Freighter
Richard “Zwing” Hunt was a freighter turned outlaw who the Indians killed.
Born March 29, 1858, in Burnet County, Texas, to Thomas W. and Mary Ann Elizabeth Hunt, Zwing was the first of six children. In May 1880, Zwing and his family learned that his older half-brother, who had begun a freight hauling business between Tombstone, Arizona, and Hillsboro, New Mexico, had been killed by Indians. He then traveled there to bring back the freight equipment, but when he arrived, he decided to take over the business instead. Soon after, he also hooked up with several desperate characters, including the Clanton Gang and a man named Billy Grounds.
On March 25, 1882, he and Grounds attempted to rob the Tombstone Mining and Milling Company in Charleston, Arizona. After being challenged, they shot and killed a man before panicking and taking off without a dime. Within no time, U.S. Deputy Marshal William Breakenridge gathered a posse and began to track the two killers. Finding them at the Jack Chandler Ranch near Tombstone, a gunfight ensued. Though it lasted only seconds, when the smoke cleared, Breakenridge had killed Billy Grounds, and Zwing Hunt had been wounded.
William M. Breckenridge.
Unfortunately, one deputized man, John Gillespie, was also dead. The other two posse members were wounded but would recover. Due to the seriousness of his wounds, Hunt was placed in a hospital unguarded. Meanwhile, the family, concerned about his activities, sent his brother, Hugh, to bring him home. On April 28, 1882, Hugh helped Zwing escape, and the pair hid in the nearby mountains. However, on May 31, they were surprised by Apache Indians, who shot and killed Zwing. His brother was able to escape.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2026.
Also See:
Arizona – The Grand Canyon State
Tombstone, Arizona – The Town Too Tough to Die
See Sources.