In 1862, Luke Short witnessed first-hand his father's being ambushed and attacked by Comanches in their yard. His father was surrounded by the Indians, who wounded him with arrows and lances. Inside the house, Luke, who was a little boy at that time, helped the elder Short by dragging a large rifle to his brother, who then ran and handed it to his father. At the age of 13, Luke was said to have carved the face of a bully when he was still at school, which was a reason why he and his father moved to Forth Worth, Texas.