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Phantom of the Black Hills – Hellbilly Music

When we started Cowboy to Cowboy we said we would have an occasional “off the wall” item. Well, here’s one. We old farts are always concerned about young people appreciating and getting involved with the history of the Old West. Maybe the group named The Phantom of the Black Hills could be an avenue to bridge that gap. They play what is called Hellbilly Music.

Although they call themselves a cowpunk band, they do have an interesting message. One of their songs is directed to the government: “First you take my money, then you take my guns.”

You can view one of their videos by going to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf1kll9csSI

What do you think?

November 13, 2021 | Categories: Old West News | Comments Off on Phantom of the Black Hills – Hellbilly Music

Warren Earp – Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight

We’ve all heard about bringing a knife to a gunfight. Well, on this date back in 1900 that’s just what James, Morgan, Virgil and Wyatt’s little brother did.

After participating in Wyatt’s ride of vengeance because of the cowboy’s wounding of Virgil and killing Morgan, Warren went to live with his parents in Colton, California.

With Warren regularly getting into trouble, his father got fed up with him and sent him packing. Warren ended up in Willcox, Arizona where he did a little cowboying and a lot of drinking. On July 6, 1900, Warren got crossways with a John Boyet. Some say it was because of a woman, others say it was a carry-over from the Tombstone days. In a confrontation, Warren kept pushing Boyet, until Boyet finally pulled his gun and killed Warren. This was a case of bringing a knife to a gunfight. For, it was discovered that Warren didn’t have a gun. But he did have a knife.

It seems that, to his dying day, Warren was trying to live up to the reputation of his brothers Wyatt and Virgil by being able to buffalo a man, and disarm him.

November 3, 2021 | Categories: Old West History | Comments Off on Warren Earp – Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight

Doc Holliday – Myth and Fact

We all think of Doc Holliday as a deadly shootist, killing scores of men. But, in this case our thinking is wrong. In reality, it can only be verified that Doc killed two men…One of them back in 1879. Here is some Doc Holliday – Myth and Fact:

Doc Holliday was a partner in a saloon in Las Vegas, New Mexico. A former army scout named Mike Gordon tried to persuade one of Holliday’s saloon girls to quit her job and run away with him. When she refused, Gordon became upset, and he went out to the street and began to fire bullets into the saloon. After the second shot, Holliday calmly stepped out of the saloon and dropped Gordon with a single shot. Gordon died the next day.

Incidentally, the second killing took place the following year. You may have heard about it. It’s was during the OK Corral Shootout.

October 13, 2021 | Categories: Old West Myth & Fact | Comments Off on Doc Holliday – Myth and Fact

The Long Riders Movie

I had a couple of hours downtime yesterday and I decided to watch a western movie. I picked one from my collection of DVD’s that I hadn’t seen in a while… The Long Riders.

This movie was written and produced by Stacey and James Keach. It’s about the James-Younger gang. As far as I’m concerned it’s an extraordinary film. The unique thing is that actor brothers play outlaw brothers. The Carradines are the Youngers, and the Keachs are Jesse and Frank. Even Robert Ford and his brother are played by brothers.

Historically, it’s fairly accurate as well. Probably Bell Starr had a bigger role in the movie than she did in the life of Cole Younger.

What’s your opinion of the movie?

October 1, 2021 | Categories: Old West Videos | Comments Off on The Long Riders Movie

Old West Myth and Fact: Five Cartridges?

Here’s another Old West Myth and Fact. Tradition and the early Colt Pistol manuals says to load only five cartridges in a pistol and leave the empty cylinder under the hammer. The reason being if the hammer is accidently hit with a live cartridge under it, it could go off…Incidentally; modern pistols have a safety bar to prevent accidental firing.

So, did they load only five cartridges? Not always. Wyatt Earp’s pistol fell to the floor in a saloon and it went off. Lawman Dallas Stoudenmire was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter. During the interview Dallas showed his shooting skills. The reporter said all six shots hit the target. A couple of years ago we published an article in Chronicle of the Old West from 1898 where two men went into the back room of a saloon, and while there a pistol was fired. The people in the saloon though it was a gun fight. Actually, one of the men dropped their pistol.

My feeling is if you were an average Joe you probably loaded five cartridges, but if there was a chance of gunplay you wanted as much firepower as possible. And that extra cartridge could mean the difference between life and death.

September 2, 2021 | Categories: Old West History | Comments Off on Old West Myth and Fact: Five Cartridges?