John Wesley Hardin Poem by Harry Bryant

John Wesley Hardin was born in Texas, in eighteen fifty three,
he grew up as mean as any man can be,
when a luckless cowboy was snoring in his bed,
John Wesley took his pistol and shot him in the head,
he was but fifteen, when he shot his first man,
then he killed four soldiers who chased him as he ran,
he rode the Chisolm Trail in eighteen seventy one,
on which he killed seven more, killed them with his gun,
he killed three more when he got to Abilene,
the bloodiest shootout, that ever could be seen,
back down In Texas, he seemed to settle down,
he married and had three children, all that can be found,
he soon went on killing spree, and killed four more men,
they chased him down and caught him once again
they tossed him in a jail cell, but he had another plan,
he escaped from the calaboose, and took out on the lam,
he killed a Deputy Sheriff, in the town of Comanche,
fleeing to Pensacola, Florida with his family,
sentenced to twenty five years in prison, for the killing the Deputy,
he studied law while in prison, soon again he would be free,
he somehow got a pardon in eighteen ninety four,
he passed the Texas bar exam, they hoped to kill no more,
he sweet talked a married client, till her husband got wise,
John Wesley hired some lawmen, to shoot him right between the eyes,
one of the crooked lawmen hired, to fill him full of lead,
was John Selman, but he shot John Wesley Hardin instead,
it was eighteen ninety five, when John was put on the shelf,
hired some one to kill another, but he got killed himself.

written by Harry Bryant
8/25/04 04: 30: 08 AM �
all rights reserved