Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight

The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight was a famous gun fight that occurred on April 14, 1881 on El Paso Street, El Paso, Texas. Witnesses generally agreed that the incident lasted no more than five seconds after the first gunshot, though a few would insist it was at least ten seconds. Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire accounted for three of the four fatalities with his twin .44 caliber Colt revolvers.

Background

On the day of the gunfight, a posse of about 75 heavily armed Mexicans galloped into El Paso looking for two missing vaqueros named Sanchez and Juarique, who had been searching for 30 head of stolen cattle. Ben Schucter, mayor of El Paso, made an exception for the Mexicans, allowing them to enter the city limits with their firearms. Gus Krempkau, an El Paso County Constable, accompanied the posse to the ranch of Johnny Hale, a local ranch owner and suspected cattle rustler, who lived some 13 miles northwest of El Paso in the Upper Valley. The corpses of the two missing men were located near Hale's ranch and were carried back to El Paso.

A court in El Paso held an inquest into the deaths, with Constable Krempkau, who was fluent in Spanish, acting as an interpreter. The verdict was that Sanchez and Juarique had been in the vicinity of Hale's ranch looking for the stolen cattle. The court determined that the American cattle rustlers, among them Hale, had feared that the men would discover the cattle and return with a larger force. Two American cattle rustlers, Pervey and Fredericks, were accused of the murders of Sanchez and Juarique after they were overheard bragging about killing two cowboys when they found them trailing the herd to Hale's ranch during the night of April 13 or in the early morning of the 14th.

Meanwhile, a large crowd had gathered in El Paso, including John Hale and his friend, former town Marshal George Campbell. There was tension between some of the Americans, concerned about the Mexicans being heavily armed within the city, and the Mexicans, who wanted justice for their two murdered comrades. At the inquest, Pervey and Fredericks were formally charged with the murders and immediately arrested. The court was adjourned and the crowd dispersed. They were scheduled for trial at a later date. The Mexicans rode quietly back to Mexico with the bodies.

The gunfight

Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire, a noted gunman who had only started as town marshal on April 11, was present in the court room. After the court adjourned, he walked across the street for dinner. Constable Krempkau went to a saloon next door to retrieve his rifle and pistol. There, a confrontation took place with George Campbell over remarks allegedly made by Campbell about Krempkau’s translations and his apparent friendship with the Mexicans. John Hale, who was reportedly unarmed, was heavily intoxicated and was also upset with Krempkau’s involvement in the matter. Hale grabbed one of Campbell's two pistols and yelled, "George, I've got you covered!" He then shot Krempkau, who reeled backward. Slumping against a saloon door, Krempkau drew his own pistol.

Marshal Stoudenmire heard the shot. Jumping up from his dining chair at the Globe Restaurant and pulling out his pistols, he ran out into the street. While running, Stoudenmire fired once, wildly, killing Ochoa, an innocent college-educated Mexican bystander, who was running for cover. Quickly sobering up, John Hale jumped behind a thick adobe pillar, but as he peered out from behind it, Stoudenmire shot him between the eyes, killing him instantly.

Campbell stepped from cover with his pistol drawn, saw Hale topple down, and yelled to Stoudenmire that it wasn't his fight. Constable Krempkau, mistakenly believing that Campbell had shot him, then fired his pistol twice at Campbell before losing consciousness. The first bullet struck Campbell's gun and broke his right wrist, while the second hit him in the foot. Campbell screamed and scooped up his gun from the ground with his left hand. Stoudenmire whirled and fired. Campbell dropped his gun again, grabbed his stomach and toppled to the ground. Stoudenmire walked slowly toward Campbell and glared down at him. In agony, Campbell yelled, "You big son of a bitch! You murdered me!" Stoudenmire said nothing. Both Campbell and Krempkau died within minutes.

After just a few seconds, four men lay dead or dying. Three Texas Rangers were standing nearby, but did not take part, saying later that they felt Stoudenmire had the situation well in hand.

Aftermath

Three days after the gunfight, on April 17, 1881, James Manning, a friend of Hale and Campbell, convinced former deputy Bill Johnson to assassinate Stoudenmire. Stoudenmire had publicly humiliated Johnson days before. Late at night of April 17, an intoxicated Johnson was hiding behind a pillar of bricks, but his wobbly legs gave in and he fell backward squeezing double triggers of his double barrel shotgun into the air which narrowly missed Stoudenmire. Stoudenmire immediately fired his Colts and sent eight volleys of bullets at Johnson, shooting off his testicles. Johnson bled to death quickly.

This began a feud between Stoudenmire and Manning and his brothers. Eventually, first Stoudenmire's brother-in-law Stanley "Doc" Cummings and later Stoudenmire himself died at the hands of the Mannings, who were acquitted in two trials in which the juries were packed with their friends.

See also

• O.K. Corral

References

Metz, Leon Claire. 1979. Dallas Stoudenmire: El Paso Marshal. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. 162 p.

External links

• El Paso Times article documenting the event
• El Paso local community history project site
• http://www.elpasotexas.gov/police/history_stoudenmire.asp
• http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/borderlands/20_stoudenmire.htm
• http://www.darkcanyon.net/gunmen_of_el_paso.htm
• http://mmt.osu-okmulgee.edu/~jaustin/web/destination/index.html