Leon Claire Metz Bücher

Leon Metz has pieced together, for the first time, all that is known of John Selman, a shadowy figure in Texas and New Mexico during the unsettled, often violent, period after the Civil War. Unlike many of his comrades--including the most notorious outlaws of his time--John Selman did not wish to become well known. Indeed, his penchant for assumed names indicates he did not wish to be known at all. Selman was an enigmatic man of many parts: he was an oldest son, responsive to the needs of his mother and siblings; a soldier with a talent for leadership--until his unexplained desertion from the Confederate Army; a husband and father; a rancher who struggled with, and murdered, would-be grangers; and a devoted friend to an evil influence named John Larn, with whom he seemed to kill for sport. As the Southwest became more settled, so did John Selman. At the end of his career, when he was a constable in El Paso, Selman lost his anonymity for all time: He was the man who killed John Wesley Hardin. Metz explores the stories surrounding Hardin's death--some said Selman shot Hardin in the back. Including rare photographs, Metz presents his conclusions about this legendary gunfighter.

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.

The book offers an in-depth exploration of legendary gunfighters such as Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp, alongside lesser-known figures who also made their mark in the Wild West. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, it delves into their lives, revealing the complexities of their characters and the violent world they inhabited. With a blend of humor and sharp insight, it paints a vivid picture of these iconic figures, showcasing their battles, lifestyles, and the lasting impact they had on American folklore.