Historical Marker
Near Boyhood Home of John Wesley Hardin
Moscow, Polk County · Texas
Erected 1970
Major Holshousen, called Maje, had been enslaved by John Wesley Hardin's uncle. His death in November 1868 near Moscow was Hardin's first killing by Hardin's own account. Hardin, then fifteen, said he beat Maje in a wrestling match, that Maje ambushed him with a stick the next day, and that he fired five shots, after which Maje lived three days. Hardin claimed self-defense. The only detailed account is his own autobiography, which Wikipedia's biography describes as contradictory.
What the plaque says
Near Boyhood Home of John Wesley Hardin (1853-1895) Notorious outlaw who killed over 30 men. son of a Methodist minister. "Wes" was an ardent southerner. His resistance to Union occupation troops made him a hero and set him on his lawless career. He always claimed he shot only in self defense. He was killed in El Paso, 1895. (1970)
Where it stands
30.91138, -94.89341 · Directions
More markers nearby
- William Barnett Hardin — steps away
- Moscow — 3.9 mi
- Texas Statesman William Pettus Hobby — 4.0 mi
- Town of Corrigan — 7.2 mi