RINGO, JOHNNY

died July 14, 1882, Tombstone, Ariz., U.S. byname of John Ringo American Western outlaw, a loner, noted for his deadly fast draw. Not much is known of Ringo, not even his birthplace. He showed up first in Mason county, Texas, in 1875, where he was suspected of cattle rustling and arrested for a double murder. He escaped from jail, was re-arrested, and was released. He appeared next in Galeyville, N.M., in 1879, already possessing a reputation as a killer. In 1881 he was in Tombstone, Ariz., where he was apparently among those opposed to the faction led by Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. On July 14, 1882, in Tombstone, he was discovered dead, apparently a suicide, after a long bout of drinking and despondency. Other accounts suggest that he was murdered, perhaps by a drinking crony, Frank Leslie, or by Wyatt Earp.