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A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
Parsons, Chuck, Brown, Norman Wayne
- GenresNonfictionHistory
490 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
16 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Parsons
35 books6 followersChuck Parsons loves the Old West in general and Texas history in particular. His main focus of writing and research deals with the outlaws and the lawmen of Texas, especially the Texas Rangers. This has been his first love since sometime in the Junior High School years, in the 1950s. Although Chuck appreciates good novels, such as those written by Elmer Kelton, he concentrates on researching and writing the facts of the Old West.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 17, 2017
A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
Written by: Chuck Parsons , Norman Wayne Brown
Narrated by: Jim Sartor
This book really intrigued me. I knew very little about John Wesley Hardin and boy did this open my eyes. What little I thought I knew was all wrong. He had quite a life! Wow, everytime I read about these characters during the old west and civil war times I am just astounded that any of them lived very long at all the way they acted and behaved! The wounds and injuries that the endured, I am so surprised more didn't die of infection. This book really went deep into the lives of John, his friends, family, places he lived, his crimes, the ones he was accused of, family, and more. Wonderfully detailed. I didn't get lost at all, shock! Easy to understand and follow. I looked up the images of him on the internet and the younger Hardin was quite a looker! Too bad he was such a heartless killer.
This was an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
The narrator was awesome. He made listening to this book a real joy. He was able to do so many different voices consistently and with such distinction that I could recognize the different voices as who they should be. These voices added a realism to the story.
Written by: Chuck Parsons , Norman Wayne Brown
Narrated by: Jim Sartor
This book really intrigued me. I knew very little about John Wesley Hardin and boy did this open my eyes. What little I thought I knew was all wrong. He had quite a life! Wow, everytime I read about these characters during the old west and civil war times I am just astounded that any of them lived very long at all the way they acted and behaved! The wounds and injuries that the endured, I am so surprised more didn't die of infection. This book really went deep into the lives of John, his friends, family, places he lived, his crimes, the ones he was accused of, family, and more. Wonderfully detailed. I didn't get lost at all, shock! Easy to understand and follow. I looked up the images of him on the internet and the younger Hardin was quite a looker! Too bad he was such a heartless killer.
This was an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
The narrator was awesome. He made listening to this book a real joy. He was able to do so many different voices consistently and with such distinction that I could recognize the different voices as who they should be. These voices added a realism to the story.
October 5, 2013
This is a detailed biography of one of the Old West's most notorious shootists--John Wesley Hardin. Sometimes accused of killing someone for snoring too loudly (the book raises questions about that), he was a stone killer. How many people did he actually kill? This volume is circumspect about that--noting the allegations of killing but also trying to stick with the actual evidence.
One of the strengths of this work is its grounding of Hardin's life in documentation--whether his autobiography (to be taken with something of a grain of salt), his letters, media articles, and so on. One gets a pretty good sense of his life and times as a result. When the author is not certain of something, he notes that. On the other hand, it does sometimes get a bit uncomfortable when one reads something like "he might have been involved" or something similar. I'd prefer less speculation and inference. Still, not a major problem.
The book follows Hardin's life from his birth and youth to his later adolescence and on. Her became a killer pretty early on. One of the ironies: He seemed to get along well with many people--including lawmen. However, he had a bad habit of drinking and could become aggressive under the influence. While he was a desperado in part, he also became a family man with a wife and children. His wife was, apparently, very loyal to him and was able to deal his stay in prison. Interesting point: When Hardin was released, he became an attorney.
Did he go straight? For a bit. Did he return to his murderous ways? The author addresses issues such as this sensitively.
Want to learn about one of the West's most notorious killers? This is a good book to read.
One of the strengths of this work is its grounding of Hardin's life in documentation--whether his autobiography (to be taken with something of a grain of salt), his letters, media articles, and so on. One gets a pretty good sense of his life and times as a result. When the author is not certain of something, he notes that. On the other hand, it does sometimes get a bit uncomfortable when one reads something like "he might have been involved" or something similar. I'd prefer less speculation and inference. Still, not a major problem.
The book follows Hardin's life from his birth and youth to his later adolescence and on. Her became a killer pretty early on. One of the ironies: He seemed to get along well with many people--including lawmen. However, he had a bad habit of drinking and could become aggressive under the influence. While he was a desperado in part, he also became a family man with a wife and children. His wife was, apparently, very loyal to him and was able to deal his stay in prison. Interesting point: When Hardin was released, he became an attorney.
Did he go straight? For a bit. Did he return to his murderous ways? The author addresses issues such as this sensitively.
Want to learn about one of the West's most notorious killers? This is a good book to read.
August 10, 2013
A Lawless Breed
By Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Published In: Denton, TX, USA
Date: 2013
Pgs: 490
Summary:
John Wesley Hardin. The name was a terror in Texas from the end of the Civil War through 1895. Characterized by a Texas Ranger as being so mean that he would kill people just to see them kick. He spent much of his life with a $4000 reward on his head. On the run from the 1860s through his capture in 1877 by Texas Rangers and law officers from Florida. Depending on teh stories told, he killed between twenty and forty men. After serving 16 years in Huntsville prison, he was pardoned by Texas Governor James Hogg. Following his release, he roamed the West, before settling in El Paso and working as an attorney. Over time though, he was drawn back to the criminal element. He died in a gunfight with an El Paso constable. He was 42 years old.
Genre:
history, biography, texas, tall tales
This book is more folklore than history or biography. In many cases, it takes JWH’s word on things that he wrote that he did in his autobiography. Taking the word of a murdering snake like JWH doesn’t reflect any positive light on the authors or the UNT Press, though they do in some instances present alternative sources when they are available. JWH tried to present himself as some kind of Knight of the West and the credible sources just don’t bear that assertion up.
Why this book:
It’s about Texas. Gunfights. Cowboys. The Old West. And family, while reading this book I’ve ran across a few disparate branches of my own family tree. As well as, a lot of his life story takes place in and around places that I’ve known all my life.
This Story is About:
At first blush, I thought this was about history. But on reflection, I’m seeing that this is more about how someone wants to be perceived by history versus what history can confirm. At one point in the narrative, he is quoted as saying “...he never had chosen the trail of an outlaw but was forced into it by circumstances beyond his control, i.e., the loss of the Confederacy, the emancipation of the Negro, the occupation of (Texas by) Federal troops.” This quote come from the era when he was in Huntsville State Prison serving time for all the murders that he had done, but which he had managed to convince the authorities were all self defense killings. The only one he couldn’t have done that with was the one involving Thomas Haldeman where the victim was drunk and believed to be asleep against a tree when he was shot. JWH’s brother-in-law, Brown Bowen, ended up taking the rap for that murder and being hanged, despite his call from the gallows and, before, during his trial where he decried the killing as having been done by JWH as well. A lot of evil accrued to JWH over his life, but much...some smeared across those closest to him whether deserved or not.
Gauging by the way JWH’s story ends, I would have to say in the final sense that this is a story about karmic justice. Despite the official report, there seem to be eyewitness accounts that put that final showdown as happening in an odd way. How can a man be both drawing his gun to shoot you across a bar and shot in the back of the head in the final denouement? Karma balancing long unbalanced scales, I believe.
Favorite Character:
John Wesley Hardin is a hateable figure. He was a douchebag with a pistol constantly feigning the victim’s role and the hero’s role of coming to someone else’s assistance when in most instances he was shooting someone in the back, lying in wait, or cheating at cards.
Least Favorite Character:
John Wesley Hardin comes across as a snake, an evil man, and a racist. He was a terrorist before that word had today’s meaning.
Character I Most Identified With:
I am from Texas. My family have been in Texas since before the Civil War. In this life history of John Wesley Hardin, I’ve run across both my surname and my Great Grandmother’s maiden name in the counties where our family roots are deepest. It’s a connection that I was unaware of. He was definitely an evil man. I’m not sure that I want to explore my genealogical connection. I only mention it because I thought it interesting.
The Feel:
Hardin, when he told his own stories, painted himself as a heroic figure put upon by those who became his victims almost as if he were being forced to fight and kill due to self defense or besmirched honor. The authors argued against the whitewash but didn’t seem to take the Hardin folklore to task nearly as hard as I would have liked leaving us in a more folkloric direction than history or biography.
Favorite Scene:
The description of his capture on the train in Florida would seem almost comical, if it weren’t for the fact that one of the men with him exchanged gunfire with the law officers inside the train and, then, exited the train onto the platform to be shot down by numerous officers there covering the train.
Settings:
Texas from the Piney Woods into the Blackland Prairies and the Hill Country and from there out again to El Paso.. Cattle drives from Texas to Kansas. New Orleans. Northern Florida from the Gulf to the Atlantic.
Pacing:
The pacing is great. It’s a pretty good page turner. The unsubstantiated folklore aspects do bog the narrative down a bit.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The authors tried to present a historical timeline against Hardin’s own timeline. Not sure if JWH was just old when he wrote his biography and couldn’t remember the dates of some of the events he was involved in or if he was carefully fudging dates so that he couldn’t be called to task for the evil that he had done.
Last Page Sound:
N/A
Author Assessment:
I would absolutely give the authors other works a viewing.
Editorial Assessment:
I wish that, editorially, there had been a more concerted effort to not present Hardin’s account of something and, then, come back to it from the other perspectives and historical accounts. Wish they had been presented as a pastiche together rather than having it feel like some sections of the book repeated itself.
Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library, Irving, TX
Why isn’t there a screenplay?
There have been numerous appearances of characters with his name and loosely based on him in various movies and television series going back to the early years of television.
Casting call:
Randy Quaid portrayed him in a miniseries, The Streets of Laredo.
Max Perlich portrayed him in the Mel Gibson Maverick movie.
Jack Elam portrayed him in Dirty Dingus Magee.
Charles Bronson portrayed him in Luke and the Tenderfoot.
Rock Hudson portrayed him in a film called The Lawless Breed, which though it shares a name with this book is not the same.
There is a movie coming out this year called The Hard Ride with David Busse as John Wesley Hardin.
Would recommend to:
History buffs, fans of Westerns, Texas folklorists, True Crime fans, those interested in the study of serial killers
By Chuck Parsons and Norman Wayne Brown
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Published In: Denton, TX, USA
Date: 2013
Pgs: 490
Summary:
John Wesley Hardin. The name was a terror in Texas from the end of the Civil War through 1895. Characterized by a Texas Ranger as being so mean that he would kill people just to see them kick. He spent much of his life with a $4000 reward on his head. On the run from the 1860s through his capture in 1877 by Texas Rangers and law officers from Florida. Depending on teh stories told, he killed between twenty and forty men. After serving 16 years in Huntsville prison, he was pardoned by Texas Governor James Hogg. Following his release, he roamed the West, before settling in El Paso and working as an attorney. Over time though, he was drawn back to the criminal element. He died in a gunfight with an El Paso constable. He was 42 years old.
Genre:
history, biography, texas, tall tales
This book is more folklore than history or biography. In many cases, it takes JWH’s word on things that he wrote that he did in his autobiography. Taking the word of a murdering snake like JWH doesn’t reflect any positive light on the authors or the UNT Press, though they do in some instances present alternative sources when they are available. JWH tried to present himself as some kind of Knight of the West and the credible sources just don’t bear that assertion up.
Why this book:
It’s about Texas. Gunfights. Cowboys. The Old West. And family, while reading this book I’ve ran across a few disparate branches of my own family tree. As well as, a lot of his life story takes place in and around places that I’ve known all my life.
This Story is About:
At first blush, I thought this was about history. But on reflection, I’m seeing that this is more about how someone wants to be perceived by history versus what history can confirm. At one point in the narrative, he is quoted as saying “...he never had chosen the trail of an outlaw but was forced into it by circumstances beyond his control, i.e., the loss of the Confederacy, the emancipation of the Negro, the occupation of (Texas by) Federal troops.” This quote come from the era when he was in Huntsville State Prison serving time for all the murders that he had done, but which he had managed to convince the authorities were all self defense killings. The only one he couldn’t have done that with was the one involving Thomas Haldeman where the victim was drunk and believed to be asleep against a tree when he was shot. JWH’s brother-in-law, Brown Bowen, ended up taking the rap for that murder and being hanged, despite his call from the gallows and, before, during his trial where he decried the killing as having been done by JWH as well. A lot of evil accrued to JWH over his life, but much...some smeared across those closest to him whether deserved or not.
Gauging by the way JWH’s story ends, I would have to say in the final sense that this is a story about karmic justice. Despite the official report, there seem to be eyewitness accounts that put that final showdown as happening in an odd way. How can a man be both drawing his gun to shoot you across a bar and shot in the back of the head in the final denouement? Karma balancing long unbalanced scales, I believe.
Favorite Character:
John Wesley Hardin is a hateable figure. He was a douchebag with a pistol constantly feigning the victim’s role and the hero’s role of coming to someone else’s assistance when in most instances he was shooting someone in the back, lying in wait, or cheating at cards.
Least Favorite Character:
John Wesley Hardin comes across as a snake, an evil man, and a racist. He was a terrorist before that word had today’s meaning.
Character I Most Identified With:
I am from Texas. My family have been in Texas since before the Civil War. In this life history of John Wesley Hardin, I’ve run across both my surname and my Great Grandmother’s maiden name in the counties where our family roots are deepest. It’s a connection that I was unaware of. He was definitely an evil man. I’m not sure that I want to explore my genealogical connection. I only mention it because I thought it interesting.
The Feel:
Hardin, when he told his own stories, painted himself as a heroic figure put upon by those who became his victims almost as if he were being forced to fight and kill due to self defense or besmirched honor. The authors argued against the whitewash but didn’t seem to take the Hardin folklore to task nearly as hard as I would have liked leaving us in a more folkloric direction than history or biography.
Favorite Scene:
The description of his capture on the train in Florida would seem almost comical, if it weren’t for the fact that one of the men with him exchanged gunfire with the law officers inside the train and, then, exited the train onto the platform to be shot down by numerous officers there covering the train.
Settings:
Texas from the Piney Woods into the Blackland Prairies and the Hill Country and from there out again to El Paso.. Cattle drives from Texas to Kansas. New Orleans. Northern Florida from the Gulf to the Atlantic.
Pacing:
The pacing is great. It’s a pretty good page turner. The unsubstantiated folklore aspects do bog the narrative down a bit.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The authors tried to present a historical timeline against Hardin’s own timeline. Not sure if JWH was just old when he wrote his biography and couldn’t remember the dates of some of the events he was involved in or if he was carefully fudging dates so that he couldn’t be called to task for the evil that he had done.
Last Page Sound:
N/A
Author Assessment:
I would absolutely give the authors other works a viewing.
Editorial Assessment:
I wish that, editorially, there had been a more concerted effort to not present Hardin’s account of something and, then, come back to it from the other perspectives and historical accounts. Wish they had been presented as a pastiche together rather than having it feel like some sections of the book repeated itself.
Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library, Irving, TX
Why isn’t there a screenplay?
There have been numerous appearances of characters with his name and loosely based on him in various movies and television series going back to the early years of television.
Casting call:
Randy Quaid portrayed him in a miniseries, The Streets of Laredo.
Max Perlich portrayed him in the Mel Gibson Maverick movie.
Jack Elam portrayed him in Dirty Dingus Magee.
Charles Bronson portrayed him in Luke and the Tenderfoot.
Rock Hudson portrayed him in a film called The Lawless Breed, which though it shares a name with this book is not the same.
There is a movie coming out this year called The Hard Ride with David Busse as John Wesley Hardin.
Would recommend to:
History buffs, fans of Westerns, Texas folklorists, True Crime fans, those interested in the study of serial killers
January 15, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
October 6, 2016
“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”
A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
by: Chuck Parsons , Norman Wayne Brown
A fascinating look back at a notorious name from history.
The narration was well done..I loved the enthusiasm showed, especially newspaper headlines.Good job, Jim Sartor!
A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
by: Chuck Parsons , Norman Wayne Brown
A fascinating look back at a notorious name from history.
The narration was well done..I loved the enthusiasm showed, especially newspaper headlines.Good job, Jim Sartor!
December 7, 2015
Very Interesting Read!
Extensive research went in to the writing of this book. Although some facts are unrecoverable, Mr. Parsons done an amazing job of compiling what was available. Highly Recommended!
Extensive research went in to the writing of this book. Although some facts are unrecoverable, Mr. Parsons done an amazing job of compiling what was available. Highly Recommended!
September 11, 2016
Lots of pictures, well-documented with lots of information. Unfortunately, like most of the books of this time, it reads like a gargantuan newspaper clipping.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews