The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 65
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Notes and Documents
Everything from money to horses, wagons, and six-shooters had
been bet on the races and luck had been with Hardin and his
friends. Hardin himself had won 3,ooo dollars in cash, fifty head
of cattle, a wagon or two, and fifteen saddle horses. He and his
pals were in a mood to celebrate when, whooping and firing their
pistols into the air, they raced their horses back to Comanche.
Webb had been pointed out to Hardin at the racetrack. There
is no evidence to show that the harmless looking young gunman
had been pointed out to the deputy sheriff.
In his autobiography Hardin said that he had heard that
Charlie Webb had come to Comanche with fifteen men from
Brown County to kill him, Hardin, and to "capture" Jim Taylor.
"He [Webb] did not make any breaks at the racetracks, but when
we all came back to town he swore time and again that he would
kill me and capture Taylor, and that this would be done before
the sun went down."
Did Webb make the threats Hardin has alleged that he made?
If not, who was responsible for putting them into circulation?
Was it someone with a craving for excitement, or the Hardin
gang, who took this means to provide their leader with an excuse
to kill the deputy sheriff? Or were the threats a lie put into circu-
lation by persons who held a grudge against Webb or Hardin
and who sought to get rid of one or the other by adding to the
feeling of antagonism that already existed between the two men?
In the opinion expressed by reputable pioneers of Comanche,
Webb was a quiet man, a good officer of the law. If he had in mind
killing Hardin and arresting Taylor, would he have chosen a time
as unfavorable as that of the day of the races? Knowing the repu-
tation of the two gunmen, would he have courted death at their
hands by broadcasting his intentions? It is far more logical to
believe that the deputy sheriff came to Comanche for the same
reason that brought hundreds of other men there: to meet friends
and enjoy the excitement of the races.
But Hardin, Taylor, and their associates were not taking any
chances. On the day of the races they were seen coming toward
the square from the direction of the Joe Hardin home, loading
the shotguns they were carrying.
Passing behind the small building on the east side of the square,
the office of the Comanche Chief, the men went through a vacant
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/85/?q=%221777%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.