John King Fisher
Texas Gunslinger, Outlaw &
Lawman
by Joy Gough
John King Fisher was the son of
Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren, and the grandson of James Fisher, Sr., and Anna
Ladd Damron. James Fisher, Sr. was a veteran of the Texas Revolution and was
given 2200 acres of land along Sister Grove Creek in northeast Collin County by
the Republic of Texas for his service. James Fisher, Sr. died in 1837 but his
family lived on his land grant. John King Fisher was born there in 1856, the
second son of Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren. Not long after that the Jobe
Fisher family left Collin County. The family eventually moved to Goliad, Texas.
King Fisher was sentenced to two
years in the state penitentiary in 1870 for horse theft. He was released after 4
months because he was only 14 years old. He became a cowboy in the "Nueches
Strip," where he broke horses, chased Mexican bandits and learned to shoot. He
often ran with rustlers and thieves.
By 1878 Fisher had a reputation
as a gunslinger, saying he had killed seven men, "not counting Mexicans." He had
several run-ins with the law, but no one would testify against him. It was
reported that King Fisher ruled the country between Castroville and Eagle Pass.
As a gunslinger, Fisher wore
sombreros with gold braid, an embroidered vest, and silk shirts with crimson
sashes and silver spurs with silver bells. His most famous trademark were Bengal
tiger skin chaps. He had silver-mounted holsters with a pair of ivory-handled,
silver-plated pistols.
King Fisher bought a ranch on
Pendencia Creek near Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas. He sold stolen Texas
stock to Mexico and bought stolen Mexico stock to sell in Texas.
In 1876 King Fisher married Sarah
Vivian. They had 4 daughters. By 1881 he was cleared of his final murder charges
and accepted the position of Deputy Sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas, and in 1884
he announced his candidacy for Sheriff of Uvalde County.
In March of 1884 Fisher met his
old friend, Ben Thompson, a well-known gunfighter, in Austin. They stopped in
San Antonio on the way back to Uvalde. The men were ambushed in a bar and both
were killed in a barrage of gunfire.
King Fisher was buried at his
ranch in his famous chaps and fancy clothes. He was only 30 years old. His body
was moved to the Pioneer Cemetery in Uvalde in the 1930s.
For more on
John King
Fisher.
Return to
People of Note
Recommended
citation:
"John King
Fisher, COLLIN COUNTY HISTORY," Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy
Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004].
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