In the turbulent times of the Old West, one name stood out among the legends of gunmen and outlaws: Clay Allison. Known for his violence and shooting skills, Allison gained a reputation as the deadliest gunman of his time. In this article, we dive into the life of Clay Allison, uncover the man behind the legend, and unravel the mysteries of the Old West’s deadliest gunman.
Robert Allen Clay Allison, commonly known as Clay Allison, was born on September 2nd, 1841, in Waynesboro, Tennessee. He was the fourth of nine children born to Jeremiah and Mariah Brown Allison. His father was a Presbyterian minister who raised cattle and sheep to feed the family.
Unfortunately, Clay’s father passed away when he was only five years old. Known for his temper from an early age, Clay Allison became increasingly prone to anger as an adult.
As a young man, Clay worked hard on the family farm. However, when Clay was 21 years old, the outbreak of the Civil War prompted him to quickly enlist in Confederate forces. Thus, he joined the Tennessee Light Artillery Division on October 15th, 1861.
However, after a three-month period, he was discharged from the hospital due to a previous head injury that interfered with his ability to continue serving.
On September 22nd, 1862, Allison enlisted again, this time in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, under the leadership of the famous Confederate Commander General Nathan Bedford Forrest. With the nickname “Saddle Mage,” along with his men, Allison surrendered in Gainesville, Alabama, on May 4th, 1865, marking the climax of the war. After a brief stint as prisoners of war, Allison and his comrades were paroled on May 10th and allowed to return home.
Upon returning to civilian life, Allison found himself entangled in various conflicts before deciding to leave Tennessee for Texas. A commonly recounted incident involved a Corporal from the Third Illinois Cavalry Federation arriving at the Allison Family Farm with the intention of gaining control. Reacting quickly, Clay took his gun from the closet and calmly dispatched the Confederate soldier.
Settling in for a while, Clay Allison immersed himself in learning how to raise cattle and quickly became a skilled cowherd. In 1866, he contracted with Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving to accompany them on the famous Goodnight Trail that spanned Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. By about 1867, Clay was the trail master for M.
L. Dalton. He then worked alongside his brother-in-law Lewis Coleman and Irvin W.
Lacy, both respected figures in the livestock industry.
The Allison Brothers quickly integrated into the social circles of Cimarron and Elizabeth Town, establishing lasting friendships with cowboys and ranchers. However, law enforcement had yet to establish a solid presence in these newly established settlements, leading to the noisy behavior of drunken cowboys who would participate in shootings and street terror. Local pubs and casinos were once gathering places for these unruly individuals, where they would commit acts of vandalism such as bombarding lamps, lanterns, mirrors, and glasses.
Also, they were happy to make newcomers dance when shots hit them in the leg.
In the fall of 1870, Clay Allison made an indelible impression on the residents of Elizabeth Town because of his irritable and violent nature. Charles Kennedy, suspected of murdering and robbing overnight guests in his secluded cabin on the Palo Fado Pass, was being held in Elizabeth Town prison. It was there that Clay, along with several accomplices, broke into the prison, put a rope around Kennedy’s neck, and mercilessly dragged him across the town’s Main Street on horseback.
Allison then decapitated Kennedy, preserving his severed head in a sack as he traveled 29 miles to Cimarron. In a macabre performance, Allison crashed the head into the fence in front of Lambert’s Inn, later known as the St. James Hotel.
On April 30th, 1871, Allison, along with two other individuals, allegedly stole more than ten government mules belonging to the Confederate Fort Commander General Gordon Granger.
In the fall of the same year, he attempted a similar event, but when faced with soldiers rushing into the corral, Allison accidentally opened fire, wounding himself in the leg. Seeking refuge along the Red River, the group of thieves hid. It was there that Allison sent his friend Davey Crockett, a descendant of the famous American border guard, to find Dr.
Longwell from Cimarron. Although Clay received medical attention, the injury left him limping for the rest of his life.
After some time, Clay met and married Dora Mulla, a woman much younger than him. After getting married, Allison ran into a man who had caught his attention: Mace Bowman. One evening at Lambert’s Inn, a conversation about Wild Bill Hickok took place.
Allison expressed his belief that although Hickok was very fast, he thought that he was even faster. However, Bowman, who made an exception to this statement, suggested betting a gallon of whiskey.
In the middle of the room, they paced back and forth away from the wall and then back again. Before Allison could pull the gun out of his holster, Mace quickly aimed his pistol at Clay’s chest, taking him by surprise and forcing him to pay Bowman’s bet. Later, the two drank together, with Bowman sharing his gun trick with Allison.
On January 7th, 1874, Allison killed a notorious gunman named Chunk Colbert, who had come to the area to seek to confront him. Some speculate that Colbert harbored the illusion of being invincible, willing to engage in a gunfight with anyone, including Clay. Others believe his motives stemmed from a desire for revenge, as his uncle Zachary Colbert was killed in a river collision caused by Allison nine years earlier.
It was rumored that Colbert had killed six men in Texas and boasted that Clay would be his seventh victim. Concealing his true intentions, Colbert managed to locate Allison, and the two men continued to spend most of their day drinking, gambling, and participating in horse races. Later that evening, Colbert invited Allison to dinner at the Clifton House, and Clay accepted.
Sensing the danger of possible trouble, Clay remained wary, but their conversation seemed friendly as they sat down to enjoy a hearty meal in front of them. Once seated, Colbert discreetly placed the gun on his lap while Allison placed his own on the table. When the meal was over, Colbert suddenly reached for the gun under the table and was about to shoot Allison.
However, his barrel hit the dinner table, allowing Allison to quickly pull out his own revolver. He fired one shot, hitting Colbert in the head.
When asked about his decision to dine with his enemies, Clay replied with a witty comment: “Because I didn’t want to send a man to Hell on an empty stomach.” Colbert was later buried in an unmarked grave behind the Clifton House. Allison’s reputation as a gunman grew, as did his notoriety.
In March 1877, Clay Allison decided to sell his farm to his brother John. He moved to Sedalia, Missouri, and eventually settled in Hayes City, Kansas, as a cattle broker. When he first came to Dodge City, Kansas, for business, his reputation preceded him.
Dodge City is known as a bustling cattle town, and it just so happens to be where Wyatt Earp is serving as deputy sheriff.
There are several versions of the story of the showdown. Some claim that Allison and his men ravaged Dodge City, causing Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson to flee in fear. Others, including Wyatt Earp himself, suggested that Earp, along with Masterson, put pressure on Allison, forcing him to leave.
The most plausible account of the incident, as recorded by the famous Pinkerton detective agent Charles Siringo and supported by eyewitness testimony, showed that Allison was confronted by a tavern manager and another herder who asked him to leave, with little or no contact with Wyatt Earp.
Allison maintained his farm from 1880 to 1883 along with his brothers John and Jeremiah. Their ranch was 12 miles northeast of Mobeetie, Texas, at the confluence of the Washita River and Gageby Creek, in what was then Wheeler County, Texas. One story from the time told of Allison drunkenly riding through Mobeetie naked, screaming loudly, wearing only a holster and revolver.
Unlike most gunmen of the time, Allison, at 45 years old, did not die in a single shot or at the end of a hanging noose. He was carrying a supply wagon when the wagon changed course and a sack of grain fell from it. Allison fell off the wagon trying to catch it, and a wheel ran over him and broke his neck.
Clay Allison was buried at Pecos Cemetery the day after his death, with a large crowd attending his funeral.
In a special ceremony held on August 28th, 1975, Clay Allison’s remains were reburied in Pecos Park, just west of the Pecos Museum. His life remains a fascinating chapter in the history of the American West, a story of violence, skill, and the harsh realities of a frontier era where a man’s reputation with a gun could define his entire existence.
