1. A Deadly Outlaw’s Violent End
Back in Texas, Hardin was tried, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years in 1878. He made numerous escape attempts, including a tunnel into the prison armory, but they all failed. He eventually settled down, studied law behind bars, and was put in charge of the prison’s Sunday school.
In 1894, Hardin was pardoned after serving 17 years of his sentence. Upon his release, he took and passed Texas’ bar exam, and became a licensed lawyer. He moved to El Paso in 1895 to start a law practice but got into trouble when he quarreled with John Selman, a lawman who had arrested a prostitute friend of Hardin. Heated words were exchanged, and that night, as Hardin was playing dice in a local saloon, Selman walked up to Hardin from behind, shot him in the back of the head, then pumped three more bullets into him as lay on the ground.
_________________
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
American Weekend, October 23rd, 1998 – Frontier Serial Killers: The Harpes
Ancient Pages – Giulia Tofana Poisoned 600 Men: Beautiful Sicilian Woman and Her Deadly Mission
Indiana Genealogy Trail – Jackson County Indiana: The Legend of the Reno Gang
Legends of America – James Miller, Hired Killer of the Old West
Legends of America – Reno Gang & the 1st Big Train Robbery
Legends of America – The Vicious Harpes: First American Serial Killers
Medium – Meet the Woman Who Poisoned Makeup to Help Over 600 Women Murder Their Husbands
Mike Dash History – Aqua Tofana: Slow-Poisoning and Husband-Killing in the 17th Century
National Park Service, Fort Smith Historic Site – Rufus Buck Gang: A Time to Die
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 10th, 2014 – Hiroo Onoda: Hero, or Villain?
Ranker – Life of Giulia Tofana
All That Interesting – Meet Giulia Tofana: The Professional Poisoner Said To Have Killed 600 Men
Spartacus Educational – Frank Reno
Texas State Historical Association – Hardin, John Wesley
