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1.

Six historic telegrams are the only official records of the capture of John Wesley Hardin, by Lieutenant John Barclay Armstrong, on August 23, 1877, at Pensacola Florida.

Who was John Wesley Hardin, (also known as Wes or Little Arkansas)?
He was born the son of a Methodist Preacher on May26th 1853. One of his ancestors was at the Battle of San Jacinto, and his Grandfather served in the Congress of the Texas Republic.

He showed his violent nature early in life by stabbing a boy at the age of 11, but his first "kill" was attributed to him at the age of 15, when he shot a former slave, and killed three soldiers when they tried to arrest him.(There are 19 documented gunfights attributed to Hardin in Bill O`Niels book The Encyclopedia of Gunfighters, the last of them being fatal for Hardin)

He married Jane Bowen, (sister of the Jim Bowen that was arrested with him in Pensacola) and he had three children, (two girls and a boy).
The Story here deals with his penultimate gunfight, the killing of Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb on May 26th 1874. Whilst celebrating his 21st Birthday.
Telegram No.1 was sent from Whitney Alabama, on August 23rd, addressed to William Steele, Adjutant General of the Texas Rangers. It reads:-

"Arrested John Wesley Hardin, Pensacola Florida this P.M. He had four men with him. Had some lively shooting. One of their number killed. All rest captured. Hardin fought desperately. Closed in and took him by main strength. Hurried ahead. Train then leaving this place. We are waiting for a train to get away on. This is Hardin`s home and his friends are trying to rally men to release him. Have some good citizens with, and will make it interesting.
…J.B. Armstrong
Lt. State Troops"

This telegram tells the story, but does not explain what a Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers was doing in Florida, where he had no authority, nor how a dangerous killer like John Wesley Hardin let himself be taken by `main strength`. J.B. Armstrong was recouperating from an accidentally self inflicted bullet wound, (it was said that he shot himself in the leg whilst cleaning his revolver). A reported sighting of someone believed to be Hardin, in the town in which Armstrong was staying, prompted Armstrong to enlist the help of the local Sheriff to arrest the man and share the $4,000 dollar reward for Hardin`s capture. The man Armstrong arrested turned out to be an imposter.

Hardin was wanted for the murder of deputy sheriff Charles Webb of Comanche County, in the town of Comanche May 26th 1874.(It seems Hardin was captured in Louisiana in September of the same year and returned to Texas, but escaped and dropped out of sight until August 1877 .)

(This arrest is mentioned in Walter Prescott Webb`s book The Texas Rangers on page 298, but does not mention the scource of his information).Pinkerton agents located Hardin a year later in Florida, but it seems he evaded capture and dropped out of sight until 1877. (This detail is told by Hardin himself in his autobiography) After the embarrassment of arresting the wrong man subsided, Armstrong applied to the Adjutant General of the Texas Rangers for permission to persue Hardin.