Search the Encyclopedia Mavericana:   ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Search the Encyclopedia Mavericana:   ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

the Tall Man

Mysterious witness to the Maverick Brothers' gunfight with Jessie Hayden's gunmen in Little Bend, Texas[1] in 1867. (September 2, 1838 – who-knows-when)[2]

Trail West to Fury: On the night of August 11, 1867,[2] Jett and another of Jessie Hayden's hired guns laid in wait in the streets of Little Bend for Bret and Bart Maverick to leave the Cattlemen's Hotel. The Tall Man happened to stroll by just as Jett cocked his rifle behind him. The Tall Man had a chance to shout out a warning, allowing Bret and Bart to take cover.[1]

As the gunfight ensued, the Tall Man had a clear vantage point and called out further warnings as the gunmen fired at the Mavericks. Bret was able to shoot and kill one of the gunmen and Bart was able to kill Jett.[1]

Bart thanked the Tall Man for the warning as other townsfolk rushed to the scene, having heard the gunfire. As the Mavericks explained what had happened, the Tall Man disappeared without confirming the Mavericks' story.[1]

With no other witnesses, Hayden swore in a deposition to the San Saba County Attorney's office the next morning that he had seen the Mavericks kill his men in cold blood. When the Mavericks heard they were being looked for by the Union Army, they left the Miller cattle drive to find out where the Tall Man could have gone. All they could discover was that he left the night before to join a wagon train heading northeast.[1]

Bret trailed the Miller drive while Bart began tracking the Tall Man to bring him back to Little Bend and give his account of the gunfight. But Brother Bret had apparently given Bart false information as to the direction of the wagon train. It took Bart eight days to find the wagons, just as they were being attacked by Comanche. A few wagons escaped, the Tall Man apparently with one of them.[1]

Nearly two months later,[2] Bart was able to track down one of the escaped wagons, only to learn the Tall Man had been with another one, bound for Fort Adobe. By the time he reached the fort, the Tall Man had already left for the Colorado Territory. Bart resumed the hunt, followed by Bret a few days later.[1]

Unable to return to Texas until their names were cleared, the Mavericks hunted for years looking for the Tall Man. The search kept them on the move and forced them to learn to live by their wits, which they came to enjoy. So much so that they grew to hope they might never find the Tall Man. If they did, they might have to finally settle down to ranchers' lives in Little Bend.[1]

Point Blank: In July of 1871,[2] Bret Maverick's on-going search for the Tall Man took him to Prairie Springs,[3] Nebraska.[2] Bret did not find him there, but was run out of town by some angry riders over a matter that Bret didn't have time to clear up. His trail then took him into Bent Forks, where he met Molly Gleason. As the two were getting to know one another, Bret explained to Molly why he had become a drifter. He was looking for a man, but was afraid that if he found him, he would have to stop drifting and settle down.[3]

By 1872, the Mavericks must have either found the Tall Man, or the murder charges against them in Texas were otherwise lifted, because afterwards, they often traveled into and out of Texas with a care in the world.[4] They never did, however, return to work their ranch in Little Bend.[5]