Frank C Stilwell

1855 - 1882  (27 years)

• Name	Frank C Stilwell
  Birth	1855	Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Outlaw Cowboy. On October 18, 1877, while working at Miller's Ranch a cook, Jesus Bega brought Frank tea instead of coffee. During the resulting argument Frank shot Bega through the lung, killing him. Frank was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense. On November 9, 1879, got into an argument over a mining claim with Col. John Van Houten. Van Houten was brutally beaten in the face with a rock and died. Frank Stilwell was charged with murder but was not indicted due to lack of evidence. In April of 1881 Stilwell was hired as an assistant deputy sheriff by Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan. Four months later, in August, Behan fired him for "accounting irregularities". On September 8, 1881, a stage coach in the Tombstone area bound for Bisbee, Arizona was robbed. The masked bandits robbed all of the passengers of their valuables and the strongbox of about $2,500. During the robbery, the driver heard one of the robbers describe the money as "sugar", a phrase known to be used by Frank. Wyatt and Virgil Earp rode with the sheriff's posse attempting to track the robbers. At the scene of the holdup, Wells, Fargo & Co. agent Fred Dodge discovered an unusual boot print left by someone wearing a custom-repaired boot heel. The Earps checked a shoe repair shop in Bisbee and were able to link the boot print to Frank Stilwell. Frank was arrested on state charges, but he came up with an alibi and witnesses to support the alibi so the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. While waiting for the trial Morgan Earp was shot and killed. Witnesses pointed the finger a group of men including Stillwell. On March 20, Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp received information that Frank Stilwell, and other cowboys were watching the passenger trains in Tucson intending to kill Virgil Earp. Wyatt and his assistant deputies Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson, and Sherman McMaster confronted Stillwell who was shot and killed. The coroner determined that he was shot by five different weapons.
  		Wyatt Earp & Doc Holiday. A statue off Wyatt Earp & Doc Holiday commemorating the shooting of Frank Stillwell stands near the rail depot where Frank died.
  Death	20 Mar 1882	Tucson, Pima, Arizona
  Burial	The Tucson Weekly Citizen reported on March 28, 1882, that Stilwell "was buried this afternoon, the coffin being conveyed to the grave in an express wagon, unfollowed by a single mourner." Stilwell was originally buried in the old Tucson City cemetery, but when the cemetery was moved, most of the residents were reburied in a mass grave in the Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.
  Siblings	1. Simpson Everett Stilwell,   b. 18 Aug 1850, Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa d. 17 Feb 1903, Cody, Park, Wyoming
  Person ID	I67886	Nagel
  Last Modified	4 Dec 2025

  
  

  Father	William Henry Stilwell,   b. 1823, Madison County, Alabama d. 1 Dec 1893, Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas (Age 70 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Charlotte B Winfrey,   b. 1828, Illinois
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	1849	Illinois
  Family ID	F21523	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 1855 - Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa Death - 20 Mar 1882 - Tucson, Pima, Arizona  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Frank C Stillwell. Frank C Stillwell.
  		Frank Stilwell An outlaw cowboy. He died in a shootout with Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp and others.