Posted on 04/14/2025 8:57:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
On April 14, 1881 the rough and tumble boom town of El Paso, Texas was true to its wild reputation as the six-gun capitol of the world.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration. Four Dead in Five Seconds | 16:35
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered
1.53M subscribers | 72,446 views | April 14, 2025
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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <-- 0:00 · of course the Wild West was for the most 0:02 · part not all that wild our entire vision 0:04 · is more skewed by B Westerns and dime 0:07 · novels than reality but like anything 0:09 · else there were times when truth was 0:11 · well more exciting than fiction on April 0:14 · 14th 1881 the rough and tumble boom town 0:18 · of El Paso Texas lived up to its 0:20 · reputation as the six shooter capital of 0:22 · the world in a gunfight that's more 0:24 · exciting than anything you'll find in a 0:27 · in a Hollywood western even if it's not 0:29 · nearly as well remembered as the Okay 0:31 · Corral it is history that deserves to be 0:36 · [Music] 0:39 · remembered the website of the Texas 0:41 · State Historical Association explains 0:43 · "El Paso is at the far western tip of 0:46 · Texas where New Mexico and the Mexican 0:48 · state of Chihuahua meet in a harsh 0:49 · desert environment around the slopes of 0:51 · Mount Franklin on the Rio Grand which 0:53 · has often been compared to the Nile as 0:56 · they approached the Rio Grand from the 0:57 · south Spaniards in the 16th century 0:59 · viewed two mountain ranges rising out of 1:01 · the desert with a deep chasm between the 1:03 · site they named El Paso delort the pass 1:06 · of the north the future location of two 1:08 · border cities Kaidoarez on the south or 1:11 · right bank of the Rio Grand and El Paso 1:13 · Texas on the opposite side of the river 1:16 · the border was established by the treaty 1:18 · of Guadalupe Hidalgo making quite war a 1:21 · border town in 1850 a small settlement 1:23 · called Franklin on the north side of the 1:25 · river became what the Texas State 1:26 · Historical Association calls the nucleus 1:28 · of El Paso Texas and El Paso County was 1:31 · established in March the town however 1:34 · remained quite small the city of El Paso 1:36 · was incorporated in 1873 but in 1876 the 1:39 · city council was disbanded because of 1:41 · lack of interest wild West historian 1:44 · Fred Eaged in 1982 that prior to the 1:46 · arrival of the railroad the town 1:47 · population was just some 500 and 1:49 · Mexicans far outnumbered Anglo the 1:52 · proximity to the border was a point of 1:54 · tension in 1877 a conflict over the 1:56 · possession of salt lakes at the bottom 1:58 · of the Guadalupe Mountains turned into a 2:00 · conflict between Mexicans and Anglo 2:02 · resulting in a score of deaths including 2:04 · the murder of a district judge the 2:06 · border tensions would continue as was 2:08 · often the case in the American West the 2:10 · coming of the railroad in 1881 2:12 · transformed the community as the state 2:14 · historical association explains most 2:16 · authorities agree that the arrival of 2:17 · the railroads in 1881 and 1882 was the 2:20 · single most significant event in El Paso 2:22 · history as it transformed a sleepy dusty 2:24 · little adobe village of several hundred 2:26 · inhabitants into a flourishing frontier 2:29 · community eagloff writes that by 1880 2:31 · the population had increased to 700 and 2:33 · doubled over the course of the year the 2:36 · boom brought however lawlessness rather 2:38 · than civilization the Cincinnati 2:39 · Inquirer reported in April of 1881 2:42 · "Regarding the point of maintaining 2:44 · order we saw yesterday a letter from Mr 2:46 · eh Cowing a former resident of Wyoming 2:48 · written from El Paso on the 15th which 2:50 · states "We have been here but three days 2:53 · and there have been 12 men killed in 2:54 · that time i saw four shot yesterday 2:57 · there's an army of desperados following 2:58 · the railroad construction that are the 3:00 · worst daredevils in the world." Ryan 3:03 · Heiser explained in Borderlands a 3:05 · publication of El Paso Community College 3:07 · el Paso for a time was nothing more than 3:09 · a lawless boom town riddled with crime 3:11 · of all sorts with gambling and 3:12 · prostitution as the epicenter of 3:14 · business in the town infamously known as 3:16 · the six shooter capital the murder rate 3:19 · was astonishingly high almost out of 3:21 · control part of the issue was the lack 3:23 · of presence of law enforcement as a 2001 3:25 · issue of Borderlands writes El Paso 3:27 · became a safe haven for all kinds of 3:29 · criminals refugees from both Mexico and 3:31 · the United States hid there since the 3:33 · closest sheriff's office was over 15 3:35 · miles away and Texas Ranger showed up 3:37 · only now and then nearby Fort Bliss had 3:39 · its hands full protecting settlers from 3:41 · Indians attempts to bring the 3:43 · lawlessness under control were well 3:45 · inconsistent the town council seemed for 3:47 · some time unsure whether to embrace the 3:49 · opportunities offered by the influx of 3:51 · gambling and prostitution or to try to 3:53 · take control of the town in the interest 3:54 · of encouraging future investment a step 3:57 · towards order was taken in July of 1880 3:59 · with the election of the first city 4:01 · marshal John B tayes who had been a 4:03 · Texas Ranger who participated in the 4:05 · assault war eagle Offer said he received 4:07 · no salary was expected to live off his 4:09 · share of fines assessed against 4:11 · offenders he arrested he served as 4:13 · marshall from July to October 1880 but 4:15 · his tenure came to an end owing to a 4:17 · pothole the El Paso Museum of History 4:19 · explains "It was poor city engineering 4:21 · that cost him his job as marshall ta had 4:23 · attempted to fill a particularly large 4:25 · street pothole with town garbage and the 4:28 · results were less than desirable in the 4:29 · city council's eyes he was replaced by 4:32 · his assistant AI Stevens who lasted just 4:34 · a month before being relieved for 4:36 · dereliction of 4:38 · duty stevens was replaced by George 4:41 · Campbell campbell had been a deputy 4:42 · sheriff in Klay County in North Texas 4:45 · came to El Paso in November of 1880 in 4:47 · anticipation of the arrival of the 4:48 · railroad where I explained he felt he 4:51 · could get in on the ground floor and 4:53 · build a prosperous future of Campbell's 4:55 · tenure historian Eugene Cunningham wrote 4:57 · in 1982 "Nothing has ever been said that 5:00 · would put doubt on his personal bravery 5:02 · but he was a gravely handicapped for his 5:04 · impartial execution of a policeman's 5:06 · duties." By a close friendship which is 5:08 · known as the sporting crowd like many 5:11 · other policemen in this condition 5:12 · Campbell found it very difficult to 5:14 · police the town and make justified 5:15 · arrest without treading the toes of his 5:17 · friends or which is always worse the 5:19 · friends of his friends but that is not 5:22 · what would lead to the resignation of 5:23 · the town's third marshall in as many 5:25 · months igluff places the blame at the 5:27 · foot of El Paso's mayor a prosperous 5:29 · businessman named Sman Schultz who had a 5:32 · reputation for taking advantage where he 5:34 · could igluff writes "The mayor was 5:36 · evidently using a similar technique on 5:38 · his city marshals he would paint a 5:39 · glowing picture of the position and the 5:41 · opportunities it offered but he would 5:43 · not provide pay." The Ashland 5:46 · Independent reported he made many 5:48 · arrests and always without harshness or 5:50 · use of any arms the mayor however being 5:52 · a merchant made his office subservient 5:53 · to his business and either would not 5:55 · fine a Mexican or make the fine very 5:58 · light because it was courting their 5:59 · trade and so likewise with the Americans 6:02 · this was of course a problem as Marshall 6:04 · Cunningham depended upon a percentage of 6:05 · fines as his salary also speculates that 6:08 · Schulz expected Campbell to supplement 6:10 · his income by shaking down gamblers and 6:12 · prostitutes something that he was too 6:14 · upright to do in any case the problem 6:17 · led to a confrontation between Campbell 6:19 · and the city council cunningham writes 6:21 · in his turn Campbell had a complaint he 6:23 · thought that the arduous duties of city 6:25 · marshall were worth a good deal more 6:26 · than the council paid him he demanded a 6:29 · raise in his salary and the council took 6:30 · this as an excellent excuse for 6:32 · dispensing with his services campbell 6:35 · resigned at the end of December 6:37 · this brought up an interesting issue the 6:39 · position now devolved upon Campbell's 6:41 · assistant one Bill Johnson who Eagle 6:43 · describes as having a badly crippled arm 6:45 · and was known as the town drunk 6:48 · cunningham writes "So Bill Johnson was 6:50 · brought in and informed that he was city 6:51 · marshal prom that he would thereafter 6:54 · walk and act and drink as such he seems 6:56 · to have received the elevation very 6:58 · modestly not to say indifferently 7:00 · certainly it made no difference in his 7:02 · conduct what came next is a matter of 7:04 · dispute igloff writes that the impending 7:06 · resignation of the marshall set the town 7:08 · up for what was probably the wildest new 7:10 · year ever recorded in any town in the 7:12 · Wild West word leaked out and was 7:15 · intentionally passed around that there 7:16 · would be no law enforcement on January 7:18 · 1st 7:20 · 1881 cunningham faults Campbell's 7:22 · friends but Campbell's friends were 7:24 · annoyed by his deposition he had been 7:26 · the sort of city marshal to completely 7:27 · suit them and anyone could see that Bill 7:29 · Johnson was not apt to hold the office 7:30 · very long if he should be replaced by a 7:33 · stranger well it could easily prove 7:35 · inconvenient so get Campbell back his 7:37 · job was the cry the plan Cunningham 7:40 · explains was to show to city council 7:41 · what a wicked town El Paso had come to 7:43 · be how necessary it was that some strong 7:45 · hand grip the reigns how desirable that 7:48 · George Campbell be reinstated at the 7:50 · higher salary that he had demanded 7:52 · whether by a plot of Campbell's friends 7:54 · or simply the lack of law enforcement 7:56 · pandemonium Cunningham writes broke 7:58 · loose eigloff writes that within an hour 8:01 · or two into 1881 all hell broke loose in 8:03 · El Paso the downtown section was lit up 8:05 · with gun flashes cuttingham writes 8:08 · "Windows were smashed and doors were 8:09 · splintered and property in general 8:11 · pretty thoroughly wrecked." Eagleof 8:13 · notes that they placed market attention 8:14 · in their pistol practice on his honor 8:16 · the mayor's store and private residence 8:19 · while the falling out between the mayor 8:20 · and Campbell continued eventually 8:22 · leading to Campbell threatening to shoot 8:23 · the mayor and the mayor filling out a 8:25 · warrant for his arrest the town called 8:27 · on the help of attachment of Texas 8:29 · Rangers to bring order but it was only a 8:31 · temporary solution cunningham writes 8:32 · "Rangers could only be used in such a 8:34 · capacity for no more than an emergency 8:36 · the town needed a marshall." On January 8:39 · 16th they hired a man named Ed Copeland 8:41 · with a wage of $50 a month and $40 for a 8:45 · deputy this seemed to be an insult to 8:47 · Campbell as it proved that the council 8:48 · could indeed afford to pay the marshall 8:50 · a wage but the council also included an 8:52 · ordinance that the marshall had to post 8:53 · a performance bond of $500 copud was 8:56 · apparently unable to and was dismissed 8:59 · with little option the council confirmed 9:00 · Johnson again as Marshall but the 9:02 · council was looking for someone else 9:04 · someone who was without the connections 9:05 · that some insisted had resulted in bias 9:07 · by Campbell cunningham writes "The stage 9:10 · came in from New Mexico bringing a 9:12 · blonde six-footer with chin like a great 9:14 · ruffune oak 9:16 · block." Dallas Studenmire was born in 9:18 · Alabama and though underage had served 9:20 · with Confederacy in the Civil War the 9:22 · Texas State Historical Association 9:24 · writes "He arrived in Columbus Texas 9:26 · about 1867 and repeatedly killed several 9:28 · men for a while in January 1874 he was a 9:32 · second sergeant in JR Waller's Company A 9:34 · of the Texas Rangers he then lived 9:36 · briefly in the panhandle before serving 9:38 · a stent as marshall of Sakuro New Mexico 9:41 · weer writes that his brother-in-law and 9:43 · El Paso Texas resident Stanley Doc 9:45 · Cummings convinced student to accept the 9:47 · job position a town marshal of El Paso 9:51 · he presented himself to the town council 9:53 · where Cunningham explains even more 9:55 · impressive than his record was the 9:56 · presence of the man himself he was 9:58 · lionlike as his blue eyes turned slowly 10:00 · from one to another of the council suden 10:03 · Meyer was hired while he was associated 10:05 · with several weapons including a cult 10:07 · revolver that had a saw-off barrel for 10:10 · concealment he was known to carry two 10:12 · nickelplated Smith and Wesson 44 caliber 10:14 · pistols that he drew from his trouser 10:16 · pockets which he had lined with leather 10:17 · for a quick draw thus he was called the 10:20 · two gun marshall his appointment would 10:23 · lead to confrontation quickly the 10:25 · council sent the new marshall to collect 10:26 · the keys from Johnson but Johnson proved 10:28 · uncooperative weiser writes "According 10:30 · to nearby witnesses testimonies Stude 10:33 · Meer approached and asked the 10:34 · intoxicated Johnson for the keys the 10:36 · drunk mumbled that he had to go home to 10:38 · figure out which keys were his and which 10:39 · were the cities an impatient Stude again 10:42 · demanded the keys though Johnson 10:44 · continued his delay living up to his 10:46 · tough and uncompromising reputation 10:48 · Stude Meer physically turned Johnson 10:50 · upside down and personally retrieve the 10:52 · keys himself leaving the drunken former 10:54 · deputy marshal publicly humiliated the 10:57 · website Legends of America notes 10:59 · Studenmire was wasting no time living up 11:01 · to his formidable 11:02 · reputation meanwhile more trouble was 11:04 · brewing the bodies of two Mexicans were 11:07 · discovered near a ranch outside of town 11:09 · apparently the two had been tracking men 11:10 · who had stolen cattle when they were 11:12 · killed a local rancher named Johnny Hail 11:14 · a suspected rustler was suspected hail 11:17 · was part of the sporting crowd a friend 11:19 · of George Campbell and was brought in by 11:21 · the Texas Rangers and a posy of some 75 11:24 · Mexicans was allowed into town a deputy 11:26 · sheriff and former US marshal named Gus 11:28 · Crimcow was brought in to translate 11:30 · during the ensuing 11:31 · inquest during a recess Hail confronted 11:34 · Crimcow the exact situation was well 11:36 · confusing the Galveastston Texas Daily 11:39 · News reported that John Hail who is said 11:41 · to be a bad man when under the influence 11:42 · of liquor made an unsuccessful attempt 11:44 · to intimidate the new marshall Mr 11:46 · stommyer who entered on duty today hail 11:50 · fired at Crimall a policeman and killed 11:52 · him grim call firing at the same time at 11:54 · Hail and wounding him student Meyer then 11:56 · killed Hail and a Mexican accidentally 11:58 · with the same shot gw Campbell a friend 12:00 · of Hail attempted to draw his pistol and 12:02 · was mortally wounded by the Marshall but 12:05 · to underline the confusion the news also 12:07 · offered another account saying that the 12:09 · conflict was because a dispute arose 12:11 · about those armed Mexicans between GW 12:13 · Campbell John Hail and Crimall a 12:15 · policeman hail covered Crimall and 12:18 · shooting commenced hail shot Grim Call 12:20 · and the Marshall shot Hail and a Mexican 12:22 · accidentally he also shot Campbell the 12:24 · San Francisco Chronicle reported that 12:26 · the fight was the result of a conflict 12:28 · between Americans and the Mexicans the 12:30 · row became general and the bullets flew 12:32 · thick during the melee John Hall 12:34 · mistaking one Krempton for a Mexican 12:36 · shot and instantly killed him and was 12:37 · himself shot by an American the town 12:39 · marshal having tried unsuccessfully to 12:41 · quell the disturbance took part himself 12:42 · and fatally wounded one Campbell and a 12:45 · Mexican 12:46 · the Deadwood South Dakota Pioneer Times 12:48 · wrote yet another account hail fired and 12:50 · killed John Crympton a policeman who 12:52 · fired at the same time and wounding the 12:53 · new elected Marshall Studenmire and 12:55 · killing Hail and a Mexican bystander 12:57 · with the same shot george Campbell a 12:59 · friend of Hales attempted to draw his 13:01 · pistol and was mortally wounded by 13:02 · Marshall Studenmire 13:04 · there is disagreement still today over 13:06 · the exact sequence of events but it is 13:08 · clear that Hail fatally shot Kimaw 13:10 · although some accounts have him being 13:11 · drunk and using one of Cample's pistols 13:13 · and Student Meer running towards the 13:15 · sound of the shots shot Hail and an 13:17 · innocent bystander and then he killed 13:19 · the former marshal George Campbell 13:21 · exactly why is not clear eagle writes 13:23 · based on Campbell's own account that 13:25 · Student Meer first shot Campbell in the 13:27 · arm and then shot a mortal wound as 13:28 · Campbell tried to draw his revolver 13:31 · cunningham writes that Campbell had 13:32 · drawn his revolver and backed away 13:34 · saying "This is not my fight." And 13:35 · Student Meer seeing him with his gun out 13:37 · shot legends of America writes that Crim 13:40 · mortally wounded shot Campbell in the 13:41 · wrist and toe and Student Meer saying 13:43 · Crimcow shooting assumed that he had 13:45 · been shot by Campbell and responded 13:47 · several accounts say that Campbell shot 13:48 · four times in the stomach cried "You big 13:51 · son of a [ __ ] you murdered me." Hail 13:53 · and the unnamed Mexican bystander were 13:55 · dead campbell and KMCO mortally wounded 13:58 · died shortly after legends of America 14:00 · writes "Four men laid dead in less than 14:02 · five seconds in a near comic opera gun 14:05 · battle." The gunfight was well 14:06 · publicized in newspapers and cities as 14:08 · far away as San Francisco and New York 14:10 · City and made Student Meer a legend the 14:13 · confusing fight became known as the four 14:15 · dead in 5 Seconds gunfight the gunfight 14:19 · was certainly proof that the Wild West 14:20 · could be quite violent especially in a 14:22 · boom town like El Paso where rapid 14:24 · growth brought all sorts of social 14:26 · conflict and order was slow to establish 14:28 · the conflict would go on the drunk 14:30 · Johnson tried to get revenge against 14:32 · Student Meer ambushing him with a double 14:34 · barrel shotgun and proving what a town 14:36 · drunk he was by missing with both 14:38 · barrels he was killed by Student Meer 14:40 · but Stude Meer was then killed a year 14:42 · later by another member of the sporting 14:44 · crowd who was exonerated by a jury made 14:46 · up mostly of his own friends who were 14:48 · the good guys and who were the bad guys 14:50 · it's not really clear igloff and 14:52 · Cunningham disagree over George Campbell 14:54 · with Cunningham describing him as a 14:56 · crony of criminals while Eigloff 14:59 · describes him as an honest lawman who 15:01 · was given a raw deal some describe 15:04 · Studen Meyer as a stout lawman who 15:06 · brought order to lawless El Paso others 15:08 · describe him as a tyrant who terrorized 15:11 · the city meanwhile none of these names 15:13 · are nearly as well known as Wyatt Herp 15:15 · or Doc Holliday or Batmasterson and 15:18 · certainly the conflict was not nearly as 15:20 · well known as Billy the Kids Lincoln 15:22 · County War and the gunfight not nearly 15:24 · as well known as the Okay Corral heck 15:26 · it's never even been portrayed in film 15:29 · in the end the four men killed in 5 15:31 · Seconds gunfight is little more than a 15:33 · footnote in the sorted history of the 15:36 · Wild 15:37 · West i hope you enjoyed watching this 15:40 · episode of The History Guy and if you 15:42 · did please feel free to like and 15:43 · subscribe and share the history guide 15:45 · with your friends and if you also 15:47 · believe that history deserves to be 15:48 · remembered then you can support the 15:50 · history guy as a member on YouTube a 15:52 · supporter on our community at locals or 15:55 · as a patron on Patreon you can also 15:57 · check out our great merchandise shop or 15:59 · book a special message from the history 16:01 · guy on Cameo 16:13 · [Music] 16:24 · [Applause] 16:30 · [Applause] 16:32 · [Music]
“...1881 ... very few images of the actual event are available...”
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No kidding?
Nope no kiddin- there just weren’t that many quick draw artists to paint the scenes lol
I don’t really like that movie, but I often put the disk in and just watch that whole scene. “My mistake.” I laugh every time.
Photography does go back well before this, but the exposure time would be the issue, also, expense. It’s not like now. There’d be sixty poor quality phone videos of the five second shootout, with about sixty minutes of poor-me weepy selfie reactions to the event. :^)
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/el-paso-gunfight/
Street in El Paso, Texas, 1888
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ElPasoStreet-1888.jpg
Dallas Stoudemire
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Dallas-Stoudemire-500.jpg
whoops.
Street in El Paso, Texas, 1888
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ElPasoStreet-1888-280.jpg
Lol, yep. And all the video shall and put of focus lol
Also, by now there’d be a TikTok challenge to vid oneself in a shootout in El Paso.
Lol. There was a farside cartoon where a man is challenging a notorious gunfighter, and someone in the crowd yells out “don’t be a fool billy”, to the challenger who has no arms
Frank Gallop - The Ballad Of Irving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZXkrqBQH9I
Great song!
“Well, finally Irving got three slugs in the belly
It was right outside the Frontier Deli
He was sittin’ there twirlin’ his gun around
And butterfingers Irving gunned himself down!”
Oddly enough, I’m sure there’s a slightly different version, because on the Demento show, the line was “He came from the big Bar Mitzvah spread, schlepping a salami and pumpernickel bread.” It’s not there in this version.
the 142nd fasted gun... in the west.
we used to listen to dr demento- thoguht it was the coolest radio show around- had a number of songs that wouldn’t be allowed on air today because liberals have had their funny bones surgically removed
Good theme song too. :^) Dr D wrote the liner notes in Kottke’s “The Best” LP, was good friend of John Fahey, which must have been challenging.
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