[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14348-14349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           DALLAS STOUDENMIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Texas Ranger Dallas Stoudenmire 
stepped out of the stage coach and stood in the street of the rough, 
remote, boomtown of El Paso, Texas in 1881. This wasn't the first 
lawless town the 6'4" tall Ranger had seen. El Paso was looking for a 
town marshal, an outsider with a ``rough reputation.'' Stoudenmire was 
the man for the job. He would be the town's sixth marshal in eight 
months. El Paso--called ``Hell Paso'' by some--had a reputation as a 
wild and violent town was about to end.
  As a former Judge, I was known for handing out unique public 
punishments, and it seems that Stoudenmire employed a few shame tactics 
of his own. As he began his tenure as Marshal, he was asked to relieve 
the deputy marshal and town drunkard, Bill Johnson, of the city jail 
keys. It is said that Stoudenmire approached a rather intoxicated 
Johnson and requested the jail keys. Johnson mumbled under his breath 
and attempted to give him the runaround. Stoudenmire became impatient 
and demanded Johnson hand over the keys immediately. Johnson still 
demurred, and the marshal took matters into his own hands. He picked 
Johnson up, flipped him upside down, grabbed the keys, threw him to the 
ground and walked away. Public humiliation goes a long way, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Stoudenmire was revered as a strong shot, deadly and fast. His 
service began as a young boy in the Confederate Army. At 15 years of 
age, he volunteered in the 45th Alabama Infantry Division and left the 
war with two bullets embedded in his body that he carried inside him 
for the rest of his life. When the war ended, he moved to the Great 
State of Texas and originally settled in Columbus, where he was said to 
have killed a number of men.
  On April 14, 1881, three days into the job in El Paso, Stoudenmire 
became party to one of the most legendary gunfights in the history of 
the old Wild West, famously called ``Four Dead in Five Seconds 
Gunfight.'' A group of heavily armed Mexican cowboys rode into town in 
search of 30 head of rustled cattle and two Mexican vaqueros that had 
gone looking for them in Texas. But the vaqueros had been murdered.
  The bodies of the two men were found out near Johnny Hale's ranch 
about 13 miles northwest of El Paso. Two outlaw cattle rustlers, 
Peveler and Stevenson, who stole the Mexican cattle and took them to 
Hale's ranch, were foolishly overheard bragging about murdering 
vaqueros. They were charged with the homicides. Chaos broke out in the 
streets of El Paso after the Mexicans showed up for the trial.
  Animosity and worries from the Americans about the heavily armed and 
enraged Mexicans spread a heavy tension over El Paso. Constable 
Krempkau was fluent in Spanish and was required to interpret for the 
town judge. Peveler and Stevenson were officially charged with murder 
but found not guilty. After the trial, Constable Krempkau made his way 
from the courthouse to the saloon to retrieve his rifle and pistol.
  Marshal Stoudenmire was enjoying his dinner at the restaurant across 
the street. He was known in Texas as a handsome man, a sharp dresser 
and a gentleman around the ladies. Despite his outward appearances, he 
had a deadly reputation and was involved in more gunfights than most of 
his better-known contemporaries, including Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, 
Bat Masterson or John Selman. He was known for his habit of wearing two 
guns and being equally accurate with either hand.
  That evening an argument erupted with George Campbell over comments 
he allegedly made about Krempkau. Crooked as the Brazos, and heavily 
intoxicated John Hale snatched one of Campbell's two pistols and shot 
Krempkau who fell to the floor, wounded. Hale scurried to a post in 
front of the salon as Stoudenmire seemingly flew to the scene, pistols 
raised.
  The marshal's first shot went wild, accidentally hitting an innocent 
Mexican bystander. His second shot hit Hale dead center. When Campbell 
saw Hale fall, he ran from the saloon waving his gun and shouting 
``Gentlemen, this is not my fight!'' However, wounded Krempkau was out 
for vengeance and fired at Campbell, striking him. Marshal Stoudenmire 
spun around, firing three bullets straight into Campbell's stomach. As 
the dusty street of El Paso cleared, four men lay dead. The Hollywood 
style series of events took place in less

[[Page 14349]]

than five seconds. The gunfight was so well publicized that newspapers 
in cities as far away as San Francisco and New York, making Stoudenmire 
a living legend.
  Despite Stoudenmire's success in drastically dropping the crime rate 
in El Paso, he had an extremely bad temper, especially when 
intoxicated, which ultimately led to his downfall. After a series of 
events that led to Stoudenmire drinking heavily, he was asked to step 
down as town marshal. He infamously confronted the town council while 
inebriated, and dared them to take his guns or his job. The fearful 
council quickly backed down. However, two days later a sober 
Stoudenmire offered his resignation and began running the Globe 
Restaurant. Later that July, he accepted an appointment as a U.S. 
Deputy Marshal. He continued to use his remarkable marksmanship skills 
to settle arguments.
  Stoudenmire was killed during his ongoing feud with the Manning 
Brothers when he was shot during an argument. Even during his final 
moments, he continued fighting for his life. Doc Manning pulled his gun 
and fired first, hitting Stoudenmire in the left arm, causing the gun 
to fall out of his hand. Doc's second shot hit the marshal's pocket 
filled with papers. The wild shot didn't break through the skin, but 
forced him backward through the saloon doors, into the street. 
Stoudenmire pulled his second gun and shot with his other hand, hitting 
Doc in the arm. Doc's brother Jim followed and fired, hitting 
Stoudenmire behind the ear, instantly killing him. The brothers had 
ended the feud, killing one of the most impressive gunslingers of the 
day.
  Stoudenmire was honored with a funeral at El Paso's Masonic Lodge 
before his wife had his body shipped to Columbus, Texas for the burial. 
Marshal Stoudenmire was a member of the thin blue line, the line that 
keeps us safe from evil doers and outlaws. His success in taming the 
wild and violent town of El Paso was truly a credit to his outstanding 
marksmanship. 6'4" Dallas Stoudenmire was a larger than life Texan who 
kept other Texans safe from harm.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________