more gunfighters

Gunfighters (2/3)

Second in a series of three DVDs dealing with gunfighters.

This DVD includes Billy the Kid, The Earp Brothers, Elfego Baca, and Tom Horn.

Romantic treatment of Billy the Kid. Odd that the name of Jesse Evans is never mentioned. Tunstall was killed by “Dolan’s men.” [Evans was a close friend of Billy, then later his mortal enemy.] Authors say that Billy’s name was an integral part of the legend, and that “Henry the Kid” would never have worked.

Very unflattering treatment of the Earps. One author considers them the villains in the story. He describes them as pimps running a protection racket. The Clantons were cattle rustlers. The Earps were northern Republicans. The Clantons were southern Democrats.
Rival gangs fighting over turf. “Everybody was a loser.” “Victims and survivors.” Pretty much everyone came to a bad end early except Wyatt.

[Personal Note: Just think how different history would be if the Earps had wiped out the Clantons. But some of the Clantons escaped, they changed the “a” to an “i” and now look that the mess we are in. Heh.]

I never heard of Elfego Baca before I saw this DVD. He was a young idealistic Hispanic lawman in New Mexico. He had some trouble with a gang of Texan cowboys. In a classic “Mexican standoff” Baca drew his gun and killed the foreman of the Slaughter ranch. Baca killed a second cowboy when two of the Slaughter ranch hands tried to avenge the foreman. Baca survived an attack by dozens of vengeful cowboys. Baca was acquitted in two trials for murder.

Tom Horn was a scout for the U.S. Army, and helped capture Geronimo. Horn worked for the Pinkertons. Horn became an assassin, killing cattle rustlers. Horn was hanged for the murder of a boy. There is some doubt that he was actually guilty of that particular crime, but no doubt that he had killed many men.