John Selman

John Selman: Texas Gunfighter by Leon Claire Metz (1966)

Leon Metz was one of the authors prominently featured on the Gunfighters DVD.

Very interesting book about one of the least known of the gunfighters. The author feels that history has treated Selman unfairly, relegating him to second class with people like John McCall (who shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back) and Bob Ford (who shot Jesse James in the back).

Selman had a long and eventful life. He was a vigilante and a cattle rustler. It is shocking by modern standards how chaotic and lawless the old west was. Lynchings and murders were commonplace. According to the book, murders were so common that law officers did not even consider them worth the time to handle. Stealing a horse, however, was a hanging offense.

The book is the first and only one that I have read that debunks the myth of the Texas Rangers. We have all heard the "one man, one riot" story but this book paints the Rangers in a much worse light. There were Texas Rangers that wanted to clean up the mess but they were foiled by corrupt superiors. Part of the problem was that some judges and law officers were heavily engaged in criminal enterprises.

John Selman, notorious vigilante, murderer, and rustler, later became a law officer.

Selman's best friend and mentor was John Larn. Larn was arrested for cattle rustling and executed (in jail) by vigilantes. Selman narrowly escaped being killed by the same vigilantges.

John Selman's main claim to fame was that he was the one who killed John Wesley Hardin. Hardin was one of the most notorious gunfighters. According to some, Hardin was the most lethal of all the gunfighters.

There is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the Selman-Hardin gunfight. Some contemporary accounts stated that Selman shot Hardin in the back of the head. Selman was charged with murder. Witnesses testified that Hardin, who was rolling dice in a saloon, turned and drew his gun when Selman entered the saloon, and that Selman shot Hardin in the face. Forensic evidence presented at the trial was that Hardin was shot in the face. Selman was acquitted. There is a photograph of Hardin's corpse, front view only. Modern forensic experts say that the gunshot wound to the face appears to be an entrance wound. Since there is no photograph of the back of the head, no evaluation of that aspect can be made.

The author makes the case that Selman's motive for killing Hardin was that Hardin would not share money taken from a man named Morose. Morose had allegedly been murdered by Hardin, Selman, and a deputy US Marshall named Scarborough.

Selman was gunned down in an alley by Scarborough. Evidence presented at the time indicated that Selman was first shot in the back. Selman's last words were reported to be, "Don't try to kill me like that." Scarborough was charged with murder, but acquitted.

Scarborough died 4 years later from a wound suffered in a gunfight with alleged remnants of the Butch Cassidy gang.