front cover of Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson
Portrait of a Gunfighter
Thomas C. Bicknell
University of North Texas Press, 2018

front cover of Captain Jack Helm
Captain Jack Helm
A Victim of Texas Reconstruction Violence
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2018

front cover of Captain John R. Hughes
Captain John R. Hughes
Lone Star Ranger
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2011

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King Fisher
The Short Life and Elusive Legend of a Texas Desperado
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2022

front cover of A Lawless Breed
A Lawless Breed
John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2013

front cover of The Notorious Luke Short
The Notorious Luke Short
Sporting Man of the Wild West
Jack DeMattos
University of North Texas Press, 2015
Often times the smaller the man, the harder the punch--this adage was true in the case of diminutive Luke Short, whose brief span of years played out in the Wild West. His adventures began as a teenage cowboy who followed the trail from Texas to the Kansas railheads. He then served as a scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian wars and, finally, he perfected his skills as a gambler in locations that included Leadville, Tombstone, Dodge City, and Fort Worth. In 1883, in what became known as the "Dodge City War," he banded together with Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and others to protect his ownership interests in the Long Branch Saloon--an event commemorated by the famous "Dodge City Peace Commission" photograph.

The irony is that Luke Short is best remembered for being the winning gunfighter in two of the most celebrated showdowns in Old West history: the shootout with Charlie Storms in Tombstone, Arizona, and the showdown against Jim Courtright in Fort Worth, Texas. He would have hated that. During his lifetime, Luke Short became one of the best known sporting men in the United States, and one of the wealthiest. He had been a partner in the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, as well as the White Elephant in Fort Worth. He became friends with other wealthy sporting men, such as William H. Harris, Jake Johnson, and Bat Masterson, who helped broaden his gaming interests to include thoroughbred horse racing and boxing.

Before he died he would become a familiar figure in Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, and Saratoga Springs, where he raced his string of horses. He traveled with other wealthy sporting men in private railroad cars to attend heavyweight championship fights. Luke Short was always a little man dealing in big games. He married the beautiful Hattie Buck, who could turns heads at all the top resorts they visited as man and wife.

Jack DeMattos and Chuck Parsons have researched deeply into all records to produce the first serious biography of Luke Short, revealing in full the epitome of a sporting man of the Wild West.
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front cover of The Sutton-Taylor Feud
The Sutton-Taylor Feud
The Deadliest Blood Feud in Texas
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2009

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Texas Ranger Lee Hall
From the Red River to the Rio Grande
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2020

front cover of Texas Ranger N. O. Reynolds, the Intrepid
Texas Ranger N. O. Reynolds, the Intrepid
Chuck Parsons
University of North Texas Press, 2014

front cover of They Called Him Buckskin Frank
They Called Him Buckskin Frank
The Life and Adventures of Nashville Franklyn Leslie
Jack DeMattos
University of North Texas Press, 2018


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