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Welcomes and General Information => Guns of Infamy => Topic started by: Zulch on June 16, 2022, 08:16:43 AM
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As we all know, much mystery and myth surround this old west outlaw. Was Johnny Ringo killed or was it suicide? At 14 years of age, Ringo witnessed his fathers death from an accidental gunshot to the head while dismounting a wagon, or so they claim. Fast forward many years to July 14th 1882 and Johnny Ringo is found dead, leaning against a tree just outside of Tombstone with a single gunshot wound to the head while still clutching this Colt SAA, serial number 222. His death was officially ruled a suicide stating that Ringo purportedly had suffered from severe depression. If not suicide, did he die at the hand of Doc Holliday or even possibly Wyatt Earp? We may never know, if only his gun could talk.
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That's an interesting pistol. Ringo was an even more interesting figure. Thanks for posting this.
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Funny that in the movies they portray him as carrying and using a shorter barreled gun. You'd think as a gunfighter, he would. Instead he carried what looks to be a 7 1/2" gun. Very interesting.
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Thanks Marshal and Dave. I’m sure there are a lot of folks that no more about this interesting character. Hopefully they will also chime in.
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Yup...Mr Ringold was "interesting". Portrayed as a gunfighter by Hollywood, it is doubtful that he ever went face to face with anyone. He may have gunned down a few, but it was always an ambush.
His Colt is definitely pretty cool though. The full story about it and Ringold will never be known.....however, the most logical scenario is that being a total drunk and a coward, the paranoia of late stage alcoholism, the fact that both Wyatt and Doc were still out there (even though they were no longer looking for Ringold) led to the conclusion we know today. He just couldn't take the pressure.
I've been to the tree....talked to many about it....and there are a couple other theories out there.
I could go on....but no sense boring everyone.
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Yup...Mr Ringold was "interesting". Portrayed as a gunfighter by Hollywood, it is doubtful that he ever went face to face with anyone. He may have gunned down a few, but it was always an ambush.
His Colt is definitely pretty cool though. The full story about it and Ringold will never be known.....however, the most logical scenario is that being a total drunk and a coward, the paranoia of late stage alcoholism, the fact that both Wyatt and Doc were still out there (even though they were no longer looking for Ringold) led to the conclusion we know today. He just couldn't take the pressure.
I've been to the tree....talked to many about it....and there are a couple other theories out there.
I could go on....but no sense boring everyone.
Thanks Mick. not boring at all. I think it's great that you have visited the tree? It's definitely an old tree for sure LOL. Your spelling of his name is interesting too. I've seen it both ways but I certainly don't know the actual spelling. Ringold or Ringgold? Wiki states it's Ringo but we know about Wiki that as a source. L@J By the way, since you are in relatively close proximity of the tree do you think you could post a picture of the tree?
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Good post.
"I'm afraid the strain was more than he could beare."
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Here's a pic of his grave in Turkey Creek Valley I found on the internet. You need permission to get in as it is private land. I went with 5 guys who were all dressed like Ringo from the movie.....
There are lots of tree in close proximity...just pick one. Not sure it actually still survives but the trees here are very old...so I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them.
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Fantastic Mick! Thank you sir! I wonder if that old tree on the ground was the tree.
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Could be..... could be 3 or 4 others still standing. I've seen 'em all so I'm pretty sure I've seen the one. So much history in this area....makes it fun to live here. I'm still waiting on connections to get to where Wyatt killed Curley Bill.
Here's a short video on Ringo's grave site....and that tree is what I was told was the one......right behind the grave in my photo. But no one is 100% certain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl4dH2VcAOs
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Thanks for the video Mick. Interesting for sure. After watching my thoughts are if he was killed by any of the folks mentioned in the video then most likely it was somewhere in the general vicinity. If so, why would someone drag or hoist him up and move him to a tree. If Holliday killed him with a rifle while Ringo was possibly sitting at the tree, maybe drunk, that would not be in character of Holliday? If several people came there and he was shot by one of them there would be an awful lot of tracks found that may suggest foul play? My biggest question would be why would anyone bother to move him if they shot him. Okay, maybe he was standing by the black oak tree and fell dead right where they found him. I guess that is possible as well. Interesting to ponder.
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Great photo and video, Mick. Thanks for posting those. Ya gotta love all this history.
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It's been awhile since I read up on Ringo but from what I remember his horse was found a few days later with one of his boots tied to the saddle horn. The other one was never found. He had tied his undershirt around his feet and he had apparently walked this way for some time. His gun had one fired cartridge under the hammer. The gun was still in his hand. The bullet IIRC went in the side of his head on an upward angle and lodged in the tree. His rifle was propped against the tree. The coroner ruled it a suicide and I tend to agree with him.
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You're right Hawg. His horse had wondered a couple miles away and his boot was there on the horse. His shirt was wrapped over his feet. Some very interesting details surrounding this supposed suicide (which is the theory I subscribe to).
I had the pleasure of spending many an hour with Ben Traywick, who has written 30+ books on the doings and people around Tombstone. He doesn't abide by the "suicide" theory. His belief is that Wyatt Earp was in the employ of Wells Fargo for many years after his stay in Tombstone (supposedly backed up with documents). Wyatt worked much like Charley Siringo, kind of like an "undercover" agent to catch thieves. One assignment took him close to the Tombstone area and he took and extra couple of days to finish his vendetta. Wyatt shot him with Ringo's own gun, then set the "suicide" stage. His theory goes much deeper...but the result ends up the same, with Wyatt shooting the drunken/hungover Ringo.
We'll never know for sure.... but there are always new things being discovered. About 10 years ago somebody uncovered a cache of loot hidden by the McLaurey clan on the south end of the Dragoons. We go out looking quite often, but have always come up empty handed.
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Funny that in the movies they portray him as carrying and using a shorter barreled gun. You'd think as a gunfighter, he would. Instead he carried what looks to be a 7 1/2" gun. Very interesting.
Yeah, not like the nickel plated shorter barreled Colt shown in the movie "Tombstone," one of my all time favorite movies.
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LOL.....it's Hollywood. The truth is an after thought. Doc never used a holster when in Tombstone and Wyatt never carried a Buntline either. Ringo was no "gunfighter" as we know them from Hollywood. There were few (if any) "quick draw" type shoot outs at all. You shot gunned them on a dark street or shot them through a pool hall window. So pistol barrel length would not be that big of issue for any of them, except BP seems to prefer a longer barrel.
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There are lots of tree in close proximity...just pick one. Not sure it actually still survives but the trees here are very old...so I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them.
I'm wondering if the stone pillar is supposed to be where the tree stood. The Tombstone Epitaph ran a story on July 22nd 1882 that said he was sitting on a large stone and was leaning against a tree. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95060906/1882-07-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1880&index=0&rows=20&words=JOHN+John+RINGO+Ringo&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Arizona&date2=1900&proxtext=John+Ringo&y=12&x=4&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 It goes on to say what he was wearing, describing the wound etc. It's a good read.
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LOL.....it's Hollywood. The truth is an after thought. Doc never used a holster when in Tombstone and Wyatt never carried a Buntline either. Ringo was no "gunfighter" as we know them from Hollywood. There were few (if any) "quick draw" type shoot outs at all. You shot gunned them on a dark street or shot them through a pool hall window. So pistol barrel length would not be that big of issue for any of them, except BP seems to prefer a longer barrel.
How true, among the very few real fast draw shootists were Bill Hickok and John Wesley Hardin, with Hardin the leader by far. Even their gunfights were few and far between. Some historians believe that Holiday was carrying a Colt 1851 Richards conversion and that Wyatt had a Smith & Wesson American in his coat pocket at the OK Corral shootout.
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Doc would have has his Lightning if he was carrying a pistol...and yes Wyatt liked the Model 3 Smith. I'm not sure if a Model 3 would fit in a coat pocket though....I've never tried. I know my Schofield is too big for even my period coat pockets.
But you have to remember, Tombstone was quite metropolitan....and firearms were not allowed to be carried in the city limits. Only the local constabulary carried guns.....usually.
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There are lots of tree in close proximity...just pick one. Not sure it actually still survives but the trees here are very old...so I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them.
I'm wondering if the stone pillar is supposed to be where the tree stood. The Tombstone Epitaph ran a story on July 22nd 1882 that said he was sitting on a large stone and was leaning against a tree. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95060906/1882-07-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1880&index=0&rows=20&words=JOHN+John+RINGO+Ringo&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Arizona&date2=1900&proxtext=John+Ringo&y=12&x=4&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 It goes on to say what he was wearing, describing the wound etc. It's a good read.
That's probably the best description we have to go on. If there was another party involved it may explain a few things. If one of Ringo's enemies ran into him out there, they could have forced him off his horse, made him remove his boots to make it more difficult to run away....walked him to that tree....put the gun in Ringo's hand and pulled the trigger....then set the stage (so to speak) for a suicide.
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Jeezzz.....I guess I've given away the fact that this is where my interests lie. Lol
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Jeezzz.....I guess I've given away the fact that this is where my interests lie. Lol
It used to be one of mine but as with most historical mysteries there's more questions than answers.
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Jeezzz.....I guess I've given away the fact that this is where my interests lie. Lol
You're living in the right place, then. I find the history of the old West most fascinating.
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Doc would have has his Lightning if he was carrying a pistol...and yes Wyatt liked the Model 3 Smith. I'm not sure if a Model 3 would fit in a coat pocket though....I've never tried. I know my Schofield is too big for even my period coat pockets.
But you have to remember, Tombstone was quite metropolitan....and firearms were not allowed to be carried in the city limits. Only the local constabulary carried guns.....usually.
Schofield huh? Wow. I'm jealous Mick. The Schofield will be my next purchase. Someday.
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Hmmmm . . . seems a 45C would be hard to hold onto after shooting ones self in the head. I think I remember learning that hand guns are usually not in the hands of suicide victims.
aside from that, everybody knows it was Doc with a shot to the forehead!!! Didn't y'all see the movie?!!! (7+"
Interesting nonetheless!
Mike
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Yeah, that is interesting Mike. I also read in some article that he had a "firm grip" on it when pulled from his hand?? (7+"
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Great addition to this topic, Tim! And Mick, you go on as long as you like! I'm learning a whole bunch on this one, things I didn't know. :cowboypistol:
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Yeah, that is interesting Mike. I also read in some article that he had a "firm grip" on it when pulled from his hand?? (7+"
That would actually make sense. Rigor mortis would have had time to set in before they found him. It might have been exceedingly difficult to remove it.
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Yeah, that is interesting Mike. I also read in some article that he had a "firm grip" on it when pulled from his hand?? (7+"
That would actually make sense. Rigor mortis would have had time to set in before they found him. It might have been exceedingly difficult to remove it.
Hawg, That's most likely true, I never even considered that.
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Now y'all have gone and piqued my interest again. :gaah: I've been doing some online reading to try and refresh my memory. I have/had some books on the subject but if I still have them they're still at the old house. I don't know if I had Traywick's book or not. While it is possible Wyatt killed him I don't think he did. Doc was in court in Colorado so he couldn't have killed him. In my mind if anybody killed him it would have been Buckskin Frank Leslie. Frank killed Billy Claiborne and as he lay dying Billy said he saw Frank kill Ringo. Later on while he was in prison he supposedly told a guard he killed Ringo. I still think it was suicide.
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Yup Hawg.....the story could have gone many different ways. Kind of like the question as to whether Wyatt actually did kill Curly Bill....which will take you down another worm hole.
Funny we're all talking about Tombstone.....got a call from Terry Clanton last night. Terry is the great grand son of Ike Clanton. He's in town for a few days and wanted to get together. That'll be a riot as usual.
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Yup Hawg.....the story could have gone many different ways. Kind of like the question as to whether Wyatt actually did kill Curly Bill....which will take you down another worm hole.
Funny we're all talking about Tombstone.....got a call from Terry Clanton last night. Terry is the great grand son of Ike Clanton. He's in town for a few days and wanted to get together. That'll be a riot as usual.
Wow! What a treat Mick. Perks of living in AZ it sounds. I'm sure he must have much knowledge about his heritage? Good for you. Share what you know and learn if so inclined. This is interesting.
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There are lots of tree in close proximity...just pick one. Not sure it actually still survives but the trees here are very old...so I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them.
I'm wondering if the stone pillar is supposed to be where the tree stood. The Tombstone Epitaph ran a story on July 22nd 1882 that said he was sitting on a large stone and was leaning against a tree. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95060906/1882-07-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1880&index=0&rows=20&words=JOHN+John+RINGO+Ringo&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Arizona&date2=1900&proxtext=John+Ringo&y=12&x=4&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 It goes on to say what he was wearing, describing the wound etc. It's a good read.
I just saw and read your clip Hawg. John Yost found him? I wondered who had found him.
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Yup Hawg.....the story could have gone many different ways. Kind of like the question as to whether Wyatt actually did kill Curly Bill....which will take you down another worm hole.
Funny we're all talking about Tombstone.....got a call from Terry Clanton last night. Terry is the great grand son of Ike Clanton. He's in town for a few days and wanted to get together. That'll be a riot as usual.
Wow! What a treat Mick. Perks of living in AZ it sounds. I'm sure he must have much knowledge about his heritage? Good for you. Share what you know and learn if so inclined. This is interesting.
We don't talk Tombstone much....but a little always pops up. He's definitely up to speed with the history, though fairly tainted in his opinions. With Terry it's mostly car racing stuff, especially Gran Prix.
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Gran Prix huh? 🥱 oh well, to each their own.👍👍
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Yup Hawg.....the story could have gone many different ways. Kind of like the question as to whether Wyatt actually did kill Curly Bill....which will take you down another worm hole.
Funny we're all talking about Tombstone.....got a call from Terry Clanton last night. Terry is the great grand son of Ike Clanton. He's in town for a few days and wanted to get together. That'll be a riot as usual.
Ike had kids?
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Tell me if you see a family resemblence...lol. Yes Ike had kids...
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Wow!!! I’ll say there’s a very good resemblance!! Thanks Mick👍👍 does he know any Earp offsprings assuming Earp had any?
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Tell me if you see a family resemblence...lol. Yes Ike had kids...
More than a resemblance. I've seen a newspaper pic of a family member from around 1864 that looks the same as I did when I was his age. I didn't think he was married let alone have kids.
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Whip it out Hawg if you have a picture like to see that👍👍 so we’re the OK Corral Clanton’s just brothers, cousins or?
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LT Harry Hatcher. Co. A, 43rd Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers).
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Awesome Hawg! That is great that you have that. I didn’t know he was part of Mosby’s Rangers.
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Wow!!! I’ll say there’s a very good resemblance!! Thanks Mick👍👍 does he know any Earp offsprings assuming Earp had any?
Wyatt never had kids. But there are Earps around from the brothers. They occasionally show up in town occasionally. Newman Hays (Old Man) Clanton had 3 sons. Ike, Phin and Billy.
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LT Harry Hatcher. Co. A, 43rd Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers).
That's damn cool!
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Awesome Hawg! That is great that you have that. I didn’t know he was part of Mosby’s Rangers.
He started out in Co. A, 7th Virginia Cavalry and achieved the rank of Master Sgt. He transferred to Mosby in 1863 and achieved the rank of 1st Lt., Mosby called him the bravest of the brave and it is said it was engraved on his headstone but I have since seen a pic of his headstone and it is not unless it's on one of the other sides(tall 4 sided monument). In fact it only says 7th Va. cavalry. :icon_scratch: Several places have his name wrong. Some say it was Harrison, some say Harvey but I believe it was actually Harvee Henry Hatcher. Harvee was an oft used family name. Can't post pics.
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LT Harry Hatcher. Co. A, 43rd Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers).
That's googly moogly cool!
Extremely cool. Harry "Deadly" Hatcher, "whom Mosby regarded as the bravest man in the command." Captured while on forage ops in Loudoun County during the last two or three weeks of the War.
Mosby's Rangers, Jeffry D. Wert. Touchstone, Simon & Schuster (1990)
My great grandfather (b. 1843 KY) and his elder brothers served together as horse soldiers (Union) in the western theater so fortunately never met Mosby or Hatcher.
They repeatedly squabbled with elements of Forrest's command though, which was plenty dangersome enough for any blue coat. One brother took a pistol shot to the hip and limped for the rest of his long life.
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This is some cool sh*t here. Great history lesson going on here.
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You're cut from some mighty fine cloth there Hawg....
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I agree Mick👍
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You're cut from some mighty fine cloth there Hawg....
Grey wool no doubt. (7& I was doing research on another family member and that pic popped up. I showed it to my then wife and she thought I photoshopped it. I didn't have photoshop. I showed it to my first wife who knew me a that age and she totally freaked out. I was going to do research on all my family members that fought but there were too many of them. All of them were Confederate soldiers tho. As near as I can tell only one was killed. I can't prove it but I believe he was killed by a sniper on the steps to the Atlanta courthouse after the battle of Atlanta. History records two men killed there that day and the other one was his commanding officer.... Pics of Harry's headstone.
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Very cool family history, Hawg!
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Very cool family history, Hawg!
Thank you.
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Thanks for those Pics Hawg!! Glad you were able to post them .
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Thanks for those Pics Hawg!! Glad you were able to post them .
I don't know why it wouldn't let me post them earlier. Gremlins I guess.
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Funny that in the movies they portray him as carrying and using a shorter barreled gun. You'd think as a gunfighter, he would. Instead he carried what looks to be a 7 1/2" gun. Very interesting.
I was thinking the same thing about a short barrel revolver but who knows? Very very cool to see the video and photos of his gun thanks for posting. Don't you wonder who had the foresight to catalog that pistol and save it for all of time cause it looks like it's in great shape.
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Funny that in the movies they portray him as carrying and using a shorter barreled gun. You'd think as a gunfighter, he would. Instead he carried what looks to be a 7 1/2" gun. Very interesting.
What difference would it have really made? There weren't many showdowns where a short barrel would give you an advantage. As an aside I have read that he did carry a short barrel and that Frank Leslie carried a long barrel. Frank killed Ringo with his gun and then swapped with Ringo.
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I thought he committed suicide?🤔
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I thought he committed suicide?🤔
I think he did Z. That's just a theory I read somewhere.
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Okay Hawg. Thank you sir. Kind of interesting to try and think about all the scenarios. 👍👍
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I've hread that one too Hawg. There is no proven evidence as to who carried what......so anything is a possibility. "Buckskin" Frank Leslie had a motive for sure.
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I've hread that one too Hawg. There is no proven evidence as to who carried what......so anything is a possibility. "Buckskin" Frank Leslie had a motive for sure.
If Ringo didn't commit suicide Leslie would be my pick for doing the deed.
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Of all the different possibilities, it sounds more likely that Leslie was the one who took Ringo down. The suicide scenario seems staged so no one would be looking for the real shooter.
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Of all the different possibilities, it sounds more likely that Leslie was the one who took Ringo down. The suicide scenario seems staged so no one would be looking for the real shooter.
Well if you take into account witnesses statements as to Ringo's state of mind in the days prior and things he himself said. Suicide seems more plausible.
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That's the general consensus Hawg. Ringo was not much of a stand up guy, I often wonder if would have had to balls to kill himself.... but everything points that way.....
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That's the general consensus Hawg. Ringo was not much of a stand up guy, I often wonder if would have had to balls to kill himself.... but everything points that way.....
We'll never know. All we can do is speculate. Suicide, Wyatt or Leslie. Those seem to be the most likely choices. I think Wyatt is a little farfetched but still possible. Altho I think Wyatt would have given him both barrels of a shotgun to the chest. Leslie getting close enough to make an upward side of the head shot seems about as unlikely and why would he make a shot like that? That would mean a premeditated plan to stage a suicide and even if he had the ability to pull it off I doubt his ability to concoct a plan like that. He seems to be more of a shot to the chest spur of the moment type guy. He was looking for Ringo. Maybe he did plan to kill him but I doubt that would have been the way he would have done it.
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I agree with you Hawg. That area of the Chiricahuas was more than just a little remote.....however there were some fairly commonly used trails used by wood haulers. If Leslie did it.....he would have just shot him and let the animals have the body or stashed it in a less obvious place. Staging something to look like a suicide is more of a 20th century thought process.
Ringo was dead drunk and had another bottle in his saddle bag according to Billy Breckenridge. He'd been drinking heavily for days before leaving Tombstone. After getting into the middle of nowhere.....he removed his boots and his horse ran off with them. It was quite hot and dry and he had no water. His past was catching up to him. He was having a very bad day. The desert here can be brutal if you have no water (one of the top reasons for deaths at the Grand Canyon) and dehydration can cause one to make some very bad decisions.
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What I don't understand is why he took his boots off. Somebody said they might have hurt his feet. Seem to me as a long time boot wearer the only way they would have hurt his feet is if they were too small or they were new and not broken in yet. Another unsolvable mystery I guess.
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That makes good sense to me Hawg. Why would he take them off?
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just a thought on who carried what lenght barrel and who's gun was who's wouldn't the holster tell the tale? not mentioned but it's possible you could carry a 7 1/2 in a short holster with an open end but I think the barrel would show the wear, and I just doubt anyone would carry a short barrel in a long holster, but who knows? guess we'll never know, Still fun to talk about.
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We get a lot of old west historians in Tombstone...including Bob Boze Bell. Here's a video (quite long but interesting) about his thoughts on Mr. Ringo's demise. I especially like what he said about Kevin Jarre's original script and how much better this movie could have been. Maybe one day someone will revive it and make a mini-series. At least that's my hope.
Sit back and enjoy!
Hope the link works.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=true+west+johnny+ringo&docid=607988887820053325&mid=9C3E712F9A2D6438650F9C3E712F9A2D6438650F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
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Great video. :-*
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I thought so to Mick. Thanks for posting that. Real good! Never would have found that on my own. I’m going to watch again👍👍
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Thanks for that video, Mick. It was quite enjoyable.
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Just watched the video again Mick. That guy is easy to watch and listen to. Thanks again. So does Bob Boze Bell live there in Tombstone?
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Okay Mick. That’s funny although if being on the receiving end of pomposity I would be inclined to probably do an exit stage left….. even 😼
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Okay Mick. That’s funny although if being on the receiving end of pomposity I would be inclined to probably do an exit stage left….. even 😼
I thought I was the only one that remembered Snagglepuss.
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
According to his Facebook page he lives in Cave Creek AZ. About 3 1/2 hours away from Tombstone.
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Hawg, I remembered the line and that it was a cartoon cat of sorts but not his name. Thanks for reminding me. :-*
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qFxTTi8q0
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
According to his Facebook page he lives in Cave Creek AZ. About 3 1/2 hours away from Tombstone.
Sounds about right. Cave Creek is on the north east side of Phoenix. It's where the "well to do" live.
Just know one thing about Bob....he's always right and has never ever been wrong with anything.
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Don’t you just love folks like that. 😂
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“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” – Asimov
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Good one Marshal
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Okay everyone. What other guns did Johnny Ringo use?
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No.....I'm not sure where he lives. He's in town quite often. From my dealings with him, he's usually a pompous ass.
According to his Facebook page he lives in Cave Creek AZ. About 3 1/2 hours away from Tombstone.
Sounds about right. Cave Creek is on the north east side of Phoenix. It's where the "well to do" live.
Just know one thing about Bob....he's always right and has never ever been wrong with anything.
I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken. (7+"
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Hawg. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You’re killin’ me
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Okay everyone. What other guns did Johnny Ringo use?
Other than the rifle he had at the time of his death AFAIK it's not known. His rifle was an 1876 Model Winchester serial number 21896. It supposedly shipped from the factory on order #30868 January 14, 1882. There were approximately 40 model 1876 rifles shipped the same day to the same order number. ALL of them were exactly the same; sporting rifles, .45-60 WCF caliber, with 26" octagon barrels and full magazines. His was lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
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Interesting, I’ll have to see if I can find a picture. Who had the rifle in SF?
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Interesting, I’ll have to see if I can find a picture. Who had the rifle in SF?
I can't find a lot on the rifle. Other than what I've already posted is that his rifle, pistol and wallet were returned to his family in San Jose. I suppose it was sold to a collector. I can't find a pic of his actual rifle.
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Johnny Ringo was a nobody. Just another of the hundreds of cowboys that came out of Texas when the cattle drives ended. There was really no reason for anyone to keep track of anything he had, except for the stuff they found on him when they found his body. That's one of the only reasons we know much of anything about him.
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I did some more digging. His full name was John Peters Ringo, not Ringgold. He was the oldest of five kids. He had one brother and three sisters. His brother Martin Albert Ringo died of tuberculosis when he was 19. He was born in 1854 and died in 1873. He died in Texas but is buried in San Jose California. His sister Fanny Fern Ringo(Jackson)was born in 1857 and died in 1932 in San Jose. Mary Enna Ringo was born in 1860 and died in 1941. Apparently she never married. She is buried in San Jose. Mattie Bell Ringo(Cushing)was born in 1862 and died in 1942. She is buried in Santa Ana California. My guess is since Fanny was the oldest she is the one that received his guns and wallet.
I didn't find any pics of his siblings but I found one of his mother, Mary Ann(Peters)Ringo.
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Great information Hawg. You went down some rabbit holes it seems. Thanks👍👍
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Great work Hawg!
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Hawg, you have really done an outstanding job on this. All on a guy about whom little is really known. (7&
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Hawg, you have really done an outstanding job on this. All on a guy about whom little is really known. (7&
It's not like I have anything better to do. (7+"
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Hawg, you have really done an outstanding job on this. All on a guy about whom little is really known. (7&
It's not like I have anything better to do. (7+"
LOL, Hawg.
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Hawg, you have really done an outstanding job on this. All on a guy about whom little is really known. (7&
It's not like I have anything better to do. (7+"
LOL, Hawg.
Well, I think most of y'all know I have my share of medical problems. Between those and the meds for them I'm just not enthusiastic about doing much. I'm also a lot more sensitive to heat and cold than I used to be. So, I spend most of my awake time sitting here wearing out keyboards. Anyhoo this story has always intrigued me. I've researched it before but never really looked into his family.
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Hawg, I found this on the web. Is this the type rifle that Ringo had? Pricey, but I would like to have one of these. Anyone here have one?
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Yep. His supposedly shipped in Jan of 1882. No way to know when he bought it or how well he kept it up but it was less than a year old. It likely still had bright case colors and probably still looked like a new rifle.
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Have you ever fired one Hawg? It seems Uberti makes a carbine version as well.
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Not fired one but have handled a few. They're heavy at 9.5 pounds empty.
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Not fired one but have handled a few. They're heavy at 9.5 pounds empty.
I reckon so :icon_scratch: sheesh. Thanks Hawg
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The story behind Martin Ringo's death. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20229717/martin-ringo
Martin Ringo's grave marker