Luke Short - Oakwood Cemetery - Fort Worth, TX - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Mr. Short was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame in the Fort Worth Stockyards in 2001, and his star is naturally in front of the White Elephant Saloon. They provide a short biography:

Luke Short was a cowboy, army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, and owner of the White Elephant Saloon. He is best remembered for his 1887 shootout with Jim "Longhair" Courtwright outside the White Elephant. He moved to Fort Worth after selling his interest in the Longbranch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas where he was a contemporary of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson. An argument led to his showdown with Courtwright; a gunfight ensued and Courtwright was killed.

A Fort Worth Heritage Trails marker stands along Main Street in Fort Worth, at the site of the original White Elephant where the Short/Courtwright gunfight took place, and it provides some background:

In the 1880s, Fort Worth, "The Queen City of the Prairies," was home to good hotels, restaurants, theaters, banks, 60 saloons and 9 churches. Patrons dined at the elegant White Elephant Saloon with its 40-foot mahogany bar and climbed the broad carpeted stairs for a game of keno at Luke Short’s casino. Famous men of the West, including Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, "Doc" Holliday and "Longhair Jim" Courtright often frequented the casino. On the evening of February 8, 1887, Courtright, unsteadied by alcohol, was feuding with Short over protection money. A sharpshooter and former lawman, Courtright challenged Short to a gunfight. But his legendary draw failed him, and Courtright was buried with a procession of carriages 6 blocks long. A few years later, the mild-mannered 39 year-old Short was shot. He was buried near Courtright at Oakwood Cemetery on the city’s north side.

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Short was badly injured in his final gunfight in 1890, with Charles Wright, but that was not the cause of his death. He lived a few more years, recovering enough to attend a heavyweight fight between Gentleman Jim Corbett and John L. Sullivan, before dying of kidney disease ("Bright's Disease") in 1893.

Description: A small sign on the front of the White Elephant Saloon provides some background, and of course, the Courtright fight is mentioned again (date of reenactment added): Known in Texas primarily for his Fort Worth shootout with Timothy "Longhair Jim" Courtright, Short was a gambler who traveled the country with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. He moved to Fort Worth after selling his interest in the Longbranch Saloon in Dodge City, Kan. He bought into the White Elephant Saloon in downtown Fort Worth and operated the upstairs keno parlor. He became known as Fort Worth's "King of the Gamblers." He and his wife, Hettie Bimbo, lived comfortably in Fort Worth with their four children. Short faced off with "Longhair Jim" when Courtwright attempted to collect "protection money." Courtwright, a former city marshal, was said to ask protection money from businesses that engaged in shady activities. Short refused to pay, and the two men fell out on the street for a shootout. Short was the victor. The gunfight is re-enacted each year on February 8 in front of the White Elephant Saloon, now located in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. Date of birth: 01/22/1854 Date of death: 09/08/1893 Area of notoriety: Historical Figure Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily 7 AM to 6 PM Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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