Davy Crockett (outlaw)

Murders at the St. James Hotel

Crockett's brief stint as an outlaw began in 1876, after he murdered three Buffalo Soldiers from the United States Army's 9th Cavalry inside the bar of the St. James Hotel. There are two differing accounts of the hotel shooting and Crockett's demise; the first, which is substantiated by contemporary newspapers, is the generally accepted version. The second comes from the Crockett family history and is remarkably different.^[1][2][4]

According to the generally accepted version, on the night of March 24, 1876, Crockett, Heffron, and a friend named Henry Goodman were touring Cimarron's saloons and gambling halls when they decided to go home to their ranch. Before leaving, however, they stopped at the St. James Hotel to purchase a bottle of whiskey for the ride.^[1][4]

After purchasing the whiskey, Crockett headed to the door, but he had trouble opening it because someone was attempting to enter from the outside. When he finally did get the door opened, Crockett found himself standing in front of a Buffalo Soldier. Already drunk, and no doubt annoyed, Crockett pulled out his revolver and shot the man. He then whirled around and fired into three other soldiers who were playing cards at a table in the bar. Three of the soldiers, Privates George Small, Anthony Harvey, and John Hanson, were killed and an unnamed trooper was wounded.^[1][4][5]

Crockett fled the town and hid at a nearby ranch. He remained at large for the next few months until making arrangements for a favorable hearing before a sympathetic justice of the peace. Ultimately, Crockett was acquitted because he was drunk and therefore unable to control himself. He was also fined $50 for carrying a gun in town.^[1][4][6]

Death

Crockett's acquittal for the murders of the soldiers only increased his arrogance to a point where his antics were no longer tolerable. According to author Leon Claire Metz, Crockett and Heffron "terrorized Cimarron's peaceful population with sporadic gunshots, rambunctious behavior, and brazen threats." Often, Crockett would ride his horse inside a building and fire into the ceiling or force people at gunpoint to perform services for him, such as shining boots. Metz writes that on one occasion Crockett forced the sheriff, Isaiah Rinehart, at gunpoint to drink until he was incapacitated. He also says that one time Crockett bought a suit and had the bill sent to Rinehart's house.^[1][3][4]

Finally, Sheriff Rinehart had had enough of Crockett and Heffron so he formed a posse of three men, including himself, to go after them. The other men in the posse were locals; a rancher named Joseph Holbrook and the town postmaster, John McCullough. All three were armed with double-barreled shotguns. On September 30, 1876, the posse took up concealed positions near a barn where Crockett and Heffron usually left their horses. At about 9:00 PM, Crockett and Heffron were approaching the barn on horseback when the posse confronted them. Holbrook called out for them to put their hands up, but, instead of complying, Crockett dared his antagonist to fire, which he did.^[1][3][4]

After Holbrook fired, the other two men in the posse began shooting as well, at which point Crockett's horse became frightened and started galloping north out of town. The posse gave chase and they later found Crockett's dead body on the other side of the Cimarron River, about a quarter of a mile away from town. They had to pry his hands free from the horse's saddle horn because they were locked in a death grip. Heffron was arrested and thrown in jail. He was wounded twice during the shooting – once in the arm and once in the head – but they were not serious enough to prevent his escape to Colorado on October 31, 1876. Heffron was never seen again.^[1][3][4][7]

Crockett was buried in the town cemetery and because it lacked a marker for many years the grave has been lost. Although there is currently a grave marker for Crockett, it remains unknown if it was placed over the correct burial location.^[4]

Crockett family history

The Crockett family has a largely different version of Davy's demise that has been passed down through the generations. According to Andrew Jackson Crockett, one of Davy's nephews, Rinehart wanted Crockett's horse and when he refused to give it up the former accused the latter of horse theft. Afraid of confronting him on his own, Rinehart had some Buffalo Soldiers attempt to make an arrest, but Crockett killed three of them and escaped. Sometime later, Rinehart and another man ambushed Crockett as he was leaving town and shot him in the back.^[4]