1. Luke Short survived numerous gunfights, the most famous of which were against Charlie Storms in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, and against Jim Courtright in Fort Worth, Texas.
59 Facts About Luke Short
1. 2.
Luke Short was born in Polk County, Arkansas, in January 1854.
3.
Luke Short was the fifth child of Josiah Washington Short and his wife Hetty Brumley.
4.
In 1862, Luke Short witnessed his father being ambushed and attacked by a group of Comanches in their yard.
5.
Luke Short's father was surrounded by the group and attacked with arrows and lances.
6.
Inside the house, Luke helped the elder Short by dragging a large rifle to his brother, who then ran and handed it to his father.
7.
At the age of 13, Luke Short was said to have "carved" the face of a bully when he was still at school, which was the reason why he and his father moved to Fort Worth.
8.
In 1869, at age 15, Luke Short started work as a cowboy, which he continued through 1875, during which he made several trips to the Kansas railheads.
9.
Luke Short was reported by Bat Masterson to have killed six drunken Sioux at various times.
10.
Nonetheless, Luke Short had been in over 30 engagements fighting Indians while working for the government, with his first fight occurring in 1869.
11.
Luke Short managed to draw his pistols and fired back, killing three of the attackers.
12.
Some Indians gave chase on horseback, and Luke Short killed two of them before finally reaching safety.
13.
From October6 to8,1878, Luke Short worked as a dispatch courier from Ogallala for Major Thomas Tipton Thornburgh; Luke Short earned $30.
14.
Luke Short enlisted at Sidney, Nebraska to be paid $100 a month but he only served for 12days, for which he was paid $40.
15.
Accounts written in Luke Short's later years stated that he was an outlaw during his time in Nebraska.
16.
Around this time, Luke Short was said to have traded whiskey with Indians around Camp Robinson, Nebraska.
17.
Luke Short is said to have killed two men on separate occasions due to altercations during their card games.
18.
Luke Short moved to Leadville, Colorado, in 1879, where he continued gambling.
19.
Bat Masterson later wrote that Luke Short seriously wounded a man during a gambling dispute in Leadville.
20.
On Friday, February25,1881, Luke Short was serving as the lookout, seated next to the dealer at a faro game in the Oriental, when he was involved in what became a well-known gunfight.
21.
Luke Short stuck the muzzle of his pistol against Storm's heart and pulled the trigger.
22.
The bullet tore the heart asunder, and as he was falling, Luke Short shot him again.
23.
Luke Short was free to go, as no further legal action was taken.
24.
Luke Short drew his weapon and shot Storms, who returned fire, but missed.
25.
Luke Short left Tombstone in early 1881, arriving in Dodge City in April 1881.
26.
Luke Short remained in Dodge City until the final months of 1883, although he made frequent trips to pursue gambling opportunities.
27.
Luke Short was quickly arrested and released on a $2,000 bond.
28.
Bassett and Luke Short had both at different times owned an interest in the Long Branch Saloon.
29.
Luke Short returned to Kansas City and was joined there by Bat Masterson.
30.
Luke Short moved to San Antonio, Texas, for a brief time before relocating to Fort Worth.
31.
Luke Short maintained an office at the White Elephant and often greeted customers.
32.
Luke Short threw his milk in the air, drew his gun, and shot the fly.
33.
The decision of referee Luke Short was that the "St Joe Kid" won on a foul.
34.
Luke Short bought a racehorse named Tobe, along with some jockey silks for himself.
35.
Luke Short participated in a race held on November13,1886, placing last in a field of five.
36.
Henry Short fled to Fort Worth before he could be arrested, to enlist the aid and funds that his brother Luke could provide for his defense.
37.
The money needed to defend Henry Short was to be provided by Luke, who had provided the money for Henry's bond.
38.
Luke Short yelled for Luke Short to come out, but Jake Johnson, a friend of both men, tried to calm Courtright down.
39.
Luke Short met with the two men outside and talked about their dispute as they walked through the street.
40.
Luke Short was facing Courtright three to four feet away when the Courtright suddenly went for his pistol, making Short draw his own in return.
41.
Luke Short must have misconstrued my intention in dropping my hands before me.
42.
The shock caused him to reel backward; then he got another and still another, and by the time his lifeless form had reached the floor, Luke Short had succeeded in shooting him five times.
43.
One possibility presented was that his pistol broke when one of Luke Short's bullets struck it and his thumb, or that his pistol got caught on his watch chain for a second as he drew it, which Western historian DeArment considered to be unlikely or a "feeble excuse".
44.
Luke Short was arrested for the shooting, and though he was almost lynched after the shootout, he was never brought to trial.
45.
Luke Short was eventually able to settle his legal problems with the court in Dallas, where all of the cases against him were dismissed with no explanation.
46.
Luke Short was the fourth of eight children born between 1858 and 1878.
47.
Luke Short was no longer connected with the White Elephant, and Johnson had decided to open what the local paper headlined as a "super resort" called the Palais Royal, which was designed to rival the White Elephant.
48.
From 1889 to 1893, Luke Short spent part of each year in Chicago.
49.
Luke Short was designated as the banker for the group and was supposed to place the winnings in a hotel safe where the group stayed.
50.
In testimonies presented by eyewitnesses, Wright was conducting gambling in his house and Luke Short went there to close it down.
51.
Luke Short retaliated by drawing his pistol and shooting Wright in the right wrist, disarming him.
52.
The trip coincided with the start of the racing season, and Johnson and Luke Short both owned a string of horses that would be running at Washington Park Race Track in Chicago.
53.
The actor, coincidentally, closely resembled the lawyer Luke Short had just kicked out.
54.
Luke Short saw Hoey, and believing him to be Singleton, charged at him with his pistol.
55.
When Luke Short realized his mistake, he apologized to the actor and treated him to drinks and a late supper.
56.
Luke Short was found guilty of aggravated assault against Charles Wright, and a fine of $150 was assessed against him.
57.
Luke Short died at the Gilbert House in Geuda Springs on September8,1893.
58.
Luke Short's funeral took place in Fort Worth on September10,1893.
59.
On February22,1955, Luke Short was played by actor Wally Cassell in an episode of the syndicated Western TV series Stories of the Century.