Pony Diehl

Early life Pony Diehl was probably the son of German Americans Jeremiah and Mary Hagler Ray and was born in about 1848 in Rock Island, Illinois.

Outlaw in New Mexico He first appeared in New Mexico during the 1870s, riding with the John Kinney Gang, then later with the Jesse Evans Gang. While with the Kinney Gang, on December 31, 1875, Diehl, John Kinney, Jesse Evans, and gang member Jim McDaniels entered a saloon in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There, they became involved in a brawl with US Cavalrymen from Fort Stanton. A Private was beaten so badly he died four days later. Kinney was also severely injured and his friends carried him outside, and then turned around and shot through the doors and windows of the saloon at the soldiers. According to different accounts, they killed one Dr. George E. Goodfellow was able to save Virgil's arm, but he carried it in a sling the rest of his life.

On January 30, 1882 Wyatt Earp obtained warrants from Judge Stilwell for the arrest of Diehl, along with Ike and Phin Clanton, for the attempted murder of Virgil. He gathered a posse which turned Charleston inside out looking for the Cowboys without success. Wyatt returned to Tombstone to find the men had already surrendered, though they thought it was for lesser charges.

In February 1882, Wyatt Earp obtained another warrant for Diehl's arrest for his alleged participation to a January 1882 stagecoach robbery. Diehl dodged the law when Earp could not find him.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp felt he could not rely on the courts for justice and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Death of Michael O'Rourke Diehl later claimed he had killed gambler and Earp supporter Michael O'Rourke in 1882. According to Fred Dodge, Frank Leslie told him that O'Rourke shot Ringo in the head and tried to make it look like suicide. Diehl was a good friend of Johnny Ringo. Those who understood the tensions between the parties never doubted he had killed O'Rourke.

Later life Diehl was later arrested for a variety of crimes, including cattle rustling and robbery, and was sentenced to five years in prison at Santa Fe, New Mexico. He escaped in February, 1885, but was recaptured four days later. He was returned to prison and was finally released in March, 1887, where his name disappeared from public records, though there are some accounts he died in a gunfight.