"It was the hat killed him!"

While researching Wild West gunfighters for my next book, I've come across some great stories. One was told by Captain Bill McDonald, a Texas Ranger active from 1891 to 1907. He was famous for his tenacity at hunting down criminals and for his cool head in a gunfight. Once, though, an opponent got the drop on him. He was south of the border and facing a bandido just as experienced as he was.

McDonald related in the book Triggernometry: "I was all ready to grab a pitchfork. He had that split-second advantage because he seen me before I seen him. I had an idee, and it was my only chance. I caught hold of my John B. with my left hand. I flipped it off and across the three yards between us. I was going for my gun all time, of course. And he flinched! He drove a bullet into the ceilin' a d had to take aim ag'in. Me, I was in no such fix. It was the hat killed him!"

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.