Desperado Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sheriff Pat Garrett

Billy the Kid (1859-1881) is one of the most famous characters of the Old West. In every different resource you look at, you will find different "facts" about his life and death listed. Some books state that this outlaw killed as few as four men while others list as many as 21.

Sheriff Pat Garrett, who is believed to have killed Billy the Kid, wrote a biography about him called "The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid" which was published in 1882. Rumors started early on, that Billy the Kid was not actually dead and up until at least 1949 there were men who claimed to be the mythologized gun fighter. Genetic testing proved that none of these men were the real Billy the Kid.

The truth about his life will probably never be known for sure.

Answer: Bat Masterson

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1853-1921) undoubtedly led a colorful life, but much of the detail may have been pure fiction. The self-promoting Masterson lived in the Arizona Territory during a period of high crime and did meet many of the Wild West's more infamous characters.

He was at one time a deputy U.S. Marshal, gambler, and newspaper columnist. He was known to buy old pistols, carve notches in the handle and then pawn them for money, claiming they were his famous guns used while he was an "outlaw".

The real truth about Masterson's exploits are, usually, part fiction. It was often claimed that he killed 26 men, when, in reality, he probably only killed one and was involved in only three gunfights. He died of a heart attack while sitting at his desk at "The New York Morning Telegraph".

Answer: King Fisher

King Fisher (1854-1884) was a flamboyant Texas gunman and gang leader. Most of his crimes were against Mexican gangs and he was known on both sides of the border for the speed of his guns. Like many other gunslingers of the time, he also worked on the other side of the law occasionally.

In 1883 he became the sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas and was known for catching everyone he went after. King Fisher was killed at the age of 30 by another desperado after attending a play at the Turner Hall Opera House in San Antonio, Texas.

The exact number of his kills is unknown, but most historians agree that the number is over 25 and possibly as many as 50.

Answer: The American Civil War

Many of the Old West's gunfighters were veterans of the American Civil War. Dallas Stoudenmire was just another disillusioned soldier who had survived the horrendous battles of the American Civil War and was left looking for a way to make a living. As with many of the Old West's legendary gunfighters, he was known as a gunfighter as well as being employed as a lawman at times.

He may not be as famous as some of the other men in this quiz, but he was probably involved in more actual gunfights than most of them, as well as being more famous while he was alive.

Many Old West figures did not become famous until after their deaths, by which time their exploits were often exaggerated. An exact death count for Stoudenmire is not known but he is thought to have killed at least 15 men in his lifetime.

Answer: Wild Bill

"Wild Bill" Hickok (1837-1876) is one of the best known figures from the American Old West. Like many others he was known as a gunfighter as well as a lawman. His name has been linked with other famous/infamous figures of the time, including Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane and John Wesley Hardin.

Although Hickok undoubtedly killed over 15 men in his lifetime, the exact count will never be known. Hickok died while playing poker at the Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory. Hickock was holding a pair of black aces and pair of black eights in his hand when he was shot in the back of the head by a former buffalo hunter known as "Broken Nose" Jack McCall.

This poker hand is still known as "The Dead Man's Hand".

Answer: He fell off the back of a wagon and broke his neck.

Clay Allison (1840-1887) is believed to have shot and killed at least 15 men. He was discharged from the Confederate Army for reasons of mental illness described as partly epileptic and partly maniacal. He was known for his psychotic behavior when drinking, and most of the men he killed took place while he was drinking. Allison died when he tried to catch a sack of grain that fell off his wagon.

He fell off the wagon, which then rolled over him, breaking his neck. Some might find this a rather ignominious death for one of the Old West's most legendary gun fighters.

Answer: He went to church every Sunday.

Deacon Jim (1866-1909) was one of the most sadistic of the Old West figures. He is known to have killed between 12-50 men. He was a hired killer who openly stated he would kill anyone for money. In spite of this, he went to church every Sunday, and did not smoke, drink, or curse.

He served a term as a lawman, during which he gained the reputation of shooting many Hispanic and Indian prisoners, claiming they were all trying to escape. He was rumored to have worn an iron plate under his black frock coat, and was probably the inspiration for this act which was portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the 1964 western "A Fistful of Dollars".

He was hung by a lynch mob in a stable in Ada, Oklahoma for the murder of a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Answer: Tuberculosis

Doc Holliday (1851-1887) died from tuberculosis, the same disease that killed his mother when he was 15. While he was involved in the incident that came to be known as "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", he was not one of the three men who died at the infamous confrontation.

As with most figures of the Old West his death count is probably inflated though he probably killed at least 10 men. He died in a hotel in Glenwood Springs, Colorado after suffering for years from the dreaded disease known at the time as consumption (tuberculosis).

He is one of the most romanticized figures of the Old West, having been portrayed in numerous movies, television programs and novels.

Answer: True

John Wesley Hardin was known for carrying two pistols which he carried strapped to his chest. He killed his first man and the age of 14 and his second when he was 15. Historians credit him with killing as many as 42 men. At the age of 25 he was caught by a team of Texas Rangers and served 16 years in prison.

While in prison he wrote his own autobiography and started studying the law. When he was released from prison he passed the bar exams and became an attorney. As with most gunfighters of the time, the truth about his life tended to become blurred by publicity, rumor and folk legends. Hardin was shot in the head by another outlaw, John Selman, in the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas on August 19, 1895.

Answer: False

John Bernard Books is the main character in one of the greatest western novels ever written, called "The Shootist" by Glendon Swarthout. The character is an aging gunfighter who has come to town to confirm with the town doctor that he is dying of cancer.

The story focused on the end of the era known as the Wild West, as western parts of the U.S. attempted to move into the industrialized 20th century. In real life, very few desperados grew old, as most were killed by other gunfighters, or executed for their crimes.

This novel was made into a movie featuring John Wayne in his final and possibly finest role.