Dallas Stoudenmire (December 11, 1845 – September 18, 1882) was an American
Old West gunfighter and lawman who gained fame for a brief gunfight that was later dubbed the "
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, in El Paso, Texas. Witnesses generally agreed that the incident lasted no more than five seconds after the first gunshot, though a ...
." Stoudenmire had a deadly reputation in his day and was involved in several gunfights.
Early life
Dallas Stoudenmire was born in Aberfoil,
Bullock County
Bullock County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,357. Union Springs was chosen as the county seat in 1867, and presently is the county's only incorporated city. The county was named for Conf ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. He was one of the nine children of Lewis and Elizabeth Stoudenmire. Shortly after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
began, Stoudenmire enlisted in the Army of the
Confederacy, even though he was only 15 years old. Although he was six feet tall, his officers discovered his age and discharged him. He re-enlisted twice more
[NOTE: The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors system reports a Pvt D. Stoudenmire Co F of the 17th Alabama Infantry; and a Pvt D. ''Stowdemire'' Co C, 6th Alabama Cavalry] and eventually was allowed to serve as a private in Company F, 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment. According to surviving records, he stood 6'4" (1.94 m) tall by the war's end and was wounded numerous times.
He carried two bullets in his body for the remainder of his life.
Following the war, Stoudenmire drifted west and served for at least three years with the
Texas Rangers.
He had a reputation for being handsome, a sharp dresser and a gentleman around ladies.
But when intoxicated, he could be extremely dangerous and had a quick temper.
He was known for his habit of wearing two guns and being equally accurate with either hand.
He disappeared from the records between 1874 and 1878, possibly residing in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
for a time. He was able to speak Spanish fairly well, and is known to have worked during the years immediately after the war as a sheep farmer, wheelwright, proprietor, merchandiser, and carpenter.
Career as a lawman
He resurfaced when he served as a town
marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
for
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro (, '' sə-KOR-oh'') is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . In 2010 the population was 9,051. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located south of A ...
.
While employed there, his brother-in-law and
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
resident, Stanley "Doc" Cummings, convinced him to take up a job as town marshal in El Paso.
The city was seeking to hire an outsider with a "rough reputation". At that time, El Paso was a remote, lawless
boomtown
A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...
. Stoudenmire traveled to El Paso by stagecoach and was soon hired.
This was the beginning of the end of a wild and violent El Paso and the beginning of his fame.
Marshal Stoudenmire started his tenure in El Paso on Monday, April 11, 1881.
He was the sixth town marshal in eight months.
The City Council asked him to take the city jail keys from deputy marshal and town drunkard, Bill Johnson. Witnesses alleged that Stoudenmire approached an intoxicated Johnson asking for the jail keys. Johnson mumbled that he would go home and figure out which keys were his and which were the city's. Stoudenmire became impatient and demanded he hand over the keys right away. When Johnson demurred, the marshal is said to have physically turned Johnson upside down, grabbed the keys, and then to have thrown him to the ground. Johnson was publicly humiliated.
Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight
On Thursday, April 14, 1881, only three days into his new job, Stoudenmire became involved in one of the most famous gunfights in Old West history,
called the "
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, in El Paso, Texas. Witnesses generally agreed that the incident lasted no more than five seconds after the first gunshot, though a ...
." This gunfight was well publicized in newspapers in cities as far away as
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
The events began a mile (1.6 km) south, at the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
which divided the U.S. and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Roughly 75 heavily armed
Mexican cowboys galloped into El Paso, looking for two missing young Mexican cowboys, Sánchez and Jauregui, plus thirty cattle stolen from a
ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
just across the river. The missing animals belonged to a wealthy Mexican who hired an armed
posse to recover them.
El Paso County Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
Gus Krempkau Gustav Krempkau (c. 1856 – April 14, 1881) was an El Paso County constable in the late 19th century in El Paso, Texas, during the climax of the "Wild West" era. He died in the Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight, which was overshadowed by the even ...
was asked by the Mexican leader to lead them to a possible location. Krempkau agreed. The bodies of the two missing Mexicans were discovered near Johnny Hale's ranch about northwest of El Paso. Hale was a ranch owner and
cattle rustler
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English ...
.
The bodies were taken back to town. Records indicated that the young Mexican cowboys were searching for the stolen cattle.
Two American cattle rustlers, Peveler and Stevenson, were accused of the murders after they were overheard bragging about killing the two cowboys when they found them trailing the herd to Hale's ranch.
A large crowd gathered in El Paso, including John Hale and his friend, former town marshal
George Campbell. There was animosity and worries among the Americans about the dangerous situation of enraged Mexicans demanding justice for the slain men while being heavily armed within the city limits. Constable Krempkau was fluent in
Spanish and was required to interpret for the
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
at the inquest now held in court. The two Americans were formally charged with the murders and immediately arrested, being scheduled for trial at a later date.
The court was adjourned and the crowd dispersed. The armed Mexicans, now calm, took the two corpses back to Mexico for proper burial.
On April 14, 1881 Constable Krempkau went into a saloon to retrieve his rifle and
pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
.
A confrontation erupted with George Campbell over comments allegedly made by Campbell about Krempkau. A heavily intoxicated John Hale, who was allegedly unarmed and upset by Krempkau's role in the investigation, pulled one of Campbell's two pistols and shot Krempkau. Stoudenmire was eating dinner at a restaurant across the street. Hearing the gunfire, he ran out and started shooting, killing first an innocent Mexican bystander, then Hale.
When Campbell saw Hale drop dead, he tried to stop the fight. However, Krempkau, believing that Campbell had shot him, fired at him before losing consciousness. One of Krempkau's bullets struck Campbell's gun, which broke his wrist and dropped the gun while the other bullet struck his foot. Campbell screamed, but managed to scoop up his gun again. Stoudenmire whirled and fired, killing him.
After the gunfight
This gunfight made Stoudenmire a legend, but it eventually had deadly consequences. Although his reputation as a gunman would continue to grow with later gunfights, he had few friends in El Paso, whereas both Campbell and Hale had had many. Eventually, Stoudenmire stood alone in his own defense of his actions. As often was the case, a shooting being justified meant very little in towns of the Old West, and
vendetta
Vendetta may refer to:
* Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight
Film
* ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke
* ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes
* ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...
s were common.
Three days after the gunfight, on April 17, 1881, James Manning (he and his brothers were friends to Hale and Campbell) convinced former Deputy Marshal Bill Johnson to assassinate Stoudenmire.
Johnson was known to have a profound hatred and grudge against Stoudenmire for publicly humiliating him. That same night, Johnson, heavily intoxicated, squatted behind a large pillar of bricks with a loaded double-barreled shotgun and waited. When he heard the voices of Stoudenmire and his brother-in-law, Stanley "Doc" Cummings, his legs started to wobble and he fell backward, accidentally firing both shells into the air. Stoudenmire quickly pulled out his pistols and fired at Johnson eight times, severing his
testicles
A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...
. Johnson bled to death within a few minutes.
This started a
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
between Stoudenmire and the Mannings.
Within six days of his having started his job as town marshal, Stoudenmire had killed four men, one accidentally. Between the killing of Johnson and the following February, Stoudenmire killed another six men in shootouts during arrests. The city's crime rate dropped dramatically. His reputation, as both a lawman and a gunman, increased.
On February 14, 1882, James Manning killed "Doc" Cummings, supposedly while acting in self-defense after an earlier argument that evening had escalated. Manning claimed that Cummings had pulled his pistol and verbally threatened to kill him outside the saloon when an innocent bystander walked by. Cummings whirled and growled, "Now, are you not one of his friends?" The bystander squealed his innocence, but Cummings allowed him to go provided that he walked with his arms up in the air into the darkness of night. Cummings then turned and realized that Manning had gone back inside the saloon. Cummings entered and again verbally threatened to kill him. Manning left the bar briefly and appeared in the hallway. Armed with his pistols, Manning snapped, "We will settle this for now and all." In an instant, gunfire erupted from both sides. Hit, Cummings staggered out across a wooden sidewalk toppling backward onto the dusty street as he screamed in agony then died.
Manning was
acquitted in a trial attended by a large number of local residents who were friends of the Mannings. This enraged Stoudenmire. Unfortunately for El Paso, Cummings had been the only man able to confront or control Stoudenmire's fierce temper. He began to publicly confront those responsible for James Manning's acquittal and caused many to avoid coming into town or visiting saloons for fear of running into an enraged Stoudenmire.
Despite his prowess and expertise with handguns, and his effectiveness as a lawman, Stoudenmire was still an 'outsider.' He was well respected by the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Marshals.
However, locally, he had several things against him. He was not from El Paso, had no family there other than his own family and his now deceased brother-in-law; the Mannings had been in El Paso longer and had many friends in the general population as well as in high places in the city government. Stoudenmire had only two things in his favor; he had dramatically lowered El Paso's violent crime rate more than any who came before him, and people truly feared him.
On May 27, 1882, the town council announced the firing of Stoudenmire. He walked into the council hall, drunk, and dared them to take his guns or his job. He pulled and twirled his guns and threatened, "I can straddle every God-damned alderman on this council!" They attempted to calm him by telling him he could keep his job. However, after sobering up, he resigned on his own on May 29, 1882 and became a proprietor of the Globe Restaurant, which had formerly belonged to Cummings. He was then appointed Deputy
U.S. Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...
for Western Texas and
New Mexico Territory
The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...
by U.S. Marshal Harrington Lee "Hal" Gosling.
U.S. marshal and death in shoot-out
For a few months, Stoudenmire served well as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. However, the feud was far from over. The Mannings, mainly George "Doc" Manning (d. 1925), James Manning (d. 1915), and Frank Manning (d. 1925), were careful to never confront Stoudenmire alone.
Manning brothers at find a grave
/ref> Despite their hatred of him, he had shown his skill with a gun on several occasions and this made them wary. On one instance, while standing out in the street, a drunken Stoudenmire mocked them, daring them to come outside and fight him. They remained inside a saloon while other residents attempted to convince Stoudenmire to go away and sleep off his intoxication. Eventually he grew tired, called the Mannings cowards, and left.
On September 18, 1882, the Mannings and Stoudenmire met in a local saloon, to make what they would call a "peace treaty" to end the feud. James Manning, believing things were settled, left. Stoudenmire started off saying, "Doc, someone or somebody has been going about telling lies...". Doc replied, "Dallas, you have not kept your word." "Who ever says I have not tells a damn lie," Stoudenmire roared. Manning and Stoudenmire drew their pistols and fired. Stoudenmire's friend tried to push both men, causing Stoudenmire to lose his balance and Doc's bullet hit Stoudenmire in his left arm. A second round barely penetrated Stoudenmire's skin because of papers folded heavily in his shirt pocket. Nonetheless, the second shot knocked Stoudenmire down. As he fell outside the doorway, he pulled one of his pistols with his right hand and shot "Doc" Manning in the arm. As Stoudenmire was firing, James Manning came from behind Stoudenmire and fired two rounds, one hitting a barber's pole, and the other hitting Stoudenmire behind the left ear, killing him. "Doc" Manning then commenced beating the dead man over the head with his own gun, before being restrained by James Manning.
A funeral ceremony for Stoudenmire was held at El Paso Lodge #130 A.F. & A.M. His wife, Isabella, later had his body shipped to Columbus, Texas for burial. All funeral expenses were paid for by the Masonic Lodge. Stoudenmire is buried in the Alleyton Cemetery in Colorado County, Texas.
Afterward
The Mannings stood trial for the murder, but were acquitted, again with a jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...
made up mostly of their friends. They continued to live in El Paso, and soon the killing of Dallas Stoudenmire was all but forgotten. When Assistant City Marshal Thomas Moad was killed while investigating a disturbance at a local brothel on July 11, 1883, Frank Manning was appointed to replace him. He only kept the job temporarily, as he often failed to arrest friends and acquaintances.
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Metz, Leon Claire; 1979. Dallas Stoudenmire: El Paso Marshal. Norman, OK:University of Oklahoma Press. 162 p.
* Denny, W. John; 1956 "A Century of Freemasonry at El Paso". Kessinger Publishing, LLC. 48 p.
Further reading
"The Gunmen of El Paso"
by Skeeter Skelton, ''Shooting Times'' magazine, December 1969
External links
History of the El Paso Police Department
''El Paso Police Department Memoriam''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoudenmire, Dallas
United States Marshals
People from El Paso, Texas
Members of the Texas Ranger Division
Lawmen of the American Old West
Gunslingers of the American Old West
1845 births
1882 deaths
People from Bullock County, Alabama