Synopses & Reviews
In an era and an area notable for badmen and gunslingers, John Wesley Hardin was perhaps the most notorious. Considered by many of his contemporaries to be almost illiterate, he nevertheless left for publication after his death in 1895 this autobiography, which, though biased, is remarkably accurate and readable.
Hardin was born in 1853 in Bonham, Texas, the son of a Methodist preacher. His first brush with the law came at the age of fifteen when he killed a Negro during an altercation typical of the strife-torn Reconstruction era. In the ten years between his first killing in 1868 and his final capture and imprisonment, he killed more than a score of men in personal combat and became the "most wanted" fugitive of his time.
Review
"Whatever the psychological implications, Hardin was one of the fabulous characters of the Old West and his own story, without embellishments, perhaps best portrays the life of the man who has become a legend in the annals of Western outlawry." St. Louis Post Dispatch
Review
"An intimate picture of the Reconstruction era by one who was in the midst of its troubles and had a large role in complicating them. It not only makes exciting reading but is useful for reference on the feuds and cattle wars of Hardins day." Wayne Gard
Review
"Will be welcomed by the growing array of Western enthusiasts who prefer fact to fiction. Editor McCubbin....has provided a good introduction and has appended a section of documents and newspaper stories which, in effect, complete Hardin's unfinished work." ,i>C.L. Sonnichsen