Shotgun John Collins
| Abraham G. Graham | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 22, 1851 Horry County, South Carolina |
| Died | December 2, 1922 (aged 71) El Paso, Texas |
| Other names | "Shotgun" John Collins, John Graham, George Graham |
| Occupation | Gunfighter, outlaw |
| Criminal charge | Cattle rustling, Horse theft |
| Spouse(s) | Tabitha Cox |
| Children | Henry C., Hosea Joe, Abraham, August K., Tabitha Belle, and Jessie Jane Collins; later changed name back to Graham |
| Parent(s) | Hosea A. Graham and Martha A. Graham |
Abraham G. Graham (November 22, 1851 – December 2, 1922), known by the alias "Shotgun" John Collins, was a little-known though well-associated gunfighter and outlaw of the American Old West.
Abraham G. Graham was born on his grandmother's plantation in Horry County, South Carolina on November 22, 1851. His great-grandfather, Captain Edward Connor, served in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, under Brigadier General Francis Marion. His father, Hosea A. Graham, had married his first cousin Martha Ann Graham, and while Abraham was still a child the family moved to Texas in covered wagons in 1859.
While living in Limestone County, Texas, teenagers Abe Graham (also known as John Collins) and John Wesley Hardin were partners, both coming from staunchly pro-Confederate families. Hardin writes in his biography that John Collins was once married to one of his cousins (Tabitha Cox, born in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas) and comments that while he was in Austin jail, Hardin met some noted men naming John Collins, Pipes and Herndon of the Bass gang, John Ringo, Mannings Clements and Brown Bowen.
Collins was sought by lawmen for crimes including cattle rustling and fled Texas for Mexico. After that time, Collins moved to Uvalde, Texas and became one of the five so-called "Uvalde Minutemen" alongside Captain J.J.H. Patterson, Henry Patterson, W.B. Nichols, and Tom Leakey. These five fearless Minutemen did what the Texas Rangers could not do. Collins then migrated into the western part of Old Socorro County, New Mexico. As reported by the Grant County Herald, John Collins ushered the year 1875 out with a bang, apparently deciding to kill a man named James "Jim" Smith. Collins was arrested by Sheriff Whitehill of Silver City, New Mexico and put into jail. He later bailed himself out for $60 and migrated to Lincoln County.
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Wikipedia