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Sideburns

Town resident of White Rock, Texas in 1872.[1] (September 3, 1832 – June 29, 1878)[2]

A quick-tempered but jovial man, prone to jokes. Nicknamed for his long side whiskers, reminiscent of those of General Ambrose Burnside of Civil War fame.[1]

On June 12, 1872, Sideburns was in a poker game at Fred's Paradise Saloon with the Kid. The Kid had been on a three-day poker spree, losing $3,000 he had stolen from Bret Maverick in Gunsight, Texas. Bret had tracked the Kid more than 150 miles to reclaim his money but he lost his last hand to Sideburns, calling him a cheat. Insulted, Sideburns shot and killed the Kid.[1]

The next day, Sideburns poked fun good-naturedly at Bret for his having gone buggy riding with the ghost of Mary Shane. Not wanting Bret to get the wrong idea about White Rock, he told him not all their womenfolk are so forward, and that Mary Shane was an out-of-town girl. In talking with the sheriff about Bert Nicholson trying to kill Bret, he joked about Bert killing people to drum up new business as undertaker.[1]

When Nicholson was found dead, Sideburns became serious. Assuming Bret had killed him, he was one of the first to talk about lynching him. He helped form a posse to track Bret down after escaping from jail.[1]

After Bret captured Felton, the real killer, recovered the stolen Wells Fargo money and was to come into $3,000 in reward money, Sideburns was quick to forgive Bret, and invited him to spend some of that money in a friendly poker game.[1]

See: Ghost Rider