What an adventurous life John Wesley Hardin lived; he was a killer, an author, a lawyer, he spent 17 years in prison, and still died at the age of 42. Hardin was the son of a Methodist minister but he didn't take after his name-sake at all. The amazing thing is that Hardin and his parents were always making excuses for his problems with the law. It was never Hardin's fault. He was married twice and had three kids.

By the age of 15, Hardin had killed a man. By age 17, he was reputed to have killed a dozen men. Hardin was in the habit of making a start (as a cowboy, card sharp, or whatever), getting into a fight that led to murder, and moving on to a new town or area. Finally, he was caught, had a trial, and went to jail. While there, Hardin studied to become a lawyer. Soon after leaving prison, Hardin wrote his autobiography. After passing the bar, Hardin moved to El Paso. After opening his law office, Hardin went to a bar in El Paso and was shot in the back of the head.

The book makes the point that John Wesley Hardin never got the whitewashing that many other gunfighters did (from that period), probably because he was just too ruthless to be able to transform him into a hero.

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