At the turn of the 20th century Fannie Porter was running one of the most luxurious brothels in Texas. She was born in England in February 1873 but...
Fannie Porter
read more
True West Blog
Ben Thompson Kills a Theater Owner – Take 1 A shooting in Austin foreshadowed a later event in San Antonio.
Gunfighter Ben Thompson is well-known for killing Jack Harris, owner of San Antonio’s Vaudeville Theater in 1882—mostly because it led to Thompson’s...
Dancing on His Grave A grieving mother got a little revenge for her son’s death.
In 1883, John “King” Fisher was the acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas. He went after Jim and Tom Hannehan, who had held up a stagecoach. The...
A Strange Escape King Fisher stole a horse, but got away with it—thanks to the animal’s owner.
Texas gunman John “King” Fisher got into crime in an unusual way. In 1869, when he was 15, Fisher borrowed a horse from a rancher near Florence,...
Stagecoaches and Horse Teams
Normally a stagecoach was pulled by what was known as a 6-up hitch. Less common was a 4-up or four horses. The wheel team on a 6-up, those at the...
Heck Thomas
Henry Andrew (Heck) Thomas was one of the Old West's most effective lawmen, rounding dozens of notorious desperados. His resume was most impressive,...
Dueling Doctors of Hangtown
"Doc" Hullings was the first doctor to open a medical practice in the rapidly growing mining camp known as Hangtown. Truth be known, the doctor had...
An Unlucky 13 Years It took a long time to catch up with two Indian Territory killers.
James Arcine and William Parchmeal—both Cherokee—happened upon traveler Henry Feigel near Fort Gibson, Indian Territory on November 25, 1872. The...
Death From Above The only casualty of the sacking of Lawrence, KS—hit by falling debris.
About 800 pro-slavery men attacked the antislavery town of Lawrence, Kansas on May 21, 1856. The invaders aimed to destroy the buildings of...
A Meal Before Mayhem Attackers of Lawrence, KS ate well before sacking the town.
On May 21, 1856, a force of around 800 pro-slavery men attacked Lawrence, Kansas. They intended to destroy the antislavery town—especially the Free...
The Opening and Closing of the Santa Fe Trail 1821-1880, Part 2
At this time St. Louis was a raw, crude, boisterous city of some 4,600 people made up mostly of French, Indians, Spanish, Germans and Americans....
The Opening and Closing of the Santa Fe Trail 1821-1880, PART 1
The Mexican Revolution ended in 1821 and brought about many changes in foreign policy. Up to then Spain didn’t allow her colonies to trade with the...