John King Fisher. Lived from 1854-1884. Born in Collin County, Texas... (not far from where I live). His mother died when he was five and his father, a cattleman who established several ranches throughout Texas, left the boy on his own. At the age of fifteen he stole a horse, and following his arrest, he escaped, hiding out on one of his father's ranches. About a year later he broke into a house in Goliad, Texas, was caught and sentenced to a year in the state penitentiary, though served only four months. Upon his release Fisher became an honest cowboy and learned how to break wild horses and drive cattle. Old hands taught him how to use a sixgun and he became a crack shot and a quick draw. He later bought a ranch which he called The Pendencia near Eagle Pass, Texas. It was here that he placed a sign that read: "This is King Fisher's road. Take the other one"!
During the 1870s, Fisher took up rustling and also became a shrewd gambler. He was quick to anger and quicker on the draw with his sixgun. He claimed in 1878 that he had killed 7 men, mostly in gambling arguements, and he was not including "several Mexicans". He was a colorful dresser who favored fringed shirts, red sashes and bells on his spurs. Anyone ridiculing his apparel, inevitably faced his guns. The most persistent legend about Fisher was the story of four Mexican vaqueros in a cattle pen on his own ranch. These men arrived on Fisher's ranch to buy cattle, but it appeared to him they were about to steal his herd.
When they refused to leave his ranch, Fishler suddenly brought down a branding iron on the skull of one, crushing it. He out drew a second Mexican, killing him with a single shot through the head. He then spun around and shot the other two men as they, too, were drawing their weapons, killing both vaqueros. These four deaths were never verified, except in tall tales about Fisher which abounded about Fisher throughout Texas during his lifetime and after. He was arrested several times for rustling and murder in 1875 but the charges were always later dropped.
In 1876 Fisher married and sired four daughters. His new domestic life did not temper his outlaw impulses. He went on rustling and killing, being arrested many times for murder, although the charges were invariably dropped due to lack of evidence. Fisher would simply threaten witnesses with death if they testified. Fisher was not the best drinking companion. While in a bar in Zavala County, Texas on Christmas Day of 1876, a cowboy named William Donovan refused to buy Fisher a drink, and the gunman fired three bullets into Donovan, killing him. In 1877, Fisher was arrested by Texas Ranger Lee Hall, and charged with murder. Fisher, however, was expertly defended in court by Major T. T. Teel and was found not guilty.
Fisher began to reform in the late 1870s, so much so, that instead of shooting another gunman in an arguement he thought better of it and tried to reholster his sixgun. He was drunk at the time and his gun went off accidentally shooting himself in the leg. He was tried for another murder but was cleared of the charge. By 1881 Fisher was a champion of law and order, and was sworn in as a deputy sheriff in Uvalde County. For a short time he even served as acting sheriff. In 1883 while acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Fisher rode out to the ranch owned by Tom and Jim Hannehan. The brothers were suspected of having robbed a stage coach. When Fisher confronted them, both brothers went for their guns. The lightning fast Fisher shot Tom dead and wounded brother Jim who surrendered and turned over the money stolen from the stage.
Early in 1884 Fisher announced he was a candidate for sheriff in the upcoming election. He went to Austin, Tx., on official buisness and there met an old friend, the gunfighter Ben Thompson, who gave Fisher an autographed photo of himself. After visiting several Austin bars together, Thompson decided to accompany Fisher to San Antonio, since it was along the route Fisher was taking on his return to Uvalde. Once in San Antonio, both men caroused through the saloons and talked boisterously of their gunslinging pasts. Thompson began to abuse a black porter in one saloon and Fisher warned him to stop this. Both men were theater goers and they attended a play at the Turner Hall Opera House on the night of May 11, 1884.
When the pair left the opera house at 10:30 pm, they decided to attend the Vaudiville Variety Theater, an inappropriate selection in that Thompson had been in this gambling hall two weeks earlier and had killed it's proprietor, Jack Harris. Thompson and Fisher had several drinks at the bar there then went upstairs to the theater to watch the show. They sat in a large box, drinking heavily, and were shortly joined by Joe Foster and Billy Simms, former partners of the late Jack Harris. Bouncer Jacob Coy then joined the group in the box. Thompson made several critical remarks about Harris and when Foster objected, Thompson jerked his sixgun from it's holster, jammed the barrel into Foster's mouth and cocked the hammer.
Coy leapt foward and grabbed Thompson's weapon. Fisher stood and took several steps back in the box, sayin he was leaving before trouble started. Thompson then joined him but before the two men could leave the box, Coy, Foster and Simms pulled their pistols and blasted the two men. They were aided by three men lurking in the next box. Gambler Canada Bill, (no relation to famous Canada Bill Jones), Harry Tremaine, a performer at the theater and close friend of Jack Harris, and a bartender named McLaughlin. These men had aimed shotguns and rifles into the box and had stationed themselves as part of a planned ambush of Thompson. Fisher and Thompson were riddled with bullets, Fisher struck with thirteen bullets in the head and chest and fell dead on the spot. Thompson was struck with nine bullets and also fell dead on the spot. As he fell, the still deadly Ben Thompson managed to get off several shots. Coy recieved a minor wound and Foster was struck in the leg, severing an artery. Foster's leg had to be amputated and he died a few days later from shock and loss of blood. Despite his attempt to reform and work on the side of the law, John King Fisher's past embraced him at the end and brought about his bloody pre-mature death at the age of thirty.
Certainly different than the King Fisher depicted in the movie "Texas Rangers".
The above was taken from "The Encyclopdia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws" by - Jay Robert Nash.
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