One-Armed Bandit to perform at Bullfights

The Chickasaw Nation announces the World Championship Rodeo Bullfight Finals and Concert to be held in the Pontotoc County Agri-plex in Ada. Eight-time Specialty Act of the Year John Payne “The One Armed Bandit” will be on hand Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, with his award-winning act. John S. Payne, the notorious “One Arm Bandit,” was born to a rancher in the oil-rich town of Shidler, Okla., April 4, 1953. On June 12, 1973, after grabbing a hot wire, 7,200 volts of electricity ran through his body for 10 seconds. With fingers nearly burned off, Payne fell 25 feet. His intestines were exposed and his left thigh burned to the bone. Payne received CPR and spent the next five weeks in the Tulsa burn center. He checked himself out of the hospital and started breaking a horse he had bought during his time in the hospital. Ranch life with four brothers taught Payne to “Get out of the way or get run over” and “Get tough or Die.”...read more