the history of any killer's life.

Another Goliad county man well known around San Antonio was Alfred Y.
Allee, who was a rancher a short distance back from the railway. Allee
was decent when sober, but when drunk was very dangerous, and was
recognized as bad and well worth watching. Liquor seemed to transform
him and to make him a bloodthirsty fiend. He had killed several men, one
or two under no provocation whatever and when they were defenseless,
including a porter on a railway train. It was his habit to come to town
and get drunk, then to invite every one to drink with him and take
offense at any refusal. He liked to be "chief" of the drinking place
which he honored with his presence. He once ordered a peaceful citizen
of San Antonio, a friend of the writer, up to drink with him, and when
the latter declined came near shooting him. The man took his drink,
then slipped away and got his shotgun. Perhaps his second thought was
wiser. "What's the use?" he argued with himself. "Somebody'll kill Allee
before long anyhow."

This came quite true, for within the week Allee had run his course. He
dropped down to Laredo and began to "hurrah" that town also. The town
marshal, Joe Bartelow, was a Mexican, but something of a killer himself,
and he resolved to end the Allee disturbances, once for all. It is said
that Allee was not armed when at length they met in a saloon, and it is
said that Bartelow offered his hand in greeting. At once Bartelow threw
his arm around Allee's neck, and with his free hand cut him to death
with a knife. Whether justifiable or not, that was the fashion of the
homicide.

Any man who has killed more than twenty men is in most countries
considered fit to qualify as bad. This test would include the little
human tiger, Tumlinson, of South Texas, who was part of the time an
officer of the law and part of the time an independent killer in Texas.
He had many more than twenty men to his credit, it was said, and his
Mexican wife, smilingly, always said that "Tumlinson never counted
Mexicans." He was a genius with the revolver, and as good a rifle shot
as would often be found. It made no difference to him whether or not a
man was running, for part of his pistol practice was in shooting at a
bottle swinging in the wind from the bough of a tree. Legend goes that
Tumlinson killed his wife and then shot himself dead, taking many
secrets with him. He was bad.

Sam Bass was a noted outlaw and killer in West Texas