Sandy King (1852? – November 9, 1881) was an outlaw of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, and a member of the loosely knit gang the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

Cochise County Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city is ...

, Arizona Territory, during the period when the outlaws clashed with deputy U.S. Marshal

Virgil Earp Virgil Walter Earp (July 18, 1843 – October 19, 1905) was both deputy U.S. Marshal and Tombstone, Arizona City Marshal when he led his younger brothers Wyatt and Morgan, and Doc Holliday, in a confrontation with outlaw Cowboys at the Gu ...

in Tombstone and the resulting

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between law enforcement officer, lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cochise County Cowboys, Cowboys that occurred at about 3: ...

on October 26, 1881.

Outlaw life

King is believed to have been born in either

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. He became associated with the Clantons in the Arizona Territory as well as other outlaws of the day involved in

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

and cattle rustling. About 1879, King became close friends with "Russian Bill" Tattenbaum another member of the Cowboy gang. In early 1881, about the time when tensions between the Earps and the Clantons reached the boiling point, King left Tombstone. Tattenbaum followed him, and the two stole cattle near

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, New Mexico Territory, now a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

. A

vigilance committee A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order or exercise power through violence in places where they considered governmental structures or actions inadequate. A form of vigilantism and often a more stru ...

in Shakespeare was organized to combat rustlers and other outlaws. In early November 1881, King was arrested after shooting and wounding a storekeeper following a dispute. He was arrested by well-known lawman "Dangerous Dan" Tucker for stealing cattle. On November 9, 1881, Tucker captured Tattenbaum and charged him with cattle rustling. The vigilance committee held a mock trial at the Grant Hotel and found both men guilty of rustling and for being a "general nuisance". They were sentenced to be

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

that same day. "Russian Bill" begged for his life to be spared, and King argued that there were many who had committed the same crimes but who had not been hanged. However, the vigilance committee was unyielding, the two were

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

together. Their bodies were left hanging for days as a warning to other outlaws. Prior to the hanging, King asked for a glass of water, stating "My throat is sore after talking so much to save my life".

Portrayal on television

The actor Luke Halpin offers a sympathetic portrayal of Sandy King as the youngest member of the

Curly Bill Brocius William Brocius (c. 1845 – March 24, 1882), better known as Curly Bill Brocius, was an American gunman, rustler and an outlaw Cowboy in the Cochise County area of the Arizona Territory during the late 1870s and early 1880s. His name is like ...

gang in the 1968 episode "A Mule ... Like the Army's Mule" of the syndicated

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', hosted by Robert Taylor. Robert Yuro plays Curly Bill, and

Sam Melville Samuel Joseph Melville (born Samuel Joseph Grossman, 1934 – September 13, 1971), was the principal conspirator and bomb setter in the 1969 bombings of eight government and commercial office buildings in New York City. Melville cited his opposi ...

was cast as Army Lt. Jason Beal, who befriended King.

References

External links

Sandy King, OutlawSandy King, Arrested by "Dangerous Dan"Shakespeare, Ghost Town History"Dangerous Dan" Tucker
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Sandy Outlaws of the American Old West 1850s births 1881 deaths Cochise County conflict People from Hidalgo County, New Mexico Cowboys