bill Hickok is the marshal there. Wes gets away with plenty -- tons -- and eventually is able to make Wild Bill back down -- called "back watering" -- and he rides away free. The book gives the story of Wes' family, a minister father, a lawyer brother, and the comings and goings of their outlaw son/brother.

There's $800 on his head, but for some reason, no one can ever get him. He's off then for a while to Florida, with an assumed name, with his wife. Then in Louisiana. Finally back in Texas, and he is caught and sent to prison. This is a good section, as he tries to escape, then has to be punished. It looks like he had the mind to drown rather than submit, when they have him in a big thing of water to torture him, and he gets out of that. He studies to be a lawyer, and he's a minister for a while.

Toward the end he's over at El Paso -- there originally on a legal case -- then gets killed by being shot in the back of his head.

It's a quick read, like I said. It marches right along and has lots of interesting things. It wasn't written for the kiddie market, since it mentions Wes' experiences with prostitutes and madams a few times, their "crib" over the saloon.

What it really makes me wonder about is how a guy could get away -- and keep getting away. It seems like all the Rangers in Texas. All the authorities. Somehow they'd be able to put the clamps on this one single guy. But, hey, I also wonder how Robin Hood could manage to elude the Sheriff of Nottingham. It can't be that hard to do: use a laser gun, a 30-ought-6, a cruise missile, something, and you can bring down these elusive outlaws!