Take us to El Paso Street… the city’s first and oldest street!
In the present day, it’s a shopping area to most, but turning the clock back, this street is where the infamous “Four Dead In Five Seconds” gunfight occurred on April 14, 1881.
The story begins when two cowboys, the Manning brothers, stole a heard of 30 cows in Mexico and took them into Texas to sell. 🐄🐄
Looking after them were two Mexican vaqueros, who were later found dead in an El Paso ranch. A group of about 75 heavily armed Mexican soldiers came to El Paso and found the missing men, and a trial was held to determine who was responsible for the deaths, with constable Gus Krempkau acting as the interpreter.
The verdict was that the Mexican men had been killed by the Manning brothers, who were overheard bragging about killing two cowboys. Krempkau later went to Keating's Saloon, and was approached by George Campbell, a friend of the men found guilty. What ensued was four dead, in five seconds. The dead were Campbell, Constable Kremkau, John Hale (the owner of the ranch where the bodies were found) and an innocent Mexican by-stander.
The reason for this gunfight to have gone down in history is due to the short time in which it ensued, although some say that it was more like 10 seconds.. We’ll never know!🤔
