Buster Scruggs (1819-1873), nicknamed "the San Saba Songbird", was an American gambler, musician, and outlaw from Reata Pass, San Saba County, Texas. He was famous as a singing gunslinger who was feared for his incredible speed and accuracy, but he was outdrawn and killed in a duel with "The Kid" in Frenchman's Gulch in April 1873.
Biography[]
Scruggs' wanted poster
Buster Scruggs was born in Reata Pass, San Saba County, Texas, and he was nicknamed "the San Saba Songbird" for his musical talent. Despite his pleasant demeanor and his habit of singing songs with his guitar while riding his horse Dan, he was feared for his skill at drawing his six-shooter pistol quickly and shooting it accurately. By April 1873, he was wanted for several shooting incidents, most of which occurred when other men cheated at poker and were challenged and killed in duels by the singing gunslinger.
In April 1873, while riding at high noon from the unruly town of Medicine Hat , he entered a small, remote cantina in Mexican Hat, Utah (next to Monument Valley) and killed five men in rapid succession after he angered the outlaw Jasper Roberson with his four drinking mates, shooting the bartender Oscar Ortega as he attempted to reach for his shotgun (J. Stevens & Co. double-barreled shotgun). Scruggs used his long Colt Single Action Army "Artillery .45" model revolver, with lacquered wooden grips, from his single-holster studded leather belt, which he named "Lucky". The bartender was enacting "Maine laws" from the Temperance Movement that put bans on alcohol sales in many parts of the country. The Prohibition Party of 1869 and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of 1874 led such efforts, laying the groundwork for the national Prohibition Law of 1919 plus Women's Suffrage y 1920s.
He later headed into the town of Frenchman's Gulch, Arizona to gamble, but when he sat at a table with Surly Joe to pick up a hand of cards, he found that he had been dealt the unlucky "Dead Man's Hand." Scruggs attempted to leave, but Joe insisted, "You've seen 'em, you play 'em." Scruggs then refused, causing Joe to stand up with a pistol (Long Colt Single Action Army 7 1/2" Cavalry model .45) and threaten to shoot Scruggs. Scruggs, who had checked in his guns (a pair of nickel-plated, pearl-gripped Remington Double Derringer .41 R.F) at the door as per house policy, said that Joe was violating both the policy and local norms, and, when Joe cocked the gun, Scruggs kicked a plank on the table to knock Joe's arm backwards and cause him to accidentally shoot himself in the head three times, killing him. Scruggs then sang a celebratory song about Joe's death, and he was joined by the saloon's patrons.
The number was interrupted when Joe's brother Jimmy Townley entered the bar and found his brother dead, thus challenging Scruggs to a duel outside. He wielded a long Colt Single Action Army 7 1/2" Cavalry model .45 revolver. Scruggs shot off all five of Townley's right-hand fingers before shooting him dead from over his shoulder with the help of a mirror. Before he could sing another song about his triumph, he noticed a figure riding into town while playing a harmonica. He introduced himself as "The Kid" and politely challenged Scruggs to a duel. The Kid, with shoulder holsters of two long Colt .45 revolvers, outdrew Scruggs and shot him through the hat, with the bullet entering his forehead and killing him.
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