Outlaw John Wesley Hardin ~ Julie Lence

 Hubby & I married when he was an airman in the Air Force, assigned to Scott AFB in Illinois. Just before the wedding, he secured an apartment for us off base. Two doors down was another young, married couple. They were the 1^st people we met, and the husband introduced himself as, ‘John Wesley Hardin, like the outlaw’. I had never heard of John Wesley Hardin, but Wes and Sonya were wonderful neighbors, so nice and always willing to help. I wish we had kept in touch with them, but through military moves, we lost contact. I always remembered Wes’ introduction of himself and because of that, I introduce you to the John Wesley Hardin, the outlaw.

Born on May 26, 1853 in Bonham, Texas to Methodist preacher James Gibson Hardin and Mary Elizabeth Dixson, John Wesley was named after the founder of the Methodist denomination of the Christian Church. His childhood years, his father traveled the preaching circuit through central Texas before moving the family to Sumpter, where he established and taught school. John Wesley and his siblings attended, and in 1867, John Wesley and another boy engaged in a knife fight. The boy accused Hardin of scrawling a poem on the outside of the schoolhouse about a female classmate. Hardin denied the accusation and the two went at it, resulting in Hardin being expelled from school for having nearly killed the other boy.      

At age 15, John Wesley challenged his uncle’s former slave, Maje, to a wrestling match, which John Wesley won. According to his biography, the following day, Maje (Major Holshousen) ambushed him, to which Hardin shot him five times. He rode for help, hoping to save Maje, but Maje died three days later. With Texas now a Union occupied state, Hardin’s father was of the notion Hardin wouldn’t get a fair trial and told Hardin to go into hiding. He did, and weeks later, lawmen discovered his hiding place. Union soldiers were dispatched to arrest him, and Hardin killed them.

Knowing he would be arrested if he went home, he fell in with outlaw Frank Polk. Polk had killed Tom Brady, and soldiers from Corsicana, Texas were in pursuit of the duo. Polk was captured. Hardin escaped and went on to teach school for a short time in Pisgah, where he claims to have shot out man’s eye to win a bottle of whiskey. Through his own words, the next few years he recounts shooting others, but January 1870, there were plenty of witnesses to a duel between him and Benjamin Bradley. The two were playing cards and Bradley wasn’t happy that Hardin was winning and went looking for Hardin later that night. He drew first and missed. Hardin’s shots hit Bradley in the head and chest.    

January 1871, at 17, Hardin was arrested for the murder of Waco marshal Laban John Hoffman, which he denies doing. While in jail, he states he bought a gun from another prisoner. Later, two Texas lawmen were escorting him back to Waco when he claims he was able to overpower one of them and escape on the lawman’s horse. On the run, Hardin stated three lawmen, Smith, Jones and Davis, caught up with him and arrested him. In Bell County, he killed the trio when they imbibed too much alcohol.  

Jane Bowen Hardin

After these shootings, Hardin moved on to Pilgrim, Texas where he met up with his cousins, the Clements. They talked him into saddling up for a cattle drive to Kansas, convincing him he could make some money. Liking the idea, plus the fact a cattle drive was a good way to escape those pursuing him, he saddled up… and met with more scuffles and killings on the trail to Abilene and afterward. While in Abilene, it’s noted he met up with Wild Bill Hickock and took on the alias Wesley Clemons. By 1872, he was back in central Texas and married Jane Bowen. Jane’s brother, Robert, was a cattle rustler. Hardin moseyed around with him, as well as meeting up with his cousins. August of the same year, John Wesley was wounded in a gambling dispute at Gates Saloon in Trinity. Two buck shots sank into his kidneys and for a long time he thought he wouldn’t live. It was then he decided to settle down and surrendered to Sheriff Reagan from his bed, asking to be tried for his crimes to clear his slate. But Reagan was going to charge him for more crimes than he committed and Hardin escaped from his jail cell, a reward of $100 offered for his capture.

Caught up in a feud between the Suttons and Taylors, thanks in part to his cousins alliance with the Taylors, Hardin admitted to an involvement to the gunning down of two Suttons. He fled to Florida for a spell, then found his way back to his wife and daughter under the name of Swain. Shortly after, he met with his own gang in Comanche, Texas to celebrate his 21^st birthday. While at the saloon, he met up with Sheriff Charles Webb, who, when asked, assured Hardin he was not there to arrest Hardin. Accounts of the meeting between the two suggest that Webb was indeed there to arrest Hardin, that he was reaching in his pocket for the warrant. Hardin’s friends shouted a warning and Hardin killed Webb, with the help of his cousin Bud Dixon and Jim Taylor. Hardin fled. His parents and wife were taken into protective custody, and his brother, Joe, and two cousins were arrested. Later, all three were killed in jail. Hardin parted ways with Taylor, but in 1875, the leader of the Suttons, marshal Rueben Brown, was killed. Historians do not know if Hardin was involved in this, as his bio only mentions Brown twice.  January 20, Governor Richard Hubbard offered a $4,000 reward for Hardin’s arrest.     

Hardin again went to Florida.  From there he was involved in other scuffles until August 24, 1877 when Rangers and local lawmen caught up with him on a train in Pensacola. He was found guilty of killing Webb on June 5, 1878 and sentenced to 25 years in Huntsville Prison. While there, he attempted an unsuccessful escape, was found guilty of other crimes, settled into prison life and became the superintendent of prison Sunday School. He studied law, and became bedridden for two years when an old wound became infected. (In 1892, he was described as 5.9 foot and 160 lbs, with hazel eyes, dark hair, and several scars.) His wife died while he was incarcerated, and Hardin went on to write his autobiography, of which some is overly exaggerated; he liked to fabricate details of his life and the people he shot, of which a lot cannot be proven.

John Selman, Sr. 

At the age of 40, John Wesley was released from prison on February 17, 1894 after serving 17 of his 25 years. He went back to Texas and was pardoned that same year on March 16 and went to live with his children. July 21 he passed the bar and began practicing law. He had a brief marriage to a 15 year old in 1895 then moved to El Paso where lawman John Selman arrested him for brandishing a gun in public. The two engaged in an argument, with Selman’s father, also a gunman, approaching Hardin the afternoon of August 19, 1895. Hardin had words with him, and that night, in the Acme Saloon, while Hardin played dice, the elder Selman entered and shot Hardin in the back of the head, killing him instantly.             

Hardin’s last words were reported to be, ‘Four Sixes to Beat’.

August 27, 1995, a confrontation took place at Hardin’s gravesite. Several of his great-grandchildren wanted him relocated to Nixon, Texas, to be interred next to Jane. The other group, locals from El Paso county, moved to prevent this. Both groups had their own legal support, resulting in a lawsuit ruling in favor of El Paso county.   

Women of Western Television

We all have our heroes from western television; Matt Dillon, Joe Cartwright, and Seth Bullock to name a few. Aiding these swoon-worthy men are heroines who are often over-looked or forgotten after the series has ended. Here are a few I have admired for their spot-on portrayal of women living in the wild west.         

Barbara Stanwyck: Born Ruby Stevens on July 16, 1907 in Brooklyn. Stanwyck is best known for portraying Victoria Barkley on The Big Valley. Barbara played the matriarch of the Barkley family; a strong-willed, compassionate mother who loved her children and ranch dearly. Before taking on the role of Victoria Barkley, Stanwyck appeared in over 80 movies, most notably Stella Dallas and Double Indemnity.  

Stanwyck did not have an easy childhood. At the age of 4, her mother was killed when pushed off of a moving streetcar. Her father couldn’t cope with the loss and left much of her upbringing to her older sister, who was a showgirl. Stanwyck began smoking at 9 years of age, quit school early and made her way into showbiz.  Shortly after changing her name to Barbara Stanwyck, she made her Broadway debut in 1926 playing a chorus girl in The Noose. By 1930, she was married, had bid farewell to Broadway and moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in the movies. Her first 2 films flopped, nearly ruining her career before it really began, but she convinced Frank Capra to give her a role in his production, Ladies of Leisure. The movie gained her the recognition she desired and helped launch her career.

Along with actresses such as Bette Davis, Stanwyck played a hand in redefining the typical roles women played in films. Instead of females in distress or the typical housewife, Stanwyck portrayed women with their own motives and ideals. She never won an Oscar for her work in film, including for her role as seductress and murderess Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity, but she did receive an honorary Oscar in 1982.

As she aged, Stanwyck steered away from film toward television. She appeared on The Jack Benny Program and hosted her own show, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, before taking the role as Victoria Barkley. Stanwyck also appeared on The Thorn Birds for which she won a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Unlike many of the characters she played, she was a social recluse, though she did form a lasting bond with Linda Evans (also from The Big Valley) after Evans’ mother passed away. Stanwyck was married and divorced twice, and passed away in 1990 from congestive heart failure.  

I’ve had the pleasure of watching Ms. Stanwyck in some of her films, but to me she will forever be Victoria Barkley from one of my favorite childhood television shows.

Linda Cristal: Born Marta Victoria Moya Burges on February 2, 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Linda Cristal is best known in the United States for her role as Victoria Buchanan on The High Chaparral, for which she won a Golden Globe award. Victoria was patriarch John Buchanan’s wife. Somewhat strong-willed, she loved her husband and strived for some common ground with her grown stepson.

Cristal was born to a French father and an Italian mother. She lost her parents in 1947 in a road accident. Before coming to the United States, she was a movie star in Mexico and Italy. One of her first roles in the United States was in the movie Comanche. Afterward, she met up with John Wayne, who asked her to asked her to take on the role of Flaca in his movie, The Alamo. Afterward, she went on to co-star with Jimmy Stewart in Two Rode Together.

Cristal appeared in other westerns before briefly retiring in the mid 1960’s to raise her 2 young sons. She was coaxed out of retirement to play Victoria on the High Chaparral in 1967. After the show ended, she appeared in the movie Mr. Majestyk opposite Charles Bronsan before starring in the Argentine television series, Rossé..  At the time of writing this blog, Ms. Cristal is retired and residing in California.  

The High Chaparral was a favorite childhood show. I especially liked the character of Uncle Buck since he was funny and always made me laugh. I will forever remember Cristal as the beautiful Victoria with the pretty clothes who supported her family and fought for peace alongside her husband.     

  

Paula Malcolmson: Born June 1, 1970 in Belfast, North Ireland, Malcolmson played soiled dove, Trixie, on Deadwood. Before landing the role, she appeared in several television shows and movie, including Tombstone as Allie Earp.

   Malcolmson began her acting career in theater. Her 1^st movie role was in 1992’s Another Girl Another Planet. From there was cast in Tombstone and Dunston Checks In. She has appeared on television in The Practice and Ray Donavan, but her most notable role is still Trixie from Deadwood.     

Malcolmson is sometimes known and credited as Paula Williams. She is extremely secretive about her personal life, so much so no one knows for certain if she is married. Rumors have swirled regarding a husband, but since nothing could be proven, her bio lists her as single. Currently, she lives in Los Angeles and will co-star in the revival net year.

I was a huge fan of Deadwood, and Malcolmson in particular. She brought to light the hardships of Trixie’s life as a soiled dove, (and saloon owner Al Swearengen’s girlfriend) but she also gave Trixie strength and heart and soul. Living with a dangerous man, in a dangerous town, she was a strong woman who carefully navigated a path between right and wrong and always championed lawman Sol. Of all the characters who have come and gone through the years, Malcolmson’s Trixie is one of the ones I miss the most.         

Guest Author, Michelle Hughes

Please give a warm welcome to Michelle Hughes, as the Cowboy Kisses Team celebrates the release of her new book, Cowboy Sanctuary.

 Blurb:

Dana Waterfield’s well-organized life gets tipped upside down when the brutal murder of her twin sister Danielle threatens to unravel everything she’s worked so hard to achieve. Having found herself the sole guardian of her sister’s newborn lovechild, Jeremy, and at the receiving end of her ex-brother-in-law’s unchecked rage, Dana flees to the safety of Dixon Ranch and the strong, muscled arms of Brock Dixon.

In order to protect the baby from the wrath of Danielle’s husband and murderer, Dana must blend into the daily routine of ranch life, and rethink who she really is. When the wrath of a madman threatens the life of her nephew and everything she holds dear, will Dana put her trust in Brock or let the winds of change tear her family apart?

Falling for her sister’s lover was never part of the plan, but there’s something about a cowboy that no woman can resist. After all, the safest place to be is in a cowboy’s arms…

Excerpt:

“Brock Dixon?” Her angelic face didn’t fool me for a second. Had the bitch slept with so many men she couldn’t remember the face of a lover? I felt fire seep through my blood. There were three things I held sacred above all others. You never hit a woman. You protected children. You kept your promises. I’d never broken any of those but the first was sure tempting after the way she’d screwed me over.

“What the hell are you doing here, Danielle?” Frank, my foreman, coughed without subtlety, reminding me of my manners. Most times I didn’t mind his fatherly ways, but he’d do well to stay out of this one.

“I’m not who you think I am, but I need to talk to you. Is there someplace private we might go?” she asked.

Was the girl out of her damn mind? Unlike her, I knew exactly who I’d had relations with, and I wasn’t likely to forget this little spitfire in my bed. She’d ridden me like I was one of her horses, and, pissed as I was, it was some of the best sex of my life!

“This is about as private as I plan on getting with the likes of you. Tell me what you got to say, and get the hell off my land.” I didn’t have time for her nonsense, and I sure wasn’t letting her rip me off again. It had taken weeks for my brothers to talk to me after I’d lost the money we’d planned on using to rebuild the barn.

There was something off about her compared to the last time we’d met. She seemed skittish, nothing like the confident whore who’d been turned on by watching the horses breed and demanded a ride for herself. Probably some new trick she’d worked up to screw my life over. When she opened the door to the backseat and came back with a little boy who had my eyes, I felt the world spin out of control. No damn way that bitch had had my baby and kept it hidden all this time. I was so blooming mad I had to turn away. My fists clenched, and I muttered under my breath for Frank to take them into the house. Control was something I needed to find before I talked to this heartless skank again.

“You best come with me, little lady, and let him calm down a bit.” Frank was very courteous. Normally I was too, with a lady in my presence, but Danielle was no lady. There were more than a few choice words I’d call her, lady being the last of them. If that was my kid, though, there was no damn way she was driving off this ranch with him. I knew enough to know he’d be about the right age based on the last time we’d been together. What kind of woman kept a baby away from his daddy? None that I wanted a part of!

When I finally had enough common sense to not strangle her ass, I walked through the front door and saw her sitting at the table with the little boy cradled in her lap. Frank had fixed her a glass of lemonade, and she was cooing to the little critter in her lap like he was the most important thing in the world. Obviously, a ploy, because she’d proved the only thing she cared about was deception. Maybe to her, a hundred grand was like pissing in the wind, but it was more than just the money. The way I saw it, she screwed me to get what she wanted, and I didn’t appreciate being used that way.

I’d found out she was married a few months after she’d left when I’d broken down under my brothers’ demand that I get some form of payment for the breeding service we provided. That was almost a bigger kick in the nuts than being used for a horse! A lot of men didn’t mind adultery, but I’d never considered myself one of them. I’d had my share of women in my bed, so I wasn’t a saint. I’d never knowingly slept with a married woman because it went against what I believed.

What a piece of work! She was the picture of innocence with that little angel bouncing on her leg.

“Is he my kid?” I spoke through gritted teeth and knew the answer before she spoke. He looked just like me, even boasted the same dimple I had in my chin.

“Yes.” Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she was right to be afraid. Not because I’d hurt her, even though I wanted to, but because that kid was never going to be raised by a slut like her.

“Let me hold him.” I wanted to snatch him from her arms and send her out of here as fast as she’d come in, but I wasn’t heartless. The little guy didn’t know me and probably loved his piece of shit momma. She seemed hesitant at first, like I’d hurt such an innocent creature. I wasn’t the monster in this scenario!

Finally she stood, and I took the little chubby guy in my arms. He looked at me curiously, thankfully not screaming at being held by a stranger, then he smiled and my heart was lost. I’d always wanted kids. Hoped one day to find the perfect woman and settle down. “Hey there, little man. You sure are cute.” He was blowing spit bubbles, and I chuckled, which seemed to make him happy.

“Tell me what you want.” My smile disappeared as I looked over at her, and I could feel the distress in the little guy as my body tensed. Making myself relax, I forced a smile and kept my focus on him. He was what mattered now, not this woman who’d stolen almost a year of his life from me.

“I need you to do a paternity test and prove he’s yours.” She spoke softly, and again I was shocked at her humility. Something had happened to this woman since we’d last met, and for a moment I felt my protective instincts kick in. Women were to be cherished, and no matter how horrible a person she was, I couldn’t help but remember my upbringing.

“That’s a given.” I forced my tone to remain calm as I bounced the little guy on my hip. “What’s his name?” I didn’t even know my own kid’s name! I felt the anger building up inside me again and fought to tamper it down.

“Jeremy Collin Stallings.” Of course she’d given him her husband’s last name. That shit would be changing as soon as I proved he was mine. There was no doubt in my mind.

“When is his birthday?” I clenched my teeth as I asked that question. He was my baby boy, and I knew nothing. Nothing!

“January 9, 2015.” In her defense, she’d just told me what I’d asked, but my anger was brimming over to the point that I had to hand him back to her. Going over the dates in my head, it was perfect timing. He was nine months old. I’d missed nine months of my boy’s life!

“You know I’m not letting you take him off this land?” What the hell that meant I was going to do with her, I wasn’t sure of yet. Mothers, even horrible ones, had a right to be around their kid. I knew the court system wasn’t going to be in favor of letting a single man raise him, even in this day and age.

Michelle Hughes

Kindle Scout Winner – Cowboy Sanctuary

Michelle was chosen as a Kindle Scout Winner, for her book, Cowboy Sanctuary.  Prior to being awarded a publishing contract with Kindle Press, she self-published 20+ books. She writes romances with the virgin/alpha male theme in all her works, from paranormal, new adult, erotic, and now contemporary western romance. Prior to a fulltime writing career, she was a country singer/songwriter and a respiratory therapist.  To find out even more about Michelle visit some of her social media links.

Website:     www.authormichellehughes.com

Blog:        www.tearsofcrimson.com

Twitter:     www.twitter.com/MichelleHughes_

Facebook:    www.facebook.com/authormichellehughes

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/bfNTSX

Cowboy Sanctuary Links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Sanctuary-Dixon-Michelle-Hughes-ebook/dp/B01N0MEVH5