Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight
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The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is a historic gunfight that occurred at approximately 6pm[[Citing sourcescitation needed]] on April 14, 1881, on El Paso Street in El Paso, Texas in which four men were killed in a small timescale.
The gunfight has, in the minds of most, since been overshadowed by events at the O.K. Corral which occurred in October 1881.
Background
The events leading up to the gunfight seem to have started with around 75 Mexicans riding into El Paso looking for two young vaqueros who had been killed. The mercenaries, paid by a wealthy Mexican ranch owner, were looking for two missing farm hands, Sanchez and Juarez[[Citing sourcescitation needed]], and 30 of his cattle. Ben Schucter, the mayor of El Paso, had made an exception for the Mexicans, enabling them to enter the city limits with their guns.
A constable named Gus Krempkau, at the request of the Mexican posse, accompanied the Mexicans to the ranch of Johnny Hale, a local ranch owner and known cattle rustler, whose ranch was some 13 miles northwest of El Paso in the Upper Valley. The bodies of the two Mexicans were found in an outbuilding of Hale's ranch, and the corpses were transported back to El Paso [link].
The court in El Paso held an inquest into the deaths of the men where the Camino Real Hotel stands today, Constable Krempkau, being fluent in Spanish, was required to act as an interpreter to the Mexicans.
Verdict of the Inquest
The verdict was that the two Mexicans, Sanchez and Juarez, were in that vicinity of Hale's ranch in an attempt to locate 30 stolen Mexican cattle. The court determined that the American cattle rustlers, among them Hale, feared the deceased were acting as scouts and would alert the larger Mexican group to their location. It was determined that two American cattle rustlers ambushed the 2 Mexicans during the night of April 13 or in the early morning of 14th.
Around late morning, a sizeable crowd gathered to watch this proceedings. The residents were nervous and anxious, by a large group of belligerent and heavily armed Mexicans being armed within the city limits. [link]. As the court adjourned, the crowd dispersed and the Mexicans straddled onto their horses and quietly returned to Mexico transporting the two bodies for burial.
The crowd included a former El Paso marshal, George Campbell, and his friend, John Hale. Campbell insulted Krempkau for sympathizing with the Mexicans and allowing the arrest of Hale's two friends for murder, which was angered by Krempkau's support for the Mexicans over his friend Hale.
Shooting begins
Hale, allegedly intoxicated by liquor, grabbed one of Campbell's two revolvers (a 6-shot pistol) from his holster and shot Krempkau, but Krempkau managed to pull his pistol and fired at Campbell, striking Campbell twice-once in the wrist and once in the foot-before bleeding to death.
The newly appointed El Paso marshal, Dallas Stoudenmire, a 36 year old gun-fighter who had 'considerable' talents fighting on both sides of the justice system [link], heard the gun shots and rose from his luncheon at a nearby restaurant, withdrawing two .44 Smith and Wesson pistols.
Bloodbath
Stoudenmire began firing towards Hale, but J. A. Ochoa, a college-educated Mexican, having nowhere to hide since the businesses along El Paso Street had begun to close after the first gunshot, ran up the street towards Hale in an attempt to find shelter and was hit and killed by Stoudenmire.
Hale had hidden behind an adobe pillar as Stoudenmire ran up the street towards him, and, as Hale peeked out to look at the erupting incident, Stoudenmire's deadly aim shot him dead. (The location of the fatal wound is of some debate-some believe Stoudenmire hit Hale between the eyes, but others report a shot in the forehead.)
Stoudenmire whirled and shot at Campbell, inflicting a fatal wound to his stomach, after which Campbell screamed, dropped his pistol and toppled reportedly yelling "you big son of a bitch, you murdered me!" [[Citing sourcescitation needed]]. Then the El Paso Street fell silence as the gunsmoke drifted away.
Aftermath
After a mere 5 seconds, four men lied dead: Hale killed Krempkau, who managed to wound Campbell twice before dying. Stoudenmire then killed Ochoa, an innocent Mexican bystander whilst aiming for Hale, before killing Hale with a shot to the head. Campbell was then mortally wounded in the abdomen by Stoudenmire. The unarmed Mexican didn't fire any shots.
The Aldermen and the city of El Paso showed their appreciation and presented Marshal Stoudenmire with a gold capped cane and a gold badge engraved "Marshal, El Paso, TX." .
See also
References
External links
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