Chunk Colbert (died January 7, 1874) was an

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 ...

gunman, known for having been killed by noted gunfighter

Clay Allison Robert A. Clay Allison, also known as Clay Allison (September 2, 1841 – July 1, 1887) was a cattle rancher, cattle broker, and sometimes gunfighter of the American Old West. He fought for the Confederate States of America, Confederacy in the ...

. From west

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Colbert had earned a reputation as a "gunfighter". He is said to have killed seven men in Texas,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, 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 ...

. However, the only confirmed killing is that Charles Morris in

Cimarron, New Mexico Cimarron is a Village (United States), village in Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County, New Mexico, United States, which sits on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population was 792 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

, a man he believed was involved romantically with his wife. On January 7, 1874, Colbert and Allison entered the Clifton House, an

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

Colfax County, New Mexico Colfax County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,387. Its county seat is Raton. It is south from the Colorado state line. This county was named for Schuyler Colfax (18231885), seventee ...

. They had finished a friendly quarter-mile horse race. Nevertheless, there was distrust between the men, since Allison was said to have mistreated Colbert's uncle, Zachary Colbert, a ferryman who had tried to overcharge Allison's family when they crossed the Brazos River. In the middle of their meal, Colbert suddenly tried to draw his revolver. However, the barrel struck the table. Allison quickly drew and fired, striking Colbert in the head. Asked why he had accepted a dinner invitation from someone likely try to kill him, Allison replied: "Because I didn't want to send a man to hell on an empty stomach". Colbert was buried in an unmarked

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

behind the ''Clifton House''.

References

Further reading