Outlaw and Lawman John King Fisher
Bad Man of Texas
King Fisher was born in 1854 in south Texas and raised during the turmoil of the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. At the age of 15, he was accused of stealing horse and was arrested. Fisher later escaped and claimed that he had merely borrowed the horse without telling the owner. He was arrested in Goliad for housebreaking and served a four month sentence.
Fisher then inhabited the Nueces Strip, a lawless region of Texas near the Rio Grande. Here, his reputation as a bad man began to grow. On Pendencia Creek he established a ranch that was a safe haven for outlaws of all kinds and soon controlled a large area.
On a sign posted on a tree near his ranch, he wrote the words, “This is King Fisher’s road. Take the other.”
King Fisher and the Texas Rangers
As his notoriety grew, he became a target of law enforcement, most notably the Texas Rangers. Fisher got married in April of 1876, and the next month he was arrested by the Rangers, who were determined to bring law and order to the Nueces Strip. Fisher was released shortly, but received a warning from Ranger Captain Leander H. McNealy to reform or be forced to suffer the consequences of his actions.
Fisher was arrested again by the Rangers in 1877 and transported to San Antonio. A long series of trials on almost two dozen different charges ensued, and Fisher avoided being convicted.
King Fisher the Lawman
Finding himself with a wife and child, he bought a ranch near Eagle Pass and settled down. He developed an interest in religion and was later appointed deputy sheriff of Uvalde County in 1881.
Fisher was made acting sheriff in 1883 when the current sheriff was indicted and seemed a shoe in to be elected to the office in 1884. In early March of the year, he went to Austin where he met Ben Thompson, who was an old acquaintance.
They renewed their friendship and boarded a train to San Antonio. They visited several saloons, ending up at the Vaudeville Variety Theater. Thompson was involved in a feud with the owners of the theater and one man had already been killed.
A quarrel developed between Thompson and one of the owners, Joe Foster. A pistol discussion followed and both Fisher and Thompson, noted gunmen that they were, were killed.
Source:
Lamar, Howard R, ed. The New Encyclopedia of the American West. New Haven and London, Yale University Press.
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles