Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight erupts in El Paso, Texas

Background. On April 14, 1881, approximately 75 heavily armed Mexicans entered El Paso, Texas, searching for two missing vaqueros, Sanchez and Juarique, who had been looking for stolen cattle. Railroads reached El Paso in 1881, and the population boomed thereafter, reaching 10,000 by the 1890 census. Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire, who had begun his role as town marshal only three days prior, was present in the courtroom when the incident unfolded.

The Gunfight. Witnesses generally agreed that the gunfight lasted no more than five seconds after the first gunshot, though some insisted it was at least ten seconds. The confrontation occurred on El Paso Street. The event is famously known as the 'Four Dead in Five Seconds' gunfight, highlighting the extreme brevity of the violence.

Retaliation. Three days after the gunfight, on April 17, 1881, James Manning, a friend of Hale and Campbell, convinced former deputy Bill Johnson to assassinate Marshal Stoudenmire. This retaliation followed the initial confrontation involving the marshal, who had been present in the courtroom during the incident.