Ben Sippy

Arizona Territory law officer

Ben Sippy

Occupation(s)| City Marshal, Tombstone, Arizona Territory
Years active| November 12, 1880 to June 6, 1881

Ben Sippy was City Marshal of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, from November 12, 1880, to June 6, 1881. He beat out Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp for the office but left under a cloud of financial impropriety.

Before arriving in Arizona, Sippy had been indicted for theft in Parker County, Texas. He fled the state without facing the charges.[1] On November 12, 1880, Sippy beat Virgil Earp by 311 to Earp's 259 votes in an election only two weeks after Earp was appointed to fill the office after Fred White was accidentally killed by Curly Bill Brocius.[2] On January 4, 1881, Sippy stood for election as the permanent City Marshal and beat challenger Howard Lee.[3]

On February 28, 1881, at the Oriental Hotel, gamblers Luke Short and Charlie Storms had a verbal altercation which was temporarily defused by Bat Masterson, who was an acquaintance of Storms as well. Storms later returned to the scene and yanked Short off the sidewalk as he and Masterson left the gambling hall. Storms pulled his cut-off Colt .45 pistol, but Short was quicker. Short shot Storms twice before he hit the ground; the first shot fired was so close that it set fire to Storms' shirt.[4] Short was alleged to have then turned to Bat Masterson and stated: "You sure pick some of the damnedest friends, Bat." Sippy arrested Short, but the shooting was determined to have been made in self-defense.[1]

The city council reprimanded him for being absent without leave. In May, they criticized him for "action in regard to releasing certain prisoners". He also helped defuse a lot-jumping confrontation in December 1880. Sippy was praised for his handling of the mob intent on lynching Johnny Behind the Deuce, on January 14, 1881, helping to convince them to disperse.[1][5]

But by June 1881 Sippy was in trouble.[6] On June 6, 1881, he asked the city for a two-week leave of absence and Virgil Earp was appointed as acting city marshal.[6] Angry creditors came forward, complaining Sippy owed them money. On June 22, during Sippy's absence, Tombstone was hit by a large fire. Earp ably managed the disarray and kept lot jumpers at bay. Less than a week later, the City of Tombstone discovered $3,000 in financial improprieties in Sippy's records. Earp was appointed as Chief of Police.[7][8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Thrapp, Dan L. (1991). Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography (Bison Book print ed.). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p. 1313\. ISBN 978-0-8032-9420-2. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
2. ^ Paula Mitchell Marks (1989). And Die in the West: the Story of the O.K. Corral Gunfight. New York: Morrow. p. 114\. ISBN 0-671-70614-4.[permanent dead link]
3. ^ Roberts, Gary L. (2007). Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend. New York, NY: Wiley, J. p. 243\. ISBN 978-0-470-12822-0.
4. ^ Erwin, Richard E. (1993). The Truth about Wyatt Earp (2nd ed.). Carpinteria, CA: O.K. Press. ISBN 9780963393029.
5. ^ "Losing Gambler". Archived from the original on April 12, 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
6. ^ a b Guinn, Jeff (17 May 2011). The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How it Changed the American West (First hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 168\. ISBN 978-1-4391-5424-3.
7. ^ "Virgil Earp - Upholding the Law of the West". Retrieved 24 March 2015.
8. ^ "Wyatt Earp". Legends of America. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

Police appointments

Preceded by

Virgil Earp

|  City Marshal of Tombstone, Arizona
November 12, 1880–June 18, 1881  | Succeeded by

Virgil Earp

* v
* t
* e

Cochise County in the Old West

Rural outlaw cowboys and allies vs. business owners, townspeople, and the law

Supporting
rural interests|

| Lawmen|

* Johnny Behan
* Billy Breakenridge
* Phin Clanton
* Johnny Ringo
* Frank Stilwell
* David Neagle

|

Cowboys,
smugglers,
ranchers|

* Frederick Bode
* William "Curly Bill" Brocius
* Billy Claiborne
* Billy Clanton
* Ike Clanton
* Newman "Old Man" Clanton
* Phin Clanton
* Jim Crane
* "Indian Charlie" Cruz
* Pony Diehl
* Harry "The Kid" Head
* Bill Hicks
* Milt Hicks
* Bill Johnson
* Luther King
* Bill Leonard
* Ed Lyle
* Johnny Lyle
* Frank McLaury
* Tom McLaury
* Frank Patterson
* Johnny Ringo
* Pete Spence
* Frank Stilwell

Supporting
town interests|

| Lawmen|

* John Clum
* Crawley Dake
* Wyatt Earp
* Warren Earp
* Morgan Earp
* Virgil Earp
* George McKelvey
* Bob Paul
* Charles A. Shibell
* Ben Sippy
* John Slaughter
* Fred White

|

Gamblers,
businessmen,
cowboys,
ranchers,
politicians|

* Fred Dodge
* James Earp
* Tom Fitch
* Jack Johnson
* Doc Holliday
* Henry Hooker
* Buckskin Frank Leslie
* Sherman McMaster
* George W. Parsons
* Charles Smith
* John Vermillion
* Daniel Tipton
* Marshall Williams
* C. S. Fly

Conflicts and events|

* Skeleton Canyon Massacres
* Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
* Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
* O.K. Corral hearing and aftermath
* Earp Vendetta Ride

Locations|

* Cochise County
* Benson
* Bisbee
* Charleston
* Contention
* Fairbank
* Fort Huachuca
* Tombstone
* Tucson
* Contention City

* v
* t
* e

Gunfights and feuds in the Old West

Gunfights|

* Gunfight at Hide Park
* Goingsnake massacre
* Battle of Bates Point
* Gunfight at Blazer's Mill
* Battle of Lincoln (1878)
* Variety Hall shootout
* Mussel Slough Tragedy
* Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight
* Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
* Battle of the Plaza
* Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
* Trinidad Gunfight
* Vaudeville Theater ambush
* Hunnewell gunfight
* Frisco shootout
* Battle of Cimarron
* Battle of Stone Corral
* Battle of Tres Jacales
* Battle of Ingalls
* Gunfight at Morenci
* Blackwell gunfight
* Shootout on Juneau Wharf
* Hot Springs gunfight
* Shootout at Wilson Ranch
* Gunfight in Moab
* Battleground Gunfight
* Chinese Massacre Cove
* Big Fight at the Jenkins Saloon
* Thibodaux massacre
* Gunfight at Spokogee
* Canyon Diablo shootout
* Shootout in Benson
* Naco Gunfight
* Battle of Eufaula
* Shootout in Sonoratown
* Gleeson gunfight
* Power's Cabin shootout
* Skeleton Canyon shootout

Duels and
showdowns|

* Broderick–Terry duel
* Sandbar Fight
* Hickok–Tutt Shootout
* Duels of Jim Levy
* Duels of Tom Carberry
* Short–Courtright Shootout
* Bull–Peel duel
* Mart Duggan duel
* Anderson-McCluskie duel
* Canton–Dunn Shootout
* Long Branch Saloon gunfight
* South Pass Shootout
* Walker–Graham duel
* Burton Mossman duel
* Silks–Fultom duel
* Higgins–Standifer duel
* Western Code Duello

Feuds|

* Railroad Wars
* County seat war
* Tutt–Everett War
* Regulator–Moderator War
* Lincoln County War
* Lee–Peacock feud
* Sutton–Taylor feud
* Horrell–Higgins feud
* Brooks–Baxter War
* Colorado Railroad War
* Earp Vendetta Ride
* Dodge City War
* Flynn–Doran feud
* Gray County War
* Jaybird–Woodpecker War
* Enid–Pond Creek Railroad War
* Brooks–McFarland feud
* Reese–Townsend feud
* McIntosh County Seat War
* Deschutes Railroad War
* Boyce–Sneed feud
* Placer County Railroad War
* Bellevue War
* Colorado Labor Wars
* Idaho labor strike

Range
wars|

* Johnson County War
* Mason County War
* Pleasant Valley War
* Castaic Range War
* Colorado Range War
* Colfax County War
* San Elizario Salt War
* Pecos War
* Porum Range War
* Fence Cutting Wars
* Sheep Wars
* Sheepshooters' War
* Stuart's Stranglers
* Hashknife Outfit
* Deep Creek murders
* Spring Creek raid

Robberies|

* Jonathan R. Davis Gunfight
* Northfield Bank Robbery
* Skeleton Canyon massacres
* Battle of Coffeyville
* Canyon Diablo Train Robbery
* Wham Paymaster robbery
* Black Bart Robberies
* Fairbank Train Robbery
* Gage Train Robbery
* Big Springs Robbery
* Overland Flyer Train Robbery
* Baxter's Curve Train Robbery
* Jarbidge Stage Robbery

See also|

* Gunfighter
* Cowboy
* Lexington murders
* Bisbee massacre
* Hay Meadow massacre
* Rock Springs massacre
* Morewood massacre

Further information: List of Old West gunfights, List of Old West gunfighters, and List of Old West lawmen

* v
* t
* e

American frontier

1776 to 1912

Native Nations|

* Apache
* Arapaho
* Arikara
* Assiniboine (Nakota)
* Blackfoot
* Cahuilla
* Cayuse
* Cheyenne
* Chinook
* Chippewa (Ojibwe)
* Caddo
* Cocopah
* Comanche
* Crow
* Dakota
* Five Civilized Tribes
* Hidatsa
* Hopi
* Hualapai
* Kickapoo
* Kiowa
* Kumeyaay
* Kutenai
* Lakota
* Lenape (Delaware)
* Mandan
* Maricopa
* Modoc
* Mohave
* Muscogee
* Navajo
* Nez Perce
* Northern Paiute
* Nootka (Nuu-chah-nulth)
* Pawnee
* Pend d'Oreilles
* Pequots
* Pima
* Pueblo
* Seminoles
* Shoshone
* Sioux
* Southern Paiute
* Tohono Oʼodham
* Tonkawa
* Umpqua
* Ute
* Washoe
* Yakama
* Yaqui
* Yavapai
* Yuma (Quechan)

Notable people|

| Native Americans|

* Black Hawk
* Black Kettle
* Bloody Knife
* Chief Joseph
* Cochise
* Degataga
* Crazy Bear
* Crazy Horse
* Crazy Snake
* Dasoda-hae
* Geronimo
* Ganundalegi
* Irataba
* Kiliahote
* Manuelito
* Massai
* Plenty Coups
* Quanah Parker
* Red Cloud
* Sacagawea
* Seattle
* Sitting Bull
* Smallwood
* Snapping Turtle
* Standing Bear
* Ten Bears
* Touch the Clouds
* Tuvi
* Victorio
* Washakie

|

Explorers
and pioneers|

* Daniel Boone
* John Bozeman
* Jim Bridger
* Tomás Vélez Cachupín
* William Clark
* Davy Crockett
* Donner Party
* John C. Frémont
* Liver-Eating Johnson
* Meriwether Lewis
* Joe Mayer
* William John Murphy
* John Wesley Powell
* Juan Rivera
* Levi Ruggles
* Jedediah Smith
* Jack Swilling
* Trinidad Swilling
* Ora Rush Weed
* Richens Lacey Wootton
* Henry Wickenburg
* "Old Bill" Williams
* Brigham Young

Lawmen|

* Elfego Baca
* Charlie Bassett
* Roy Bean
* Morgan Earp
* Virgil Earp
* Wyatt Earp
* Henry Garfias
* Pat Garrett
* Jack Helm
* "Wild Bill" Hickok
* Bat Masterson
* "Mysterious Dave" Mather
* Bass Reeves
* George Scarborough
* John Selman
* John Horton Slaughter
* William "Bill" Tilghman
* James Timberlake
* Harry C. Wheeler

Outlaws|

* Billy the Kid
* Black Bart
* "Curly Bill" Brocius
* Butch Cassidy
* Billy Clanton
* Ike Clanton
* Dalton Brothers (Grat, Bill, Bob, Emmett)
* Bill Doolin
* Bill Downing
* John Wesley Hardin
* Johnny Ringo
* Jesse James
* Frank James
* Tom Ketchum
* Frank McLaury
* Tom McLaury
* Joaquin Murrieta
* Belle Starr
* Soapy Smith
* Sundance Kid
* Younger Brothers (Cole, Bob, Jim, John)

Soldiers
and scouts|

* Frederick Russell Burnham
* Kit Carson
* "Buffalo Bill" Cody
* Texas Jack Omohundro
* James C. Cooney
* George Crook
* George Armstrong Custer
* Alexis Godey
* Samuel P. Heintzelman
* Tom Horn
* Calamity Jane
* Luther Kelly
* Ranald S. Mackenzie
* Charley Reynolds
* Philip Sheridan
* Al Sieber

Others|

* John Jacob Astor
* William H. Boring
* Jonathan R. Davis
* George Flavel
* C. S. Fly
* John Joel Glanton
* George E. Goodfellow
* Doc Holliday
* Andrew Jackson
* Zephaniah Kingsley
* Seth Kinman
* Octaviano Larrazolo
* Nat Love
* Sylvester Mowry
* Emperor Norton
* Annie Oakley
* Sedona Schnebly
* Thomas William Sweeny
* Peter Lebeck

Frontier culture|

* American bison
* Barbed wire
* Boot Hill
* Cattle drive
* Cowboy poetry
* Cattle rustling
* Cow town
* Fast draw
* Ghost town
* Gunfights
* Homesteading
* Land rush
* Manifest destiny
* Moonshine
* One-room schoolhouse
* Rocky Mountain Rendezvous
* Rodeo
* Stagecoach
* Train robbery
* Vigilante justice
* Western saloon
* Tack piano
* Westward expansion
* Wild West shows

Transport
and trails|

* Barlow Road
* Bozeman Trail
* Butterfield Trail
* California Trail
* Chisholm Trail
* Great Platte River Road
* Great Western Cattle Trail
* Lolo Pass
* Meek Cutoff
* Mormon Trail
* Oregon Trail
* Pony Express
* Santa Fe Trail
* Southern Emigrant Trail
* Tanner Trail
* First transcontinental railroad

Folklore|

* Dead man's hand
* Dime novel
* John Henry
* Johnny Kaw
* Long Tom's treasure
* Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
* Lost Ship of the Desert
* Montezuma's treasure
* Paul Bunyan
* Pecos Bill
* Seven Cities of Gold

Gold rushes|

* Black Hills Gold Rush
* California Gold Rush
* Confederate Gulch and Diamond City
* Klondike Gold Rush
* Pike's Peak Gold Rush

Gunfights|

* Battle of Coffeyville
* Battle of Lincoln
* Frisco shootout
* Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
* Long Branch Saloon gunfight
* Variety Hall shootout

Military conflicts|

* Battle of the Alamo
* Battle of Glorieta Pass
* Battle of the Little Bighorn
* Battle of San Jacinto
* Battle of Washita River
* Bear Flag Revolt
* Chimayó Rebellion
* First Battle of Adobe Walls
* Indian Wars
* Mexican War
* Sand Creek massacre
* Seminole Wars
* Texas Revolution
* Wounded Knee Massacre

Range wars
and feuds|

* Earp-Clanton feud
* Johnson County War
* Lincoln County War
* Mason County War
* Pleasant Valley War
* Sheep Wars
* Sutton–Taylor feud

Lists|

* Arizona Rangers
* Bibliography of the American frontier
* Cowboys and cowgirls
* Gangs
* Ghost towns
* Gunfights
* Lawmen
* Mountain men
* Outlaws
* Timeline of the American Old West

Influence|

* Cuisine of the Western United States
* Chuckwagon
* Californian
* Native American
* New Mexican
* New Mexico chile
* Pacific Northwestern
* Rocky Mountain oysters
* Tex-Mex
* Gothic Western
* Weird West
* Western genre
* Western lifestyle
* Western music
* New Mexico
* Red Dirt
* Tejano
* Texas country
* Western wear
* Cowboy boots
* Cowboy hat
* Jeans
* Snap fastener

| Places|

| Alaska|

* Anchorage
* Iditarod
* Nome
* Seward
* Skagway

|

Arizona Territory|

* Canyon Diablo
* Fort Grant
* Prescott
* Phoenix
* Tombstone
* Tucson
* Window Rock
* Yuma

California|

* Bakersfield
* Fresno
* Jamestown
* Los Angeles
* Sacramento
* San Diego
* San Francisco

Colorado|

* Creede
* Denver
* Telluride
* Trinidad

Dakota Territory|

* Bismarck
* Deadwood
* Fargo
* Fort Yates
* Pine Ridge
* Rapid City
* Standing Rock
* Yankton

Florida Territory|

* Angola
* Negro Fort
* Pensacola
* Prospect Bluff
* St. Augustine
* St. Marks
* Tallahassee

Idaho Territory|

* Fort Boise
* Fort Hall

Illinois|

* Fort Dearborn

Kansas|

* Abilene
* Dodge City
* Ellsworth
* Hays
* Leavenworth
* Wichita

Missouri|

* Independence
* Kansas City
* St. Louis

Montana Territory|

* Billings
* Bozeman
* Deer Lodge
* Fort Benton
* Fort Peck
* Helena
* Livingston
* Missoula
* Virginia City

Nebraska|

* Chadron
* Fort Atkinson
* Fort Robinson
* Nebraska City
* Ogallala
* Omaha
* Valentine
* Whiteclay

Nevada|

* Carson City
* Virginia City
* Reno

New Mexico Territory|

* Alamogordo
* Albuquerque
* Cimarron
* Fort Sumner
* Gallup
* Las Vegas
* Lincoln
* Mesilla
* Mogollon
* Roswell
* Santa Fe
* Tucumcari

Oklahoma Territory
and Indian Territory|

* Broken Arrow
* Fort Gibson
* Fort Sill
* Oklahoma City
* Okmulgee
* Pawhuska
* Tahlequah
* Tishomingo
* Tuskahoma
* Wewoka

Oregon Territory|

* Astoria
* The Dalles
* La Grande
* McMinnville
* Oregon City
* Portland
* Salem
* Vale

Texas|

* Austin
* Abilene
* El Paso
* Fort Worth
* Gonzales
* Lubbock
* San Antonio

Utah Territory|

* Salt Lake City

Washington Territory|

* Everett
* Port Townsend
* Seattle
* Vancouver

Wyoming Territory|

* Fort Bridger
* Fort Laramie

* Category

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