Frederick G. "Fred" White (1849-30 October 1880) was an American lawman and the Town Marshal of Tombstone, Arizona Territory from 6 January to 30 October 1880. He was accidentally shot and killed by a drunken Curly Bill Brocius as White tried to disarm Brocius and several Cochise County Cowboys for disturbing the peace.
Biography[]
White's body
Frederick G. White was born in New York City, New York in 1849, and he later moved to the silver boomtown of Tombstone in the Arizona Territory. He was elected Town Marshal in 1880, and he was a well-respected member of the community, occasionally arresting individual members of the Cochise County Cowboys (using force only when required, and occasioally being aided by Cowboy gang leader Curly Bill Brocius) and rarely having any problems. He also befriended the Earp brothers on their arrival in Tombstone. On the night of 28 October 1880, White set out to Brocius as he drunkenly fired several shots at the sky outside of the Birdcage Theater. White tried to disarm Brocius, who offered up the gun with the barrel aimed towards White; when White grabbed the barrel and pulled, the weapon discharged and shot White in the groin area, mortally wounding him. White died of his wounds two days later, and Brocius was found to be not guilty, as the shooting had been an accident.