Lot 260
Hardin, John Wesley (1853-95) One of the West's most notorious gunfighters, Hardin's body count was somewhere between 30 and 44. Born in Bonham, Texas, the son of a Methodist preacher, Hardin's violent career began as a schoolboy and his victims included former slaves, Union soldiers, lawmen, Mexicans, and anybody who crossed him. While serving time for the murder of lawman Charles Webb (1878-94) Hardin earned a law degree and was admitted to the bar after his pardon, but he soon lapsed into his lawless ways. Hardin claimed to have never killed anybody who didn't need killing, but when he was shot in the back by lawman John Selman, some folks thought Hardin had never looked better.
Book Signed "J.W. Hardin" on the inside cover, 6¾" x 4½", no place, no date. Fair condition. The book is DeWitt's Complete American Farrier and Horse Doctor…Showing Plainly How To Breed, Rear, Buy, Sell, Cure, Shoe and Keep That Most Useful and Valuable Animal, the Horse, by Col. Chris Forrest (New York: Robert M. De Witt, 1870, 208 pp.). The book is well worn, with some paper loss on edges of covers; the boards have edge wear and are slightly loose at spine; the interior pages are toned with scattered foxing. Hardin's signature is dark brown and there are a few skips in the ink. A useful book for a man who needed his horse ready for a quick escape.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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