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where the wild west comes alive
Luke Short
(1854 - September 8, 1893)
Drawing by Richard Florence .
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Born in Mississippi, Luke Short was primarily a gambler and saloon owner. He was,
however, involved in a number of gunfights.
- Luke Short, A Biography of One Of The Old West's Most Colorful Gamblers and Gunfighters by Wayne Short (Devil's Thumb Press - 1996)
- Luke Short was Wayne Short's great uncle and this biography (as one emailer tells me) corrects errors made by earlier biographers.
- Luke Short and his Era by William R. Cox
- A book I have not read.
Luke's early years are hazy. He was a whiskey dealer in Dodge City in 1873 and to the Sioux in 1876 where he killed two indians who became disorderly. In Leadville, CO. a gunfight quickly ended when Luke wounded a man named Brown in the face. Luke roamed here and there. In Tombstone he killed Charlie Storms over a gambling dispute.
Back in Dodge City and co-owner of the Long Branch, Luke fired at one of the city officals after arrests of his saloon girls. Hartman fell and Luke walked away thinking Hartman was killed. Hartman drew his gun and wounded Luke who made haste away.
In Fort Worth, Texas Luke was part owner of another saloon. Long Hair Jim Courtright was running a protection racket of sorts wanting payment for security. Luke balked at this request. The two gunfighters confronted each other. In a confused exchange, Courtright pulled his gun which jammed and Luke pulled his shooting off Courtright's thumb. Jim could not return fire and Short killed him with a bullet through the heart.
In another gambling dispute, Luke was hit in the leg with a shotgun blast, but spun around and returned fire breaking the wrist of the ambusher.
Luke Short died of dropsy in Kansas and is buried in Fort Worth, Texas Oakwood Cemetery.
Books about Luke Short |
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