John Ringo, King of the Cowboys: His Life and Times from the Hoo Doo War to TombstoneFew names in the lore of western gunmen are as recognizable. Few lives of the most notorious are as little known. Romanticized and made legendary, John Ringo fought and killed for what he believed was right. As a teenager, Ringo was rushed into sudden adulthood when his father was killed tragically in the midst of the family's overland trek to California. As a young man he became embroiled in the blood feud turbulence of post-Reconstruction Texas. The Mason County “Hoo Doo” War in Texas began as a war over range rights, but it swiftly deteriorated into blood vengeance and spiraled out of control as the body count rose. In this charnel house Ringo gained a reputation as a dangerous gunfighter and man killer. He was proclaimed throughout the state as a daring leader, a desperate man, and a champion of the feud. Following incarceration for his role in the feud, Ringo was elected as a lawman in Mason County, the epicenter of the feud’s origin. The reputation he earned in Texas, further inflated by his willingness to shoot it out with Victorio’s raiders during a deadly confrontation in New Mexico, preceded him to Tombstone in territorial Arizona. Ringo became immersed in the area’s partisan politics and factionalized violence. A champion of the largely Democratic ranchers, Ringo would become known as a leader of one of these elements, the Cowboys. He ran at bloody, tragic odds with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, finally being part of the posse that hounded these fugitives from Arizona. In the end, Ringo died mysteriously in the Arizona desert, his death welcomed by some, mourned by others, wrongly claimed by a few. Initially published in 1996, John Ringo has been updated to a second edition with much new information researched and uncovered by David Johnson and other Ringo researchers. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 9 | |
| 17 | |
| 25 | |
Chapter 5 Mrs Mary Ringo Proprietress | 35 |
Chapter 6 The people he fell in with were fighters | 44 |
Chapter 7 backshooting border scum and thieves | 54 |
Chapter 8 The mob has been operating some | 63 |
Chapter 17 a killer and professional cutthroat | 165 |
Chapter 18 armed with a Henry side | 176 |
Chapter 19 the sympathy of the border people seems to be with them | 190 |
Chapter 20 desperate and dangerous | 205 |
Chapter 21 we have seen that he lied | 216 |
Chapter 22 Ringo the cowboy leader | 226 |
Chapter 23 Blood will surely come | 236 |
Chapter 24 his band of questionable repute | 245 |
Chapter 9 Hell has broke loose up here | 74 |
Chapter 10 alias Long John | 87 |
Chapter 11 State of Texas vs John Ringo | 98 |
Chapter 12 brave and fearless | 109 |
Chapter 13 disrupting a young economy | 119 |
Chapter 14 and a stray cat | 130 |
Chapter 15 as well known as Satan himself | 140 |
Chapter 16 John R Godalmighty | 153 |
Chapter 25 Many friends will mourn him | 256 |
Chapter 26 bitter and conspiratorial silence | 268 |
Appendix 1 | 279 |
Appendix 2 | 281 |
Endnotes | 283 |
| 332 | |
| 351 | |
Other editions - View all
John Ringo, King of the Cowboys: His Life and Times from the Hoo Doo War to ... David Johnson No preview available - 2017 |
John Ringo, King of the Cowboys: His Life and Times from the Hoo Doo War to ... David Johnson No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Apache April arrested August Austin Baccus Baird Behan Billy born Breakenridge brothers Burnet County California camp Census charged Charles citizens Clark Clum Cochise County Courtesy cowboys Curly Bill Cushing Dake December deputy died District Court Records Doc Holliday Earp Legend Erwin Faris February Frank Gamel gang Gatto Gladden Gunfighter Hereafter cited Hoo Doo horse Ibid Ike Clanton Indians jail James January John Ringo Johnson Journal July June killed later Llano County Loyal Valley March married Marshal Martin Ringo Mary Mason County Mattie McLaury McMaster Mexican Mexico Missouri Morgan Earp murder NOLA Quarterly November October Olney outlaws party Peter Ringo Pima County pistol posse raid ranch Real Earp reported Ringo family robbery Roberts San Jose San Simon Scott Cooley September Sheriff Sherman McMaster shooting shot Stilwell Tefertiller Texas Ranger Texas State Archives Tombstone Daily Epitaph Tombstone Daily Nugget Tucson Virgil Earp Wayne County William Wyatt Earp