Charlie Storms
Encyclopedia
Charlie Storms was a professional gunfighter and gambler of the Old West, who is best known, unfortunately, for having been killed during a gunfight with noted gunman Luke Short
, in Tombstone, Arizona
.
Storms had a reputation as being a good gunman during the 1870s, and traveled to many towns throughout the Old West as a gambler. When Bill Hickock was murdered by Jack McCall
in Deadwood, South Dakota
, Storms was alleged to have been present. Some alleged that he took one of Hickock's pistols as it lay on the floor, as a souvenir. That has never been confirmed beyond a doubt, but there are indications that he was there.
He drifted for some time, travelling through Dodge City, Kansas
and El Paso, Texas
, during which time he was known to have been involved in at least three shooting incidents, though with no notable gunmen. The outcome and details of those gunfights are not known, and mostly were just rumor. However, in 1881, he arrived in Tombstone. He made himself known in several gambling houses and saloons around town. On February 25, he was playing faro
in the Oriental Saloon. The dealer was gunman and gambler Luke Short. Storms had been drinking all night, and began to make rude remarks to Short. As tensions rose, gunman Bat Masterson
entered. Masterson knew both Short and Storms well, and was able to defuse the argument.
Storms left the saloon, and returned to his rented room. Later on, as Masterson and Short left the Oriental Saloon, Storms reappeared, and jerked Short by the arm off the boardwalk and into the street. Storms then went for his gun, but Short beat him to the draw and shot him once in the chest, the muzzle of his gun being so close to Storms that it caught his shirt on fire. Storms was killed with the one shot. Short then is reported to have turned to Bat Masterson and stated, "You sure pick some of the damnedest friends, Bat".
Short was arrested for the shooting. He was given a hearing, and the shooting was ruled self defense.
Luke Short
Western frontiersman Luke L. Short was a noted gunfighter, who had worked as a farmer, cowboy, whiskey peddler, army scout, dispatch rider, gambler and saloon keeper at various times during the four decades of his life.- Early life :...
, in Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
.
Storms had a reputation as being a good gunman during the 1870s, and traveled to many towns throughout the Old West as a gambler. When Bill Hickock was murdered by Jack McCall
Jack McCall
John "Jack" McCall , known by the nickname "Crooked Nose Jack or Broken Nose Jack, was the killer of James "Wild Bill" Hickok, shooting him from behind, an act that among admirers of Hickok and students of Hickok's history has given rise to the phrase "the coward Jack McCall."-...
in Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
, Storms was alleged to have been present. Some alleged that he took one of Hickock's pistols as it lay on the floor, as a souvenir. That has never been confirmed beyond a doubt, but there are indications that he was there.
He drifted for some time, travelling through Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
and El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, during which time he was known to have been involved in at least three shooting incidents, though with no notable gunmen. The outcome and details of those gunfights are not known, and mostly were just rumor. However, in 1881, he arrived in Tombstone. He made himself known in several gambling houses and saloons around town. On February 25, he was playing faro
Faro (card game)
Faro, Pharaoh, or Farobank, is a late 17th century French gambling card game descendant of basset, and belongs to the lansquenet and Monte Bank family of games, in that it is played between a banker and several players winning or losing according to the cards turned up matching those already...
in the Oriental Saloon. The dealer was gunman and gambler Luke Short. Storms had been drinking all night, and began to make rude remarks to Short. As tensions rose, gunman Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
entered. Masterson knew both Short and Storms well, and was able to defuse the argument.
Storms left the saloon, and returned to his rented room. Later on, as Masterson and Short left the Oriental Saloon, Storms reappeared, and jerked Short by the arm off the boardwalk and into the street. Storms then went for his gun, but Short beat him to the draw and shot him once in the chest, the muzzle of his gun being so close to Storms that it caught his shirt on fire. Storms was killed with the one shot. Short then is reported to have turned to Bat Masterson and stated, "You sure pick some of the damnedest friends, Bat".
Short was arrested for the shooting. He was given a hearing, and the shooting was ruled self defense.