Western Outlaw, Lawman. Born in Collin County, Texas, in his brief life time, John King Fisher transformed from a accomplished outlaw to a very effective lawman. In 1869, he was accused of stealing a horse after he borrowed it without telling the owner. He was arrested but escaped, then arrested again for stealing and sent to prsion. After being pardoned, he was a rancher which led him to engage in cattle rustling in the region known as the Nueces Strip of Texas and Mexico. Fisher was a master of the pistol, he could draw and fire his weapons with either hand. With his reputation as a gun slinger, he was arrested at various times by the Texas Rangers as a horse and cattle theft. In 1876, in a bar in Zavala County, Texas, he had an argument with a cowboy named William Donovan and shot him dead. He was arrested by Texas Ranger Lee Hall who charged him with murder, but he managed to avoid conviction and was released. Although well known as a trouble maker, he was well liked in south Texas. He decided to live a quieter life, got married and  bought a ranch near Eagle Pass. In 1881, he excepted a position as a deputy sheriff of Uvalde County and he became acting sheriff in 1883. On the night of March 11, 1884, Fisher with his friend and noted gunman Ben Thompson, were at the Vaudeville Variety Theater in San Antonio, when a quarrel erupted between they and the theater’s owners. Both Fisher and Thompson were killed in the melee and there was a public out cry for a grand jury indictment of those involved. However no action was ever taken and the San Antonio Police ruled the situation a case of self defense with no charges filed. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)