"Man Killers at Close Range"
A 125-year-old nonfiction article on Old West outlaws
Jan 06, 2026
This illustrated article was published in Munsey's Magazine's November 1901 edition. Author Charles Michelson (1869-1948) was a Nevada-born journalist, editor and "political publicist," who played an important role in strengthening the Democratic party in the 1930s. He wrote several articles about the Old West and a memoir published in 1944, Ghost Talks.
DownloadMike Cox's Texas Magazine is a reader-supported publication. To read this vintage piece of nonfiction, join a growing list of others as a paid subscriber. As a paid subscriber, you will receive bonus posts not available to free subscribers.
If this article appeals to the reader who wants an expanded version, I recommend a book I just discovered by Dr. George D. Hendricks entitled “The Badman of the West.” Originally published in 1942 when the author was a buck private in the 132nd Field Artillery at Camp Bowie Texas, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Directors Harry Sherman and Dick Dickson bought the rights and many of the western bad-man ideas and themes found their way into movies and television shows. The second edition was published in 1950, shortly before the author received his doctorate from the University of Texas. A third edition, which I have, came out in 1959, bringing the subject up to date and with an expanded bibliography.