George McKelvey was a lawman in Charleston, Cochise County, Arizona during the 1880s. He is known for arresting Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce ( Michael O'Rourke) on January 14, 1881 after he killed Tombstone Mill and Mining Company’s chief engineer Phillip Schneider in apparent self-defense. Schneider was well-liked, and residents of Charleston formed an angry mob and threatened to lynch O'Rourke. McKelvey put O'Rourke on a

buckboard A buckboard is a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal. A distinctly American utility vehicle, the buckboard has no springs between the body and the axles. The suspension is provided by the f ...

wagon and hurried towards Tombstone, away, pursued by the angry citizens. Charleston authorities telegraphed Tombstone Marshal

Ben Sippy Ben Sippy was City Marshal of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, from November 12, 1880, to June 6, 1881. He beat out Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp for the office but left under a cloud of financial impropriety. Before arriving in Arizona, Sippy h ...

to let him know that McKelvey was on his way with a prisoner. In an episode that later became famous, McKelvey encountered either

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which l ...

on his way into Tombstone. Various versions of the story differ, but Virgil or Wyatt reportedly put O'Rourke on the back of his horse and escorted him to Vogan’s Saloon. Wyatt, aided by Virgil and Marshal Ben Sippy, stood down the crowd in a nervy display that soon fed his reputation as a fearless lawman. After the mob was calmed down, McKelvey joined a 15-man posse, including Cochise County Deputy Sheriff

Johnny Behan John Harris Behan (October 24, 1844 – June 7, 1912) was an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as Sheriff of Cochise County in the Arizona Territory, during the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and was known for his opposit ...

and Marshal

, who guarded O'Rourke during the ride to Tucson.

References

Lawmen of the American Old West People from Cochise County, Arizona {{US-law-enforcement-bio-stub