Joseph Lowe (1845-1899), aka "Rowdy Joe" Lowe, 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 eleme ...

and saloon keeper/owner of the

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

. Although sometimes described as a

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...

, he did not historically fit into that category. Originally from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Lowe and his wife Katherine, aka "Rowdy Kate", moved to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

. The couple relocated to Newton, Kansas in 1871 and opened a tavern and brothel there. Kate sneaked off to a rival brothel in 1872 with a shooter. Joe found out and shot the man. The controversy forced the pair to relocate to the Wichita area where they bought another saloon in Delano, Kansas. This business venture that at first was extremely profitable. On October 27, 1873, Lowe shot and killed fellow saloon owner Edward "Red" Beard after Beard stormed into his saloon shooting at one of Lowe's "girls". Beard hit another girl with one shot, and a patron with another before Lowe shot him. However, after numerous complaints of cheating and under-handed card deals, Lowe's business began to suffer. The couple moved to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where they rode, on occasion, with the Sam Bass gang. The couple began drifting, gambling and occasionally working in saloons in numerous towns of the Old West. On February 11, 1899, Lowe was drunk in the ''Walrus Saloon'' in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He began insulting a man named E.A. Kimmel due to his disapproval of Kimmel being a

policeman A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. Kimmel, knowing Lowe had a reputation as a gunman, drew his pistol shooting and killing Lowe, who turned out to be unarmed. ''The Wichita City Eagle'' tells the story of Rowdy Joe Lowes death being in October 1874. The newspaper reported that Rowdy Joe was attacked by Indians en route to the Black Hills. He was shot by three bullets and instantly died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Joseph 1845 births 1899 deaths People of the American Old West American gamblers Saloonkeepers People from Newton, Kansas

Further reading

References