In the so-called wild west shooting anyone in the back, even a criminal, got you a rope necktie.
The shots in the back are not a problem, for the reasons that Branca goes in to in the linked piece.
In the wild west days reporters fabricated and embellished their stories as bad if not worse than they do today. Which is why Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven is one of my favorite westerns. The Duck of Death LOL, and so many more awesome one liners
“In the so-called wild west shooting anyone in the back, even a criminal, got you a rope necktie.”
Not big on real history, eh?