Being charged to dig your father's grave would be traumatizing for anyone, particularly if he had a violent, unexpected death. At only fourteen years of age, John Peters Ringo had to perform that task in the vast emptiness of the southern plains of Wyoming. It left him a troubled man who drank too much and was often depressed. John Ringo's story is a tragic one, filled with loss, violence, and endless run-ins with the law.
According to Bob Boze Bell, author of The Mysterious Death of John Ringo published in True West Magazine, August 1, 2005, this is the only known photograph of John Ringo.
 |
John Peters Ringo, studio photo c. 1880 (National Park Service) |
In May 1864, Martin Henderson Ringo, his wife, Mary Peters, and their five children began a journey to California in hopes that the climate would improve Martin's health ‒ he contracted tuberculosis while serving as a wagon master in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War (1846-1848). Their wagon train had been traveling only about six weeks when Martin accidentally shot himself with his own rifle on July 30. Young John Ringo, the oldest of the Ringo children, witnessed his father's death. [See the post An Untimely Death.]
Mary Peters Ringo and her children continued to San Jose, California, where they stayed with her sister, Augusta Peters Younger, and brother-in-law Colonel Coleman Younger. (The name Younger will be familiar to most people who have watched old westerns. The Younger brothers, Colonel Coleman Younger's nephews, rode with the outlaws Frank and Jesse James.) The family moved to their own home just outside of town about a year later.
There is a vast amount of material available about John Ringo. The problem is the opinions about events and relationships in his life vary widely. Some believe he had a college education, although that seems unlikely, and no evidence has been found to support the idea. With his mother raising five children by herself and John being the eldest, it is more reasonable to believe that he was working to help support the family. Another part of the Johnny Ringo legend is that he could quote Shakespeare. While it's certainly possible that he read and memorized the Bard's work, there is no hard evidence to support the claim.
The 1870 San Jose City Directory lists John at the same address as his mother, and states that he was a farmer. The 1870 Federal Census for San Jose shows John, age 20, living with his mother and four siblings, Martin Albert, 16, who is employed as a printer, Fannie Fern, 13, Mary Enna, 10, and Mattie Bell, 8.
 |
| Excerpt from the 1870 San Jose City Directory, page 115. "Dwl" stands for "dwelling." (Ancestry.com) |
 |
| A portion of the 1870 Federal Census for San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, dated July 25, 1870. (Ancestry.com) |
Within a couple of years, John left home to search for work in Texas, presumably to help with the family finances. Not long after, in 1873, his brother, Martin Albert, died from consumption (tuberculosis) at age 19; his mother died in 1876, also from consumption.
The accounts of Johnny Ringo's life and exploits depict a man in and out of trouble with the law across Texas and the territories of New Mexico and Arizona. In the fall of 1881, he returned to San Jose, California to visit his sisters, perhaps to reconcile. He did not receive a warm welcome and was back in Tombstone by mid-January 1882. From there he participated in what became the month-long Earp Vendetta Ride that began in mid-March. In early July, John Ringo was reported to have been despondent and drinking heavily. He rode out of Tombstone on July 11, inebriated and well-stocked with bottles of liquor.
On July 14, 1882, Johnny Ringo's body was found in Turkey Creek Canyon, about a two-day ride from Tombstone. He was leaning against a fork in a tree with a single gunshot wound to his head. The coroner concluded John Ringo died by his own hand on July 13.
However, there seems to be no end to the discrepancies and questions surrounding John Ringo's death. Four of these "mysteries" are analyzed in The Mysterious Death of John Ringo, as are some of the thoughts about which one of his numerous enemies could have been responsible. One account holds that Wyatt Earp claimed to have killed him but nothing has been proven and the mystery of John Ringo's death remains.
 |
| John Ringo Historic Site, West Turkey Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona (Wikimedia Commons) |
* * * * * * *
- Listen to Lorne Greene perform the song, "Ringo." Greene starred in the popular TV series, Bonanza, which ran from 1959-1973. The song held the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks, beginning December 5, 1964.
- Burrows, Jack. (1987). John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-0975-1.
- Eppinga, Jane (2012). Tombstone's deadliest gunfighter, Arizona Capital Times.
- Gatto, Steve (2002). Johnny Ringo. Lansing: Protar House. ISBN 0-9720910-1-7.
* * * * * * *
