Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett ( 1853 – September 30, 1876) was an American outlaw and a relative of the famed frontiersman of the same name, Davy Crockett.

Biography Davy Crockett was born to Andrew Crockett and Mary (Danley) Crockett in Tennessee, but the family moved to central Texas, where Andrew operated a toll bridge across the Brazos River, when Davy was still a boy. According to differing accounts, Crockett was either a grandson or grandnephew of the better-known Crockett.

When he was grown, Crockett went to New Mexico Territory with a friend named Peter Burleson and established a ranch near Cimarron, which at the time was a small, but wild, cowtown. At first, Crockett maintained a good relationship with the people of Cimarron, but his quarrelsome partner, Agustus "Gus" Heffron, led him astray. Eventually, Crockett and Heffron became the leading bullies in town.

Murders at the St. James Hotel Crockett's ongoing stint as an outlaw reached its peak 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.

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.

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.

Death Crockett's acquittal for the murders of the soldiers is said to have led to his antics becoming intolerable. 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.

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, which killed Crockett. Interment Crockett was buried in the town cemetery, though it lacked a marker for many years. Although there is currently a marker for Crockett, whether it is placed over the correct grave is uncertain.