Tombstone · Character

John Ringo

A sombre, hard-drinking outlaw with a haunted past, whose brooding presence on Allen Street marks him as the Earps' most enigmatic enemy.

major

Also known as Ringo, IX Ringo

First appearance: Tombstone

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Ringo is the outlaw who drinks hard, unlike other bad men who take their liquor sparingly to keep their trigger fingers steady, a figure of dark reputation among the Clanton and McLowery crowd that salutes the Earps pleasantly while plotting against them. His death in a canyon, a single empty chamber and a body found in the forks of an oak, becomes one of Tombstone's enduring mysteries, with rumours pointing at Frank Leslie and evidence pointing at suicide. Whether killer or self-slain, Ringo embodies the haunted, self-destructive edge of the frontier's outlaw culture that the Earps must confront.

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Character Web

47 connections

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Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Key Tombstone Figures
Protagonist
Extended Cast of Characters

+42 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak where the Earps and Doc Holliday confront…

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Relationships

Wyatt Earp
rivalry · negative
Buckskin Frank Leslie
social · ambivalent
Wyatt Earp
rivalry · negative
Wyatt Earp
rivalry · negative

Wyatt Earp
Intellectual outlaw and leader of the cowboy faction, locked in a deadly chess match with Wyatt.
Buckskin Frank Leslie
Fellow saloon denizens and occasional allies in Tombstone's criminal underworld.
Wyatt Earp
Intellectual outlaw and leader of the cowboy faction, locked in a deadly chess match with Wyatt.
Wyatt Earp
Intellectual outlaw and leader of the cowboy faction, locked in a deadly chess match with Wyatt.

Relationship notes

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In the story

John Ringo appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Tombstone
John Ringo is a notable outlaw in the Tombstone region.
Curly Bill
Present as a convivial spirit in the poker game with Curly Bill, but noted as a follower rather than the brains of the outfit.
The Affair of Skeleton Canyon
Listed among the participants; later wins stolen silver at poker at Roofless Dobe ranch.
IX: Ringo
Portrayed as a Hamlet-like outlaw, introspective, tragic, and chivalrous; challenges Wyatt Earp to a duel and later robs a poker game.
X: Russian Bill's Little Drama
Mentioned as one of the outlaws with whom Buckskin Frank Leslie is on intimate terms.
John Ringo Cashes In
Drinks heavily for ten days, rides to his death, found with a bullet wound to the head, possibly suicide or murder.

Chapter companion notes

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