John Wesley Hardin's Final Stand (Part 4)

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

Education, History

4.8 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2024

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

John Wesley Hardin killed his first man at the age of 15, and for the next decade, he would continue to kill. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it’s estimated that anywhere from twenty to forty men fell before Hardin’s guns, making him one of the deadliest shootists of the Old West. Then, at the age of 25, Hardin went to prison. After numerous attempts at escape and several lashings, Wes finally settled down and became a model inmate. And, upon his eventual release, Hardin truly seemed to be a changed man. Believe it or not, he would even receive a license to practice law and begin working as an attorney. But how long would this last? Would Hardin continue to walk the straight and narrow in the rowdy border town of El Paso, or would he return to his old vices? And what about those rumors of indiscretions in prison? Also discussed are John Selman Sr., Jeff Milton, Deputy George Scarborough, Deacon Jim Miller, and Reconstruction Texas. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest John Wesley Hardin | First Blood (Part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/john-wesley-hardin-first-blood/ John Wesley Hardin vs Wild Bill Hickok (Part 2) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/john-wesley-hardin-vs-wild-bill-hickok-part-2/ John Wesley Hardin | Sutton-Taylor Feud - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-sutton-taylor-feud-john-wesley-hardin-part-3/ John Selman Sr | Killer With A Badge - https://www.wildwestextra.com/john-selman-sr-killer-with-a-badge/ John Wesley Hardin by John Wesley Hardin - https://www.amazon.com/Life-John-Wesley-Hardin/dp/1545102228/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1NBYY662EX0R1&keywords=john+wesley+hardin+books&qid=1706053895&sprefix=%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-2 John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas by Leon Metz - https://www.amazon.com/John-Wesley-Hardin-Angel-Texas/dp/0806129956/ref=pd_bxgy_img_d_sccl_1/146-3827527-8314802?pd_rd_w=4V28q&content-id=amzn1.sym.839d7715-b862-4989-8f65-c6f9502d15f9&pf_rd_p=839d7715-b862-4989-8f65-c6f9502d15f9&pf_rd_r=J9AVPF1V2SFTSHHQW493&pd_rd_wg=cmshz&pd_rd_r=b5b6e080-3cb8-4021-8b7a-8d055614deaa&pd_rd_i=0806129956&psc=1 Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/ Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	John Wesley Hardin killed his first man at the age of 15, and for the next decade he continued to kill.
0:07.3	The exact number of victims is unknown, but it's estimated that somewhere between 20 to 40 men fell before Hardin's guns,
0:14.5	making him one of the deadliest shootists of the Old West.
0:18.2	Then at the age of 25, Hardin went to prison.
0:22.9	After numerous attempts at escape,
0:28.8	and several lashings, he finally settled down and became a model inmate. And upon his release,
0:33.7	Hardin truly seemed to be a changed man. Hell, believe it or not, he would even receive a license to practice law and began working as an attorney. But how long would this last?
0:38.9	Would Hardin continue to walk the straight and narrow in the rowdy border town of El Paso?
0:43.5	Or would he return to his old vices?
0:46.0	And what about those rumors of his, well, let's just say indiscretions while behind bars?
0:52.0	My name's Josh and you're listening to the Wild West extravaganza.
1:07.0	Almost immediately upon arriving at the Huntsville State Penitentiary, John Wesley Hardin began planning his escape.
1:13.8	As luck would have it, he was assigned to work in the Wilwright Shop, just a mere 75 yards from the prison armory.
1:20.6	He and a few other inmates would have to tunnel their way across, but once inside they'd gain access to the firearms, and, if need be, blast their way out.
1:29.6	And it damn near worked. Within just a month and a half, the tunnel was almost complete, but unfortunately
1:34.8	for Hardin, another inmate squealed, so instead of gaining his freedom, he just got several
1:39.8	days in solitaire. Not long thereafter, Wes would somehow get his hands on duplicate keys to nearly
1:45.9	every lock in the prison, including the main gate. Your guess is as good as mine as to how this
1:51.1	happened, but I think it's safe to say that Hardin was nothing if not determined. What in the
1:56.0	cards, though? He got snitched on again, just like before, and this time, in addition to a good long stay in
2:01.7	Solitaire, Wes also received 39 lashes. Quote, my sides and back were beaten into a jelly,
2:08.3	and still quivering and bleeding they made me walk in the snow across to another building,
	...

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