Pony Diehl
Encyclopedia
Charles "Pony" Diehl was an Old West outlaw
who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee
.
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 Cavalry soldiers from Fort Stanton
. The outlaws lost the fight and were thrown out of the saloon. However, a short time later the four outlaws returned and opened fire on the saloon, killing two soldiers and one civilian, and wounding another two soldiers and one civilian.
Diehl rode with the Kinney Gang through 1875. In early 1876 he left the gang to join with Jesse Evans, who had started his own gang. Diehl and the rest of the gang were enlisted by the "Murphy-Dolan Faction". Members of the Evans Gang killed John Tunstall
, which sparked the Lincoln County War
, during which Evans and his gang fought Billy the Kid
and his "Regulators". After the Lincoln County War, Diehl departed New Mexico and ventured to Tombstone, Arizona
, where he met Ike Clanton
, Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Johnny Ringo
and "Curly Bill" Brocius
, and became an outlaw Cowboy
. He went to Arizona Territory
on a cattle drive with "Curly Bill" Brocius and "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson in late 1878.
Diehl's name is mentioned often in the records of the events leading up to, and after, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
. He was suspected of being involved in numerous robberies
and cattle rustling, and was suspected of being involved in the theft of U.S. Army mules, alongside Sherman McMasters
. After the assassination
attempt on Virgil Earp
which left him maimed, the Ike Clanton, Phin Clanton, and Pony Diehl were the primary suspects. A posse
led by Wyatt Earp
searched for the suspects in Charleston
and surrounding areas but failed to locate them. In February 1882, Diehl was again running from the law, when a warrant
was issued for his arrest relating to a January 1882 stagecoach
robbery. Again, he avoided capture.
Diehl was the main suspect in the 1882 shooting death of gambler and Earp supporter Mike O'Rourke
, but his involvement was never proven, and he was never charged. He eventually was arrested for numerous crimes, to include cattle rustling and robbery, and sentenced to the state prison. After his release, he disappeared, and his whereabouts following his time in prison are unknown.
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...
who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
.
He first appeared in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
during the 1870s, riding with the John Kinney Gang
John Kinney Gang
The John Kinney Gang, also known as the Rio Grande Posse, was an outlaw gang of the old West, which operated during the mid-1870s into the mid-1880s....
, then later with the Jesse Evans Gang. While with the Kinney Gang, on December 31, 1875, Diehl, John Kinney
John Kinney (outlaw)
John Kinney was an outlaw of the Old West, who formed the John Kinney Gang.Kinney was born in Hampshire County, Massachusetts around 1847. His family later moved to Iowa, and in 1865, after the Civil War ended, Kinney enlisted in the US Army. At the rank of sergeant, Kinney was mustered out of the...
, Jesse Evans, and gang member Jim McDaniels entered a saloon in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. There, they became involved in a brawl with US Cavalry soldiers from Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a U.S. military fort built in New Mexico in the United States. It was established to protect settlements along the Rio Bonito in the Apache Wars...
. The outlaws lost the fight and were thrown out of the saloon. However, a short time later the four outlaws returned and opened fire on the saloon, killing two soldiers and one civilian, and wounding another two soldiers and one civilian.
Diehl rode with the Kinney Gang through 1875. In early 1876 he left the gang to join with Jesse Evans, who had started his own gang. Diehl and the rest of the gang were enlisted by the "Murphy-Dolan Faction". Members of the Evans Gang killed John Tunstall
John Tunstall
John Henry Tunstall , born in England, became a rancher and merchant in New Mexico, where he became a prominent figure and was the first man killed in the Lincoln County War, an economic and political conflict perhaps compounded by ethnic rivalries.-Early life and education:John Henry Tunstall was...
, which sparked the Lincoln County War
Lincoln County War
The Lincoln County War was a 19th-century range war between two factions during the Old West period. Numerous notable figures of the American West were involved, including Billy the Kid, aka William Henry McCarty; sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett; cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and...
, during which Evans and his gang fought Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
and his "Regulators". After the Lincoln County War, Diehl departed New Mexico and ventured to Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
, where he met Ike Clanton
Ike Clanton
Joseph Isaac Clanton was born in Callaway County, Missouri. He is best known for being a member of group of outlaw Cowboys that had ongoing conflicts with lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan Earp and Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday. The Clantons repeatedly threatened the Earps because they interfered with...
, Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
and "Curly Bill" Brocius
William Brocius
William "Curly Bill" Brocius was a gunman, rustler and an outlaw Cowboy in the Cochise County area of Arizona Territory during the early 1880s. He had a number of conflicts with the lawmen of the Earp family, and he was named as one of the individuals who participated Morgan Earp's assassination....
, and became an outlaw Cowboy
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
. He went to Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
on a cattle drive with "Curly Bill" Brocius and "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson in late 1878.
Diehl's name is mentioned often in the records of the events leading up to, and after, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
. He was suspected of being involved in numerous robberies
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and cattle rustling, and was suspected of being involved in the theft of U.S. Army mules, alongside Sherman McMasters
Sherman McMasters
Sherman McMaster was an outlaw turned lawman, who was one of the six men involved in the Earp vendetta ride.-Early life:Sherman W. McMaster was born in 1853 in Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Sylvester W. McMaster. Not much is known of his life before heading out west, but he was believed to...
. After the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt on Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
which left him maimed, the Ike Clanton, Phin Clanton, and Pony Diehl were the primary suspects. A posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
led by Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
searched for the suspects in Charleston
Charleston, Arizona
Charleston is a ghost town in Cochise County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was occupied from the late-1870s through the late-1880s, and was located in what was then known as the Arizona Territory...
and surrounding areas but failed to locate them. In February 1882, Diehl was again running from the law, when a warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
was issued for his arrest relating to a January 1882 stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
robbery. Again, he avoided capture.
Diehl was the main suspect in the 1882 shooting death of gambler and Earp supporter Mike O'Rourke
Mike O'Rourke
Michael "Mike" O'Rourke , aka "Johnny O'Rourke" or "Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce", was a professional gambler of the Old West, whose notoriety is mainly due to Old West lawman and legend Wyatt Earp's having saving him from being lynched in Tombstone, Arizona Territory in 1881.-Life in Tombstone:O'Rourke...
, but his involvement was never proven, and he was never charged. He eventually was arrested for numerous crimes, to include cattle rustling and robbery, and sentenced to the state prison. After his release, he disappeared, and his whereabouts following his time in prison are unknown.