Luke Lamar Short (January22, 1854September8, 1893) was an American Old West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter, and saloon owner. He survived numerous gunfights, the most famous of which were against Charlie Storms in Tombstone, Arizona Territory and against Jim Courtright in Fort Worth, Texas. Short had business interests in three of the best-known saloons in the Old West: the Oriental in Tombstone, the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, and the White Elephant in Fort Worth. Early life Short was born in Polk County, Arkansas, in January 1854. He was the fifth child of Josiah Washington Short (February2, 1812February8, 1890) and his wife Hetty Brumley (February2, 1826November30, 1908). Short had nine siblings. The family soon moved to Montague County, Texas. In 1862, Luke Short witnessed first-hand his father's being ambushed and attacked by Comanches in their yard. His father was surrounded by the Indians, who wounded him with arrows and lances. Inside the house, Luke, who was a little boy at that time, helped the elder Short by dragging a large rifle to his brother, who then ran and handed it to his father. At the age of 13, Luke was said to have carved the face of a bully when he was still at school, which was a reason why he and his father moved to Fort Worth. In 1869, at age 15, Short started work as a cowboy, which he continued through 1875, and during which he made several trips to the Kansas railheads. Short was reported by Bat Masterson to have killed six drunken Sioux Indians at various times. Later writers have relied on Masterson's story as truthful and added to it, but no documentation of these killings has been found. Nonetheless, Short had been in over 30 engagements fighting Indians while working for the government. His first Indian fight was in 1869. While working as a scout for General George Crook in 1876, he was stationed in the Black Hills during the Sioux insurrection. While conducting one of his usual scouting expeditions for the army, a band of 15 Indians suddenly ambushed and fired at him with rifles. Short managed to draw his pistols and fired back, killing three of them in quick succession. Some of the Indians gave chase on horseback, and Short killed two of them before finally reaching safety. From October6 to8, 1878, Short worked as a dispatch