There's Always a Trail by Louis L'Amour

Author:Louis L'Amour [L'Amour, Louis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-12-12T06:26:04.390000+00:00

HISTORICAL NOTE

'THE CARLISLE-KING FIGHT

When the wild towns of the Old West are listed it i s always Abilene, Dodge City, Deadwood and Tombston e that are mentioned, and rarely Los Angeles.

Yet California in its early years was second only to Texa s in the number of cattle roaming its thousands of hills, an d the vaqueros who handled those cattle numbered amon g them some of the finest riders and ropers the country wa s to see.

The most noted gun battle of Los Angeles's early year s took place on July 6, 1865, when Bob Carlisle shot it ou t with the King brothers at the old Bella Union Hotel.

On the afternoon of the previous day Carlisle had word s with Under-Sheriff A. J. King over the investigation of th e murder of John Rains, Carlisle's brother-in-law. The dis c ussion ended with Carlisle using a Bowie knife on King , and during the argument he was supposed to have sai d that he could kill all the Kings.

Carlisle was a big, strikingly handsome man who ha d proved both his nerve and his skill with weapons on mor e than one occasion. As the son-in-law of Col. Isaac William s and owner of the Chino Ranch of some 46,000 acres, h e was a prominent citizen.

On the day following the di ff iculty between Carlisle an d A. J. King, and just as the stage pulled up before the Bell a Union, Frank and Houston King, brothers of A. J., wer e passing by and glimpsed Bob Carlisle through the ope n B00K.

Carlisle apparently saw them at the same time, and on e of the Kings said, "There's Carlisle now. Let's go see if h e means it."

As the King brothers approached the door, firing began.

Carlisle's first bullet killed Frank King, but Houston Kin g emptied his gun into Carlisle, putting four bullets withi n four inches of Carlisle's navel. Carlisle went down, the n started to get up, and Houston rushed him, breaking hi s now empty pistol over Carlisle's head.

Pushing himself up against the wall, Carlisle gripped hi s six-shooter with both hands and shot Houston King throug h the body. Carried to a billiard table, Bob Carlisle died a short time later. Houston King survived the shooting an d was tried for killing Carlisle, but acquitted.

Harris Newmark, a prominent citizen, came on th e scene as the shooting ended, and has told the story in hi s memoirs, as has Frank King, former cowley and write r who was the son of Houston King. There are several othe r accounts.

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