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The legendary gunfighter who never was
The cold-blooded murder of an unarmed man on Oct. 1, 1875 was Johnny Ringo’s contribution to a Texas feud and the only confirmed kill of his mostly make-believe career.
John Peters Ringo was 19 year old, when he left his home in California for Texas. During the “Hoodoo War” that turned Mason County into a battleground in 1875, he threw in with the faction led by Scott Cooley. To prove himself, he volunteered to avenge an ambush killing by gambler James Cheyney.
When Ringo and...