John Wesley Hardin was one of the most violent and murderous gunslingers of the West. History claims that Hardin was involved in the deaths of at least 42 people. After stabbing a classmate when he was 14 and killing an ex-slave and 3 Union soldiers at 15, Hardin absconded from authorities and spent his life on the run. Hardin’s time on the run was short lived though. After, a series of numerous gunfights with other outlaws and lawmen, he was arrested at 17 for the murder of a Texas City Marshall. Hardin acquired a gun in jail and during a transfer, killed a guard and went back to being on the run. Texas Rangers finally caught Hardin when he was 25, and the murderous gunslinger spent 17 years in prison. Not only did Hardin reach a point of rehabilitation from his time in prison, but he was also able to pass the bar and practice law. Which could have provided a nicer ending to Hardin’s life, if only he wasn’t shot in the back by a lawman in 1895 in El Paso, TX.