Information AboutLuke Short |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LUKE SHORT | |
| 1854 births | |
| short, luke | |
| 1893 deaths | |
| history of the american west | |
| people from fort worth, texas | |
| people from mississippi | |
|
Western frontiersman Luke L. Short ( 1854 - September 8 , 1893 ) was a farmer, cowboy, whiskey peddler, army scout, dispatch rider, gambler and saloon keeper at various times during his four decades of life. Born in Mississippi , Short's family moved to Texas when at the young age of two. As a teenager he left home, rumors say for killing another youth with a pair of scissors, and became a cowboy, working herds north to the Kansas railheads. He travelled to Abilene, Kansas in 1870 and attempted to make a living as a Gambler . In 1876 he arrived in Sidney, Nebraska where he obtained employment as a whiskey peddler. During this time he sold whiskey illegally to Sioux Indians from a trading post far north of Sidney. This was a federal offense. Short later admitted to killing a half dozen inebriated Sioux natives on various occasions during this venture. Despite this record, Short was hired as a scout for the US Army and worked for them from 1878 - 1879 . When this job ended, Short moved to Tombstone, Arizona to try his hand at gambling again. He developed a habit of dressing to the nines, which gave him the reputation of a Dandy . He was still living in Tombstone in 1881 when he was involved in a famous gunfight with Charlie Storms in the Oriental saloon. Short was the faster, firing two shots before his enemy could use his pistol. The fight was at such close quarters that Short's muzzle flash set Charlie's shirt on fire. In 1883 Short settled in Dodge City, Kansas where he purchased a half interest in the Long Branch Saloon. This put him at odds with the mayor of Dodge and his allies who ran him out of town as in an "undesirable." In what became known as the Dodge City War , Luke's friends rallied a formidable force of gunfighters to support him including Bat Masterson , Wyatt Earp , Doc Holliday , and Charlie Bassett . Faced with the threat of force, Short's opponents allowed him to return without a shot being fired. Later that year he sold his interest and moved to Fort Worth, Texas . In Fort Worth Short was involved in another of the most famous historical gunfights. He was gambling at the White Elephant Saloon which was owned by another famous gunfighter, and Short's good friend, Longhair Jim Courtright . When Courtright tried to extort protection money, Short refused and the two drew their pistols. Short fired first, some sources say because Courtright's gun jammed. The bullet blew off Courtright's right thumb, rendering him incapable of firing his Single-action Revolver . As he tried to switch the pistol to his left hand, Short fired several more times killing him. Luke Short died peacefully in bed in Geuda Springs, Kansas on September 8, 1893 . The cause of his death was listed as "dropsy". TRIVIA Featured in the Activision Videogame Gun EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|