The Killing That Put Hardin On The Run

Just who was Charlie M. Webb?

- Norman Wayne Brown

Charlie M. Webb’s claim to fame came when his plan to kill notorious gunfighter John Wesley Hardin backfired.

Webb first appeared on the Texas scene in Brown County, where he was selected as a lieutenant in the Texas Rangers, serving under Capt. Jim Connell. Activated in January 1874, the company disbanded at the end of March, due to lack of state funds. Webb was then hired as a deputy sheriff of Brown County.

When Webb learned that Hardin had a price on his head, dead or alive, he must have decided to go bounty hunting. What other business could he have had to ride outside his county to the town of Comanche? On May 26, he found out Hardin and his cousins were in the saloon, celebrating Hardin’s 21st birthday and his win at the horse races that day.

Once Webb determined which man was Hardin, he introduced himself. Immediately after, Hardin claimed, Webb drew his pistol and fired at Hardin; the bullet grazed him on his left side. The Dixon cousins and Jim Taylor fired their pistols at Webb, who fell to the ground dead. Years later, Hardin wrote a letter to his daughter claiming that he had killed Webb in self-defense.