Edward T. "Red" Beard, (c. 1828-November 11, 1873) was a

gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...

and saloon keeper of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

Biography

Beard is the son of the man who first settled Beardstown, Illinois. Originally from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Beard settled in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and was for a period a man of wealth, having married well. In 1861 at the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Beard promptly left his life behind and moved west. Traveling through

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

he developed a nasty reputation as being good with a gun, and having a bad temper. By 1873 he had settled in Delano, Kansas, then a bustling town across the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

from

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. He opened a successful saloon which for a time prospered. On October 27, 1873, he became angry with a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

who was in his saloon, but who worked across the street at the saloon owned by "Rowdy Joe" Lowe. He chased the girl outside, shooting at her. After chasing her across the street, still shooting, they entered the Lowe Saloon, where he accidentally shot and wounded a patron and another girl. Lowe opened fire, wounding Beard, who died on November 11.

References

Ed "Red" BeardTihen Notes: 1873 Wichita Eagle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Ed 1873 deaths American gamblers American murder victims People murdered in Kansas People from Sedgwick County, Kansas Deaths by firearm in Kansas Year of birth missing People from Beardstown, Illinois 1873 in Kansas People murdered in 1873