Loving was born in Jackson County, Missouri, and later moved with his family to Texas, where his father died in the early 1870s.
Loving began to frequent the Long Branch Saloon, where he became associated with other well-known gamblers, gunmen, and lawmen, such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Charlie Bassett.
Suddenly, Richardson said loudly, "You wouldn't fight anything you damned son of a bitch", to which Loving said calmly, "Try me and see.
On April 7, 1879, a coroner's inquest ruled the shooting was self defense, and Loving was released without charges.
The Globe, a local newspaper, wrote: "It seemed strange that Loving was not hit, except for a slight scratch on the hand, as the two men were so close together that their pistols almost touched each other."
[citation needed] Following the gunfight, Loving left Mattie and his children to travel the country as a gambler.
On April 15, 1882, an argument over a game of cards subsequently led to Frank Loving and John Allen drawing their pistols on one another in the center of Main Street.
The next morning, however, Loving entered the Imperial Saloon, where Allen worked, with a pistol in hand.
Loving responded by firing back at Allen, which also missed, but set the saloon patrons scrambling for the door.
Allen, who used another man as a shield, wildly fired his gun several times at Loving as he searched for his revolver.
Loving found his pistol and emptied it at Allen as he ran out the rear door into the alley behind the saloon.
All his shots missed the fleeing Allen, who immediately took refuge a few doors down in Hammond's Hardware Store.
Masterson and a local city marshal, Lou Kreeger, found Frank Loving badly wounded.