Bill Standifer
Encyclopedia
Bill Standifer, also known as "Little Bill" Standifer (1853 - October 4, 1903) was a gunman and lawman
of the Old West. He is best remembered for having been killed by noted and better known gunman John "Pink" Higgins
in 1903.
, and raised in Lampasas County, Texas
, working cattle. By the age of 14, he was working regularly as a cowboy
. That year, when he came across four men rustling cattle, he was pistol whipped by the men and badly hurt, but survived. Despite his youth, he tracked all four men, and killed them one by one. Although charges were pursued, he was acquitted.
In April, 1879, Standifer was working as a cowboy on the Ike Mullins Ranch, in Tom Green County, Texas, where he came into contact with another cowboy, John McMahon, sometimes called John Mahon. The two found themselves involved in an argument when Standifer refused to allow McMahon to drive cattle across a pasture
where Standifer was holding several head of Mullin's cattle. McMahon produced a bullwhip
, while a companion pointed a rifle at Standifer, then McMahon began whipping Standifer. Both men were mounted, and Standifer was able to ride away to escape. Days later, Standifer tracked McMahon to a cattle camp near Pony Creek, located in Coleman County. As Standifer rode up, McMahon was mounted talking with several other cowboys. Upon seeing Standifer, McMahon drew his pistol and fired, but missed. Standifer drew and fired also, hitting McMahon in the wrist, causing his pistol to fall from his grip. McMahon spun his horse and galloped away, with Standifer in pursuit. The two made it about 600 yards from where the shootout began, with Standifer shooting McMahon again in the back, knocking him from his saddle. McMahon scrambled to his feet and attempted to run, but was again shot in the back, killing him.
Standifer fled, making it to Marfa, Texas
, where he became involved in a saloon argument with three soldiers from Fort Davis
, during which he shot and wounded two of them, before fleeing. Members of the Texas Rangers hunted Standifer down for the McMahon killing, and arrested him. However he was acquitted in a trial
. Those shootings led to Standifer becoming known as a "gunman", and helped him in gaining employment as a Range Detective.
thieves into Lincoln County, New Mexico
, where they captured them.
On the return trip to Texas, while staying over at the VVN Ranch owned by George Neal, the outlaw
s attempted to overpower he and Deputy Quillen. The deputy was shot and wounded in the chest with his own rifle, but was able to wrestle the outlaw to the floor and overpower him. The shot had also wounded George Neal's wife. Standifer, who was outside tending the horses, heard the wife scream, and ran inside. Another of the outlaws had acquired Standifer's shotgun
, but when Standifer entered, the shotgun misfired. Standifer beat the suspect into submission, then assisted Deputy Quillen. That same night he shackled all three outlaws, and rode with them and Quillen to the nearest doctor. Deputy Quillen survived, and the two were later able to take their prisoners on to Texas.
In 1893 he began working again as a Range Detective for large and prosperous ranch
es in the Texas Panhandle
, mainly the powerful Spur Ranch, located in Spur, Texas
, where he first met John "Pink" Higgins, a notable gunman already known to Standifer, since they were both from Lampasas, Texas
. Standifer quickly gained a reputation for being an excellent tracker, and for always locating his prey. In June, 1898, while tracking rustlers, Standifer arrived in Clairemont, Texas
, a rough town at the time, and the location in which Jeff Hardin, brother to gunman John Wesley Hardin
, had been shot and killed. Standifer located a rustler named Bob Kiggins there, but Kiggins refused to surrender, and in the gunfight that followed Standifer shot and killed Kiggins.
During this period, an animosity between Standifer and Higgins developed, one that has never truly been explained. It has been written that the Horrell Brothers
, who were brought down mostly through the efforts of "Pink" Higgins, and who were distant kin to Standifer, was part of their problems. However, it is more likely that it was due to Higgins son, Cullin, an attorney
, who had only recently represented Standifer's wife in her divorce from Standifer. Fred Horsbrugh, manager of the Spur Ranch, fired both Higgins and Standifer due to the increasing hostilities between them. However, Horsbrugh allowed Higgins to stay on for a time after this, until he could find another job. This angered Standifer. In 1900, Standifer moved to Hartley County, Texas, where he was elected Sheriff.
At one point, just prior to Higgins leaving the Spur Ranch, he was dispatched to investigate a possible cattle rustling on a remote section of the ranch. Making a circular approach, Higgins spotted Standifer waiting in a group of trees. Rather than approach him, and knowing he was there to ambush
him, Higgins simply went home. However, the animosity continued. On the morning of October 4, 1903, after having made comments that he would kill Higgins, Standifer rode out to Higgins ranch. Higgins, seeing him from his house, rode out to meet him. Higgins brother-in-law and daughter were standing on a hillside nearby, and witnessed what happened next. Standifer fired first, hitting Higgins horse, which then jerked, causing Higgins first shot to go wild. In the shooting exchange that followed, Standifer was shot and killed. Higgins horse also died.
Higgins then retrieved another horse, and contacted Sheriff B. F. Roy, in Clairemont. When Higgins told Sheriff Roy that he believed he had killed Standifer, Sheriff Roy, who disliked Standifer for reasons unknown, stated "Well if you're not sure, you'd better go and finish the job". The shooting was ruled justifiable homicide
, and Higgins was never arrested or tried. He buried Standifer himself, on the Higgins property, naming the thicket where he is buried "Standifer's Thicket".
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
of the Old West. He is best remembered for having been killed by noted and better known gunman John "Pink" Higgins
John Higgins (gunman)
John Higgins, better known as "Pink" Higgins was a little known gunman and cowboy of the Old West, despite his having killed more men in his lifetime than more notable and well known gunfighters.-Early life:...
in 1903.
Early life and notoriety
Standifer was born J. William "Bill" Standifer in Burnet County, TexasBurnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
, and raised in Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 17,762. Its seat is Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River....
, working cattle. By the age of 14, he was working regularly as a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
. That year, when he came across four men rustling cattle, he was pistol whipped by the men and badly hurt, but survived. Despite his youth, he tracked all four men, and killed them one by one. Although charges were pursued, he was acquitted.
In April, 1879, Standifer was working as a cowboy on the Ike Mullins Ranch, in Tom Green County, Texas, where he came into contact with another cowboy, John McMahon, sometimes called John Mahon. The two found themselves involved in an argument when Standifer refused to allow McMahon to drive cattle across a pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
where Standifer was holding several head of Mullin's cattle. McMahon produced a bullwhip
Bullwhip
A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a tool for working with livestock.Bullwhips are pastoral tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country...
, while a companion pointed a rifle at Standifer, then McMahon began whipping Standifer. Both men were mounted, and Standifer was able to ride away to escape. Days later, Standifer tracked McMahon to a cattle camp near Pony Creek, located in Coleman County. As Standifer rode up, McMahon was mounted talking with several other cowboys. Upon seeing Standifer, McMahon drew his pistol and fired, but missed. Standifer drew and fired also, hitting McMahon in the wrist, causing his pistol to fall from his grip. McMahon spun his horse and galloped away, with Standifer in pursuit. The two made it about 600 yards from where the shootout began, with Standifer shooting McMahon again in the back, knocking him from his saddle. McMahon scrambled to his feet and attempted to run, but was again shot in the back, killing him.
Standifer fled, making it to Marfa, Texas
Marfa, Texas
Marfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas in the Southwestern United States. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, it is also the county seat of Presidio County. The population was 1,981 at the 2010 census....
, where he became involved in a saloon argument with three soldiers from Fort Davis
Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis is a census-designated place in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2000 census and 1,041 according to a 2007 estimate. It is the county seat of Jeff Davis County...
, during which he shot and wounded two of them, before fleeing. Members of the Texas Rangers hunted Standifer down for the McMahon killing, and arrested him. However he was acquitted in a trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
. Those shootings led to Standifer becoming known as a "gunman", and helped him in gaining employment as a Range Detective.
Lawman career, feud with John Higgins
By the early 1880s, Standifer was working as a Range Detective, tracking down rustlers, and is known to have shot and killed at least one rustler near Estacado, Texas. When the demand for his services dwindled, Standifer ran and was elected as County Sheriff for Crosby County, Texas from 1888 through 1892. While serving as Sheriff, in 1891, he and Deputy Charlie Quillen pursued a group of Post OfficePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
thieves into Lincoln County, New Mexico
Lincoln County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.1% White*0.5% Black*2.4% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*9.1% Other races*29.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, where they captured them.
On the return trip to Texas, while staying over at the VVN Ranch owned by George Neal, the outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s attempted to overpower he and Deputy Quillen. The deputy was shot and wounded in the chest with his own rifle, but was able to wrestle the outlaw to the floor and overpower him. The shot had also wounded George Neal's wife. Standifer, who was outside tending the horses, heard the wife scream, and ran inside. Another of the outlaws had acquired Standifer's shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, but when Standifer entered, the shotgun misfired. Standifer beat the suspect into submission, then assisted Deputy Quillen. That same night he shackled all three outlaws, and rode with them and Quillen to the nearest doctor. Deputy Quillen survived, and the two were later able to take their prisoners on to Texas.
In 1893 he began working again as a Range Detective for large and prosperous ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
es in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, mainly the powerful Spur Ranch, located in Spur, Texas
Spur, Texas
Spur is a city in Dickens County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,088.On October 9, 2009, Spur celebrated its centennial with the dedication of a Giant Spur sculpture. The Giant Spur was built by local welder John Grusendorf. The event, sponsored...
, where he first met John "Pink" Higgins, a notable gunman already known to Standifer, since they were both from Lampasas, Texas
Lampasas, Texas
Lampasas is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,786 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Lampasas County.Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. Standifer quickly gained a reputation for being an excellent tracker, and for always locating his prey. In June, 1898, while tracking rustlers, Standifer arrived in Clairemont, Texas
Clairemont, Texas
Clairemont is a ghost town in and the former county seat of Kent County, Texas, United States. It is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 380 and State Highway 208, fourteen miles southwest of Jayton and forty-three miles east of Post in central Kent County...
, a rough town at the time, and the location in which Jeff Hardin, brother to gunman John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas. Hardin found himself in trouble with the law at an early age, and spent the majority of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops of the...
, had been shot and killed. Standifer located a rustler named Bob Kiggins there, but Kiggins refused to surrender, and in the gunfight that followed Standifer shot and killed Kiggins.
During this period, an animosity between Standifer and Higgins developed, one that has never truly been explained. It has been written that the Horrell Brothers
Horrell Brothers
The Horrell Brothers, sometimes referred to as the Lawless Horrell Boys were five brothers from the Horrell family of Lampasas County, Texas, who were outlaws of the Old West, and who committed numerous murders over a five year period before four of the brothers were killed in different incidents...
, who were brought down mostly through the efforts of "Pink" Higgins, and who were distant kin to Standifer, was part of their problems. However, it is more likely that it was due to Higgins son, Cullin, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, who had only recently represented Standifer's wife in her divorce from Standifer. Fred Horsbrugh, manager of the Spur Ranch, fired both Higgins and Standifer due to the increasing hostilities between them. However, Horsbrugh allowed Higgins to stay on for a time after this, until he could find another job. This angered Standifer. In 1900, Standifer moved to Hartley County, Texas, where he was elected Sheriff.
At one point, just prior to Higgins leaving the Spur Ranch, he was dispatched to investigate a possible cattle rustling on a remote section of the ranch. Making a circular approach, Higgins spotted Standifer waiting in a group of trees. Rather than approach him, and knowing he was there to ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
him, Higgins simply went home. However, the animosity continued. On the morning of October 4, 1903, after having made comments that he would kill Higgins, Standifer rode out to Higgins ranch. Higgins, seeing him from his house, rode out to meet him. Higgins brother-in-law and daughter were standing on a hillside nearby, and witnessed what happened next. Standifer fired first, hitting Higgins horse, which then jerked, causing Higgins first shot to go wild. In the shooting exchange that followed, Standifer was shot and killed. Higgins horse also died.
Higgins then retrieved another horse, and contacted Sheriff B. F. Roy, in Clairemont. When Higgins told Sheriff Roy that he believed he had killed Standifer, Sheriff Roy, who disliked Standifer for reasons unknown, stated "Well if you're not sure, you'd better go and finish the job". The shooting was ruled justifiable homicide
Justifiable homicide
The United States' concept of justifiable homicide in criminal law stands on the dividing line between an excuse, justification and an exculpation. It is different from other forms of homicide in that due to certain circumstances the homicide is justified as preventing greater harm to innocents...
, and Higgins was never arrested or tried. He buried Standifer himself, on the Higgins property, naming the thicket where he is buried "Standifer's Thicket".