The Ten Eycke Chronicles
The Return to Tombstone
THE KILLING OF JOHNNY RINGO
By
G.C. Stevens
Ted (Ten) Eycke approx. 1880
Foreword
Giving Credit where credit is due.
The Ten Eyck chronicles is the first in a series of semi-fiction articles that will seek to tell the stories of the old west through the eyes of Ted (Ten) Eycke, a character who first appeared in the book Vendetta written by author Glenn Boyer. Ten Eycke was described by Boyer as a literary device, or perhaps a pseudonym of an informant or source of information that was working in the background to supply Boyer with information about historic events, peoples and places of the Old West. The names and the places mentioned in the Ten Eyck Chronicles are fictional and non-fictional and in no way implies anything specific to incidents or people who may or may not have existed during the wild west period.
RETURN TO TOMBSTONE
Ted knew plenty of regulars around the area who walked on both sides of the law, and for some reason, they liked talking to Ted. He had a way about him that seemed to get folks to drop their guard. Perhaps it was that he didn't really take sides in Tombstone, even though most everyone between Tucson and Bisbee Arizona did at one time or another. And according to people that knew the lawman family of the Earps, Johnny Ringo, the last hold out of the Cow-boy gang of Tombstone still held power around the mining town. Most folks around the area, including some Pima County lawman told Ted in firm words, that the Earps had won a major battle in Tombstone and Cochise County, but essentially lost the war. Virgil Earp seriously wounded by assassins bullet had moved on, Morgan was shot dead and Wyatt Headed out on a grand adventure, and God only knows where he ended up. But truth be known. He left town with a real prize, with a lady called Saddie, who apparently didn't like being called by that name. But none the less, the dark desert around Tombstone to the Dragoon Mountains was back in the hands of the lawless. The brigands of the deserts still held sway over cattle rustling and stagecoach robbery. The red-sash Cow-boys gangs and been slowed down some by the Earps, but nothing really changed. When Ted had first come to Tombstone during the Earp days. he had met some of the famed outlaws of the region like Curley Bill Brocious and Ike Clanton. In a way, he like Brocious, but had nothing but contempt for Ike Clanton. All things considered. Ted had pretty fair insight into people, and his dislike for Ike was well founded. For Ike was pure hellcat trouble in Tombstone. But the one former red-sash cow-boy that was worst than Ike Clanton, was Johnny Ringo.
It seemed that Ringo was always involved trouble. when two American rustlers, by the names of Elijah and Pete Backus, were dragged from the Mason jail, in Mason County Texas, and lynched by a predominantly German mob. Full-blown war called the Mason county war fired up on May 13, 1875, when Tim Williamson was arrested by a hostile posse and murdered by a German farmer named Peter "Bad Man" Bader. Johnny Ringo, and his friends started a terror campaign against their rivals. Officials called it the "Mason County War" But locally it was called the "Hoodoo War". Ringo along with other outlaws retaliated by killing local German ex-deputy sheriff John Worley, then taking his scalp and tossing his body down a well on August 10, 1875. But this was just the tip of the iceberg for Johnny Ringo. And now with most of the Cow-boy gang gone, Johnny had less competition in hills and arroyos around Tombstone.
Morning dawned bright and clear on in Tombstone, Ted walked down the street and was once again refamiliarized with the sound of boots and spurs on the wooden walkways of Tombstone. He located a good stout cup of coffee to start his day, and walked over to the Tombstone Epitaph. As he walked up to the newspaper building, he heard someone call his name, and at first Ted had a bit of a start, he had actually worried about running into Ringo, and had Johhny on his mind as he drifted off to sleep on the previous night. But he immediately recognized the man calling him as Sam Purdy, who he knew from the Earp days in Tombstone. "Sam, good to see you!" Said Ted.. Purdy, smiled and shook Teds hand and asked Ted why he was back in Tombstone? Ted really didn't have a straight answer, perhaps it was the fair weather, or the adrenaline of a good gun fight, or a follow up news story about a post OK corral Tombstone? But then Sam asked Ted, "Are you looking for work?, I could use a good writer like you on the Epitaph right now." Ted, surprised asked Sam, "Your in charge of the Epitaph, what happened to John Clum?" Sam explained, "John left along with Wyatt and Josie (Saddie), he knew his life wasn't worth a plugged nickel in Tombstone after they attempted to kill him on the stagecoach bound for Benson a few months back." But then without any hesitation, "sure Sam.. I sure am interested. " Ted replied. "Well damnation Ted.. Lets talk about it replied Sam" Sam and Ted sat in the rear of the Epitaph and Sam began to explain the situation about what had happened around Tombstone since October of 81.
Things had cooled down for a while in Tombstone, but then rumors about Ringo were swirling around the area, and other rumors about a gang operating in Bisbee were circulating too. Sam had deep suspicions about Ringo being involved, and Ted believed that Sam was probably right. There were other lawman, and Johnny Behan was Sheriff of Cochise county, but everyone knew that old Johnny was corrupt as hell, and had a big hand in supporting the Cow-boys crime spree in Tombstone for a long time, though Behan got himself in trouble for taking a bigger piece of the Tombstone pie than he was entitled to. He was still around in Tombstone, but democrat Johnny wasn't going to upset the old apple cart. The gambling, prostitution and cattle rustling was still a lucrative business for some people around town. But the ghost of the Earp, Behan and the cow-boy rivalry still hung heavy in the air. And the grave site of the Clanton's and McClaury's was more a shrine than a grave in Boot Hill cemetery... That fact spoke volumes about peoples alliances around Tombstone.
Sam and Ted walked out of the Epitaph and were about to bid each other farewell, when they heard a group of riders come into town and there was some shouting and yelling down the street, they walked closer to see what the commotion was about, and Sam pointed to a man saddled up on a dark horse, and said "Thats Clay Hollister."
Clay Hollister (Pseudo) Courtesy of Emory Cantey
Hollister was appointed Sheriff of Tombstone and Cochise County, Arizona after Wyatt and Virgil Earp left Tombstone, and after Johnny Behan had been arrested for corruption. Hollister was hand picked by certain Republican politicians in Tombstone after the OK Corral debacle. By all accounts, he was an honest, law-abiding sheriff who unlike other regional lawman, like Johnny Behan, had a different idea of frontier justice. His ideas abided by due process and an attempt to keep the peace. He often confronted Cochise County outlaws. Hollister had also occasionally clashed with the town's Democratic leadership, including Mayor Fred Donolon.
He also settled disputes between saloon owners such as J.C. Homer who was a newcomer to Tombstone, who had formed a quick friendships with certain members of the local democrat gentry. In fact, Sam also explained, that Hollister had also rescued his friend Harris Claibourne, his assistant Editor of the Tombstone Epitaph from a duel with the French gambler and gunman Peter de Morence by getting the drop on De Morence before the situation could get out of hand. It was a bright moment in dark times.
Sam approached Hollister, and called “Clay, what in Sam Hill is all the commotion?" "Clay nodded, ...Sam, robbery on the stage to Bisbee, three outlaws, shot a man on the stage. One of them was said to be Johnny Ringo. We're getting up a posse to go find them. They got the strong box, and fleeced the passengers. The man who got shot must have disagreed. They got about five thousand in gold in the box, probably headed to the Dragoons, or maybe towards the Mexican border "
Hollister mounted up with three other men, Bob Wrangle, Will Johnson and another lawman who had worked with Johnny Behan, Billy Breckinridge. Ted never really trusted Breckinridge, he at one time had mixed alliances with the Cow-boy gang. But in Tombstone, blurred lines were not uncommon. When the posse rode out of Tombstone, It was well past 2:00PM and that made the first day of the chase short. Ted watched s the posse faded off into the distance just south Tombstone. The sky clouded up and it began to rain, though in the desert, most of the rain never made to the ground and the air smelled like a boiling pot as the water cooked off.
courtesy Emory Cantey
Bob Wrangle
Will Johnson
Four days had passed and Ted heard that Sheriff Hollister had returned to Tombstone empty handed. He found no surprise in that, as he knew from the Earp days, that desperadoes frequently eluded lawman, and if Johnny Ringo was leading them, then the outlaws knew how to elude the lawman. Ted was interested in the new Lawman in town Clay Hollister, considering the past track record of other Lawman who had attempted to tame Tombstone had fared. Marshall Ben Sippy had fled Tombstone before the Earp brothers tried, and the Earps were as tough as they come, and even they were eventually murdered out of Tombstone by the democrat-criminal factions of the desert.
Ted had decided to have a good talk with Hollister, he strolled over the Marshalls office and rapped on the door and walked in. Hollister was a handsome man who stood nearly six foot with piercing blue eyes, a mustache and partial beard. He was well dressed and armed with a Colt .44. Clay upon seeing Ted immediatly stood up and extended his hand to Ted, saying "Ted, I've heard a lot about you from Sam and other locals, its a pleasure to meet you. I've also read your works in the Epitaph too, can I get ya a cup of coffee?" Ted smiled back at Clay, "Sure coffee sound like a daisy!" Said Ted. "So what can I do fer ya asked Clay?" Ted explained, "well I wanted to get to know you better, especially after being here during the Earp days. I got to know Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Quite well, and I was just wondering how you have fared since being chosen to be the law in this old gun-town?" Clay unraveled his story for Ted; "Its not that much harder than the war, I was with an Illinois regiment of Infantry from Crawford County Illinois, the 54th, my folks came from South Carolina, my father was in the war of 1812, I joined the union Army in 62, got sent down to Vicksburg for the big siege there, and then down to Arkansas to guard the rail lines down there from the rebels. Then one day in August of 65, Joe Shelby showed up with five thousand screami'n rebels and five artillery pieces at a place called DuVall's Bluff's. We were fight'n from behind hay bales and logs when Shelby's rebels over ran us. I got shot in the leg by confederate horse soldier and ended up a prisoner of war, and I swear to the all mighty that I've seen some of my former confederate captors here Tombstone, so compared to the war, I fared well. What about you Ted, what brought you back to Tombstone?" Ted smiled, and replied; "Hell it wasn't a pretty a lady... Call it unfinished business, or maybe boredom, maybe New York is too civil?" They both laughed, but Ted had a nagging sense of an unresolved wrong in his mind. After he left Tombstone, he thought of the Earps, Josephines and Wyatts vendetta ride often. Ted also often wondered what Wyatt must have gone through in his head. Wyatt was a tough man, but even hard men have regrets. Ted wondered how long that he would stay in Tombstone now, and in many ways, he did not even know why he returned. But it wasn't until early July when he was on his way back from a trip to Tucson, He saw some men gathered in Benson, and looked like roughs, but one of them was an Indian that he was pretty sure that he recognized. Then he heard one of his comrades call out his name "Chato"... Ted knew him, Chato Villareal, a half Apache half Mexican who was a scout for John Clum when he was the Indian Agent at the San Carlos reservation, Villareal was Clum's favorite scout and Chato was close to Clum... But why was he here?
Chato Villareal, Apache Scout, (Pseudo)
Ted realized that Chato and his comrades were loading a pack mule, but not for prospecting mission, it looked like guns and food. Had Chato turned outlaw? Three days later, Ted would have a partial answer to his curiosity when he saw Chato briefly in Tombstone, but he was riding out of town and not back towards Benson. No sooner did the suspicious group breach the horizon, when Sherriff Clay rode up to the steps of the room that Ted was staying in. "Ted... I just got a message from Sherriff Bob Paul over in Tucson, something is going on. There was three or four men that were in town that last couple of days and... " He was interrupted by Ted who finished his sentence... Who said, "And one of them was Chato Villareal." Clay surprised... Asked Ted how he knew this. He explained that he had known of Chato from his days as an Apache Scout for John Clum. And a damn good one at that. When other Apache Scouts were stripped of their appointments and remanded to San Carlos reservation, Chato fled and went on his own. He was half Mexican; the government had no control over him. But Bob Paul's message warned of another problem that had the possibility of creating more hostilities in Cochise County. It seems that someone had a plan to kill Johnny Ringo. How Paul found out is anyone's guess, but Paul also said that Ringo was heading to the Chiricahuas. Clay told ted he was going to head of town on his own to track the group. Ted knew that tracking this group alone was a bad idea and that it might be best if he went with him, just in case that encountered Chato and his group. Ted agreed. They saddled up, took extra rations, weapons and ammunition, and headed south and began to look for their trail. About a half a day from Tombstone, they found a trail. The evidence on the trail told Ted and Clay, that the Trail had turned to the east, and added at least four more riders to the group. Both Ted and Clay suspected that the group was heading towards Galeyville in the Chiricahuas, for it was there that Johnny Ringo could probably be found. They followed the trail for another day when they found that part of the group had split off, but most of the group continued east. Those they followed the bigger trail. Ted had pondered the situation, who and why would anyone want to track and kill Ringo? The answers were pretty obvious in one sense, but the most obvious one was about the vendetta ride of Wyatt Earp. Everyone else had been killed from the red-sash cow-by gang except Ringo. And Johhny had a big hand in creating Helldorado, and killing and maiming Wyatt's brothers. But the trail now pointed towards Turkey Creek.
The country where Turkey West Turkey Creek itself leaves the foothills is broken and rocky. The creek has a rocky bottom. The country is relatively open for a few miles, and the creek is bordered by Cottonwoods and Sycamores.
Clay scouted out ahead and returned to where Ted waiting on the other side of a large rock outcropping. "They're just over the ridge" Clay said. "Four riders, well-armed. I don't recognize any of them, but two of them are dressed like Mexicans, sombreros and ponchos, but I could see that they are white men." Then Ted and Clay heard a bullet whiz by them, followed by the crack of a rifle. Then a second round followed. Both took cover. But Clay told Ted," We'd both be dead now if the meant it" They never saw the shooter, but they stayed under cover for a while until they felt safe to emerge from their protection. Both Ted and Clay climbed the ridge to see if the group of riders were still there. they were not. By the marks seen on the trail, the group had obviously known that they had been spotted and into two groups and fled in opposite directions. Clay knew it was a ruse. But also knew that both he and Ted could be in greater danger. Clay was an experienced combat soldier; Ted was a newspaper man. Clay knew it was best to turn back to Tombstone, as knew that whoever these men were, they had both he and Ted outgunned. They turned back towards Tombstone and headed back. Upon arrival Ted met up with Sam, and he was really worried and said there was talk around Tombstone that both he and Clay had been killed in the desert. Ted told Sam... "Well... someone tried, but they didn't try hard enough, or didn't want to. We got shot at, but Clay thought it was a warning, I think it was too." Ted was exhausted, got himself a bite to eat, a bath and found his bed and slept. The following day he saw Clay and some other people outside the Marshalls office. He walked over to where the group was, and Clay looked at Ted and proclaimed that "Johhny Ringo was dead. And it was probably the group of men that we tracked, can't prove it. But if it wasn't, it's awful big coincidence." Ted wasn't surprised and spouted the old saying; "He who lives by the sword. shall die by the sword, it was only matter of time." The days of the red-sash Cow-boy gang had officially ended. But strangely, Johnny Ringo's death had been ruled a suicide by a coroner's jury. Ted never believed that. A man hell bent on survival like Johnny killing himself...? ABSURD.... But it wasn't until some years later when Ted, having a deep desire to know what really happened with Ringo, knew that there was one man who Ted knew would the answer... And that was Doc Holliday.
DOC HOLLIDAY, WHO KILLED JOHHNY RINGO
After the Tombstone affair, Doc Holliday found a job as a faro dealer in Denver Colorado. So Ted made the trip to talk to Doc. Most gamblers worked late at the tables to the wee hours of the morning, so the dealers usually went in late, so it gave Ted to spend some time getting dinner with Doc and gave them time to talk. When Ted first asked about Ringo's killing, he had a suspicion about it, but no real idea who had actually killed him. When he asked Doc directly, Doc denied it. But as time passed, it seemed that Doc wanted to tell Ted more, but Doc then said; "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, you're going have to promise me that you'll keep in under your hat." Ted promised that he would keep it confidential.
"Wyatt Earp killed Ringo," said Doc.
Ted was shocked, and Doc must have known by the look on Teds face. Doc was hesitant to say more, but he downed another shot of whiskey and leaned towards the table and told Ted the story. "We didn't get to Colorado until May, after we pulled out of Arizona. We went from Gila to Globe, sold our nags at Silver city and took the stage to Deming and caught the train to Albuquerque. We stayed a coiple ow weeks, then headed to Trinidad. Bat Masterson was Marshall there. Wyatt hung around there, but I never liked Masterson, and I don't think he like me either. I had some trouble in Denver over the Tombstone thing and that son of a bitch Behan tried to get me and Wyatt extradited, but Masterson got us off the hook. He only did it for Wyatt, not me. Wyatt wrote me from Gunnison and said he had a big thing planned in Colorado, bigger than Tombstone, so I went there to meet him, but he was camped west of town. I asked why he was camped out here where it was colder that a well digger ass at night? But he had his reasons.
He told me that he wanted to be away from town where no one would suspect anything if he was gone for a while, because he had some travelling in mind. You see... Ringo had gone on to be the kingpin of the gang in Tombstone after Curly Bill and Old Man Clanton got knocked off and there were some people who wanted Johnny out of the way to finally put an end to the organization. Ringo was the only one left who could hold the remainder of the gang together. And those people knew it. Wyatt said there was a good piece of change for anyone that went back with him to finish what was started. And Wyatt said that if old corrupt Johnny Behan got in the way, he too was expendable. We figured we could just take the train back to Tombstone. But we'd have problems with being recognized. But we both grew beards and considered dressing like Texicans. We ended up at Hookers ranch, and the whole country was filled with spies, so we mostly traveled at night, though we knew were being tracked by that new sheriff Hollister and one other man. Ted didn't tell Doc that the other man was him, probably out of embarrassment of being detected by Doc and Wyatt. Doc continued; "We wanted to get a good bead on Ringo. We knew he moved around a lot between Tombstone and the Chiricahua's, and also knew he was in Tombstone right as we got into the country. So, we waited for him. We wanted to get him in town like they did Morg, but it was too risky. And our messenger came in" (Ted was sure he was referring to Chato Villareal, and that made sense.) And we found Johnny's trail. We had our man alright. Our messenger tracked Johnny to where he was camped and came back and told us where to find him. He may have been hung over from to much fire water the night before. It was pretty late when we got there. Ringo had started a pot of coffee; we could smell the smoke from his fire. We left our horses a ways off so he wouldn't hear us coming. We left one man with the horses, split up and did our best to surround him in the canyon where he was camped. Wyatt would have liked to have hung him along the road, but he knew that Ringo would never surrender to us. And Wyatt said, "we'll have to shoot him." I hoped I'd get the honor to cut him down, but I didn't. Something tipped John off because he tried to run for it out of his camp. Wyatt said that he was running for a while, I can tell you that we were sneaking along like Indians, someone shot... A pistol. All was quiet for a while, then I heard another a shot, this time a heavy rifle. After a while, Wyatt gave a whistle, he used his personal signal out in the country. Then yelled, come on in! It was right then; I knew that he got the son of a bitch. Wyatt drilled him in the head with his Winchester we he busted out of the brush. That was the end of Johnny Ringo. We sat around for a bit drinking John's coffee and waited till it was good and dark before we moved his dead ass down below Smith's place and dumped it where somebody was sure to find it.
END
