John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas

by Leon Claire Metz

Thus spoke one lawman about John Wesley Hardin, easily the most feared and fearless of all the gunfighters in the West. Nobody knows the exact number of his victims-perhaps as few as twenty or as many as fifty. In his way of thinking, Hardin never shot a man who did not deserve it. Seeking to gain insight into Hardin?s homicidal mind, Leon Metz describes how Hardin?s bloody career began in post-Civil War Central Texas, when lawlessness and killings were commonplace, and traces his life of violence until his capture and imprisonment in 1878. After numerous unsuccessful escape attempts, Hardin settled down and received a pardon years later in 1895. He wrote an autobiography but did not live to see it published. Within a few months of his release, John Selman gunned him down in an El Paso saloon.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Local History

351 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Misti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but please, for the love of all that is Holy, stop putting “spoilers” on photo captions before you get to that point in the literature!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book about a very dangerous dude. The Old West was definitely a wild place to be. Through all the books I've read, I've learned that "lead poisoning" was probably a more common means of death than natural cause. John Wesley Hardin was another post Civil War desperado that had a hard time adjusting to a changing nation. And if you wish to learn about the man, this book will do you right. This book IS about John Wesley Hardin. Great research, great writing and a great read. Enough geographical history to help you understand Hardin's environment but not used as filler to eat up pages. Covered all the other players in his story without spending too much time giving unnecessary details. All around a great book that gives you what you could ask for in a book about the life of John Wesley Hardin.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book. Hardin seemed much more complex than I previously knew. Going into the book I thought people probably despised him but,a good percentage looked at him as a hero for a long stretch of his criminal career as the people he dispatch weren't exactly the salt of the earth. This book is interesting from beginning to end.If you read this book, don't skip the afterword as the author tells a very interesting modern day story pertaining to JWH.

[Robert Attaway Sr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good research into a historical figure

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read about the gun slinging psychotic killer of Texas since he was a 5th cousin 4 x's removed. Most of the historical data was presented well, considering that Mr. Metz had to sift through John Wesley Hardin's own attempt at writing an autobiography. The original manuscript had long disappeared, but a published version helped bring to light why John Wesley Hardin delusional fantasy of self-importance with regard to his justification of each person killed.