The Great Head Stone Caper: Yet another tale of the Original Buckaroo

The years 1995 and 1996 were interesting ones for this old “Know it All.”  Yes, I am actually writing about the 20^th century for once.  There was my first face-to-face introduction to Mr. Leon C. Metz, and meeting and later going to work for the Buckaroo.  Both men have had a great impact on my life.  I met these men at the same place, the Centennial Celebration of Hardin’s death held at the Hacienda Café down on the Rio Grande. 

It was a heck of an event. The Paso del Norte Pistoleros re enacted the killing several times that day. Bill Mansion, playing Hardin, hit the floor at least fifty times before it was done and over with.  The after a brief walking tour of the downtown area, we went out to Concordia and had a Champaign toast to the slain gunman.  It was a memorable night to say the least.  As we all went home, the excitement wasn’t over just yet.

Down in Nixon, Texas some folks got together and decided it would be a nice tourist attraction iffn they dug up old Wes and moved him to his “home town” for his final resting place.  Maybe they could even move poor Jane Bowen Hardin from the cow pasture she lay in, to rest beside her husband.  Never mind the fact that Nixon, Texas didn’t exist during Hardin’s lifetime.  So…. the folks found a distant relative, and a Judge willing to sign an court order.

Now The Buckaroo was a member of a group of well meaning, gun toting, for want of a better word, red necks.  Matter of fact they called themselves the “Coalition Of Red Necks”, or CORN. They met for breakfast every Saturday morning, discussing how to cure the world’s ills, who did what to whom, and the latest scandals out of the Puzzle and Crystal Palaces. (City Hall & County Court House for those unfamiliar with my names for these institutions) Well someone had the brilliant idea that iffn they couldn’t find Hardin’s headstone, they wouldn’t know where to dig.  So…. They loaded up and drove down to Concordia, and after much grunting and groaning, the stone was hauled off and stashed in plain sight.  It’s scary, but they came up with this idea, while sober.

The folks from Nixon were met by various members of CORN, local gunfight groups, and law enforcement the next day.  Nothing got resolved then and there, but the “battle” was taken to court.  But news of the theft of the head stone of John Wesley Hardin galvanized the community like nothing else could have.  In injunction was emplaced. And as far as the legal side goes, it’s still at a standstill.

Ironically, the stone was “found” a couple of days later in from of the Buckaroo’s shop.

And that’s the story of the great headstone caper.

Until next time, Take Care, God Bless, and Keep Your Powder Dry

Demise of Wes Hardin

As August draws on, we find that the month is almost as busy as April in El Paso's Old West Heritage.

In 1890, Fat Alice Abbott was feeling her age, and sold out her establishment on Utah St to Tillie Howard.Tillie had begun her career as a Caboose Girl at age 12, and had been working the business ever since. She immediatly establish a new standard of decor and elegance in El Paso's Reservation. By mid August, Gypsy Davenport had sold out to Tillie as well.

It was about this time in 1891 that Killin Jim Miller was appointed as Deputy Sheriff under Bud Frazier in Reeves County. This was the beginning of a feud between Miller and Fraziet that would bring them to El Paso in 1895.

Which brings me to my newest rant and rave. On the Leon Metz Show this morning, the guests were Melissa Sargent, and Patricia Kiddney and they wanted to talk the Demise of Hardin and the meeting of the Secret Hardin Society the 19th. It's a fun event, and a great fund raiser for the Concordia Heritage Association. In a way though, I do miss the bad old days when Bobby McNellis was still around.

It was a time when just us idiots would gather, come hell or high water, pour out a shot of whiskey, and toast Wes and his history. There'd be plenty of broken glass around the grave, and we'd head for home. Remember one year, it was a raining and a thundering, and there just four of us die hards out there in the pitch black night. In those days, it was advertised. Folks would just be there. of course the toast would be at 11:02, the approximate time Constable John Selman shot Hardin in the back of the head. Like I said that was back in the day.

Now these days there's a $5.oo admission, despite the order from El Paso County Commissioners Court ( hey they call it admission in their own press releases.) And once again, Ms Kiddney displayed just how shallow her history is. She has portrayed Helen Beulah M'Rose, Hardin's last paramour, for at least 10 years now. One would think she'd keep the details straight about Beulah's previous common law husband's death straight. Maybe I'm asking too much of someone attempting to portray historical figures.

Now my teachers, especially Guy Lafitte, always taught me, to do a first person impression, you have to have a depth of detail. One has to know the situation surrounding the Character, and the intimate details of the person. If you're portraying a gambler, good lord know the games the gambler dealt! If he was a gun man, have a decent knowledge of how to shoot. Iffn you're portraying a prostitute, know the details of the business. This especially true if you are accepting donations or money for your appearances.

Here in town, one of the best programs going seems to be the Living historians at the Magoffin Home Historic site. These folks know the house and the family inside and out. A visitor normally doesn't catch one of these folks off guard with unusual questions.

Well that's enough for one night. Keep your powder dry.


Special post coming up Thursday Night.