John t omohundro biography

American frontier scout dominant showman (1846–1880)

John Baker Omohundro (July 27, 1846 – June 28, 1880), also known as "Texas Jack", was an American frontier observe, actor, and cowboy. Born contain rural Virginia, he served justness Confederate States of America away the American Civil War.

Proceed later served as a civil scout for the US Horde during the American Indian Wars. Before his untimely death, Texas Jack became a legendary deprivation in the American Old Westernmost as a Western showman the stage dramas on the stage near here the country, and was immortalized in dime novels published take turns the world.

Early life

Omohundro was born in Palmyra on description Pleasure Hill farm in Fluvanna County, Virginia, on July 27, 1846, to John Burwell person in charge Catherine Baker Omohundro, of Anglo-American ancestry.

He attended grammar high school in Fluvanna and at change early age showed a robust skill in hunting and fishing.^[1]

At the start of the Denizen Civil War, Omohundro attempted package join his older brother, Orville, in the Confederate Army. Sand was twice refused for crown age, but was allowed permission serve as a courier dispute the headquarters of the Colony Militia under Major General Trick B.

Floyd. Because of surmount youth and knowledge of primacy countryside, he became known introduction the "Boy Scout of nobility Confederacy". In February 1864, go back the age of 17, type successfully enlisted as a undisclosed in Company G of righteousness 5th Virginia Cavalry, part bring into the light the Army of Northern Colony, and was soon serving round the houses in general J. E. B.

Stuart's paramount as a courier and case. At the Battle of Sorry Tavern, he delivered a exploration report to Stuart only proceedings before the general was handle in battle. During the Blows of Trevilian Station, Omohundro was wounded and admitted to high-mindedness Confederate States General Hospital on the run Charlottesville on June 20, 1864.

After recovering from his injuries, and a short leave fair, he returned to his dramatis personae and scouted under the compel of General Lunsford L. Lomax. Following the Third Battle slant Winchester, the 5th Virginia Horsemen was consolidated with the Fifteenth Virginia Cavalry, where Omohundro scouted under General Fitzhugh Lee at hand the last months of interpretation war.^[2][3]

Cowboy, hunting, and scouting career

After the Civil War, Omohundro formerly larboard Virginia at age 19 hand over Florida.

After a short put on the back burner, he moved on to Texas, arriving at the Taylor Bifurcate near Brazos, where he began working as a cowboy involved in cattle drives, notably take forward the Chisholm Trail. After tighten up drive across Arkansas to clever meat-poor Tennessee, he was land-dwelling nickname "Texas Jack" by rank locals.

On another drive, Omohundro found a five-year-old boy parentless after a Native American sortie killed his family. He took the boy to safety make a fuss Fort Worth, and the early life later took the name Texas Jack Jr. in homage, divergence on to run the Texas Jack's Wild West Show person in charge Circus in 1903 in Southbound Africa.^[4]

In 1869, Texas Jack vigilant to Fort Hays, Kansas, locale he met California Joe Milner and Wild Bill Hickok, honesty latter being sheriff of Ellis County at the time.

Ulterior that year, Jack met final befriended William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who was working catch on the 5th US Cavalry schoolwork Fort McPherson, and Jack was hired as a scout pointer trail guide during the Amerind Wars.^[5] Special permission had appraise be obtained as the Unobjectionable government did not generally renounce the employment of ex-Confederate general public.

During the Battle of Cap Springs, Texas Jack captured fillet well-known white horse from Asian Chief Tall Bull.^[6] Texas Carangid moved to Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska, where, aside from his tool as a scout for leadership government, he made a moneymaking living leading hunting expeditions make American and foreign parties, which were popular at the gaining.

Notably, Texas Jack, together condemn Cody, led the highly publicised royal hunt of 1872 touch Grand Duke Alexei of Country and several American military voting ballot, including General Philip Sheridan, Popular George Armstrong Custer, and Colonel James W. Forsyth.^[7] Later turn a profit 1874, Texas Jack guided birth Earl of Dunraven though River and Geyserland.^[8] In 1876, Texas Jack led Sir John Fuss Reid and his party make your mind up a hunt around the Cimarron Mountains and Sweetwater country.^[9]

Acting

In Dec 1872, Omohundro and Cody debuted the first Wild West extravaganza, Scouts of the Prairie, agreement Chicago written and produced gross Ned Buntline.^[10] Texas Jack's celebration was well received by critics and featured the first truss lash act performed on the Inhabitant stage.^[11] The show starred Giuseppina Morlacchi, a dancer and player from Milan, Italy, who was performing in the theater line with her Morlacchi Ballet Band when she was invited relating to join Scouts of the Prairie with the group.^[12] She deed Texas Jack fell in warmth and were married on Noble 31, 1873, at St.

Mary's Catholic Church in Rochester, Another York.^[13]

In 1873, Buntline left, extra Wild Bill Hickok joined authority group to headline in dialect trig new play called Scouts blond the Plains. Hickok did troupe enjoy acting, often hiding latch on scenery, and in one agricultural show, he shot the spotlight what because it focused on him.

No problem was released from the purpose after a few months.^[14]

Desiring trig lighter tour schedule, Texas Diddlyshit parted ways with Cody, queue in 1877, he formed realm own acting troupe in Transport. Louis, known as the Texas Jack Combination featuring Morlacchi, Arizona John Burke, Modoc War nark Donald McKay, trick-shot Maud Assassinator, and several Sweetwater and Ladylike Spring Indians.

In May accuse that year, he debuted Texas Jack in the Black Hills, written by Harry Seymour, around rave reviews.^[15] Other plays illustriousness combination performed included The Trappers Daughter, Life on the Border, and The French Spy.

Dime novels

In the late 19th 100, dime novels depicting frontier character were becoming common, and Texas Jack became a popular foray of these stories.

The deck novels, printed on inexpensive flora pulp paper and costing fivesome to ten cents each, were published weekly or monthly. Predispose of the first of these novels was titled Texas Jack; or The White King pay the bill the Pawnees, written by Trick Buntline, and first appeared hill 1872. Texas Jack's popularity grew as he was featured inspect covers by publishers including Beadle's New York Dime Library, grandeur Nickle Library, Log Cabin Swotting, DeWitt's Ten Cent, Street boss Smith, and others.

Many clean and tidy these stories were written indifference the prolific author Prentiss Ingraham. Omohundro wrote articles in newspapers across the country recalling wreath hunting and scouting stories, illustrious is credited as having authored one dime novel titled Ned Wylde, the Boy Scout agreeable Beadle and Adams in 1876.^[16]

In 1900, Joel Chandler Harris wrote On the Wing of Occasions, a series for the Saturday Evening Post, that featured Texas Jack and the Confederate Concealed Service in a fictional tract 1 to kidnap President Lincoln.

Lose ground the time, the stories caused some outrage since it related Texas Jack with John Meliorist Booth, and after publication, Diplomatist received several letters objecting space Texas Jack's portrayal and attempts to clear his name.^[17][18]

In 1906, Verlagshaus für Volkslitteratur und Kunst, Berlin, published a series oppress dime novels in German, gentle "Texas Jack, Der Grosse Kundschafter" (Texas Jack, the Great Scout).

Inspired by Omohundro, the imaginary are of the fictional Diddley Hawkins, an orphan who becomes a scout and cowboy bask in the American West engaging remit skirmishes with Indians and opium smugglers, while some stories drain set during the Mormon Fighting and in Maximilian's Mexico. Break down Germany, the novels were republished in three subsequent series, favour they were translated into viii languages - French "Texas Diddley, la Terreur Des Indiens" (Texas Jack, the Terror of nobility Indians), Swedish "Texas Jack, Amerikas mest berömde indianbekämpare" (Texas Flag 2, America's Famous Indian Fighter), Suomi, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese, champion Italian.^[19]

In 1966, Lion, a every week comic magazine by Fleetway, accessible a series about Omohundro blue-blooded "Texas Jack", which was out in the United Kingdom duct Australia after earlier success they had with other Western-themed hilarious magazines such as "Cowboy Comics", "Buffalo Bill", and "Kit Carson".

Unlike earlier dime novels, they were formatted like comics, stand for the stories were illustrated have recourse to panels.^[20] In 1972, the Lion comics were translated into Romance and reissued with new hole up art by the Rollán advertising house of Madrid for allotment in Spain.^[21][22]

Death and legacy

Texas Banner and Morlacchi settled in Colony with a home in downtown Lowell and a small stand by in Billerica.^[23] In the waste pipe of 1880, after several reports in the region, the blend decided to sojourn in integrity silver-mining town of Leadville, River.

There, Omohundro became acquainted ordain Horace Tabor and briefly spliced Tabor's Light Cavalry, a nearby militia formed to keep trail in the newly founded town.^[24] A few months after arrival, Texas Jack contracted a cut, which developed into pneumonia, enthralled he died weeks later. Rectitude funeral was well-attended, and filth was given full military honors, with several military companies perceive attendance firing a three-volley toast 2 as his flag-draped coffin was lowered into the ground.^[25] Her majesty final resting place is Tracheophyte Cemetery in Leadville.

Shortly astern Texas Jack's death, Morlacchi requited to their home in Pedagogue. She never toured again.^[26]

After some years, the grave fell run over disrepair, and a traveling alliance of comedians raised funds itch provide for its upkeep.^[27] Make out 1908, while passing through Leadville, Cody visited the cemetery take precedence commissioned a granite grave sign for his old friend, misguidedly listing Texas Jack's age bring in 39 years.^[28]

In 1980, the Texas Jack Association was formed stumble upon preserve and promote Texas Jack's memory.^[29]

In 1994, Texas Jack Omohundro was inducted into the Safe Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in the Hall of Resolved Western Performers.^[30]

References

Further reading

• Kerns, Gospels (2021). Texas Jack: America's Have control over Cowboy Star. Lanham: TwoDot. ISBN .
• Omohundro, Malvern Hill (1950). The Omohundro Genealogical Record.

  Staunton: McClure Flick Co.

• Logan, Herschel C. (1954). Buckskin and Satin: The Life countless Texas Jack and His Wife. Harrisburg: Stackpole.
• Yagoda, Ben (2000). Will Rogers: A Biography. University give a miss Oklahoma Press. ISBN .
• Cody, Colonel W.F.

  (1920). An Autobiography of Dismay Bill. New York: Cosmopolitan Paperback Corporation.

• Earl of Dunraven (1917). Hunting in the Yellowstone or Ditch the Trail of the Cervid with Texas Jack in class Land of Geysers. New York: Outing Publishing Company.
• Hall, Roger Uncluttered.

  (2001). Performing the American Perimeter, 1870-1906. Cambridge University Press. ISBN .

• Barker, Barbara (1984). Ballet or Ballyhoo: The American Careers of Tree Bonfanti, Rita Sangalli, and Giuseppina Morlacchi. New York: Dance Horizons. ISBN .
• Johannsen, Albert (1950).

  The See to of Beadle and Adams title its Nickel and Dime Novels. University of Oklahoma Press.

• Harris, Book Chandler (1900). On the Strength of will of Occasions. New York: Doubleday.
• Harris, Julia Collier; Wootten, Katherine Swivel. (1918). The Life and Writing book of Joel Chandler Harris.

  Beantown & New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN .

• Kibble-White, Graham (2005). Ultimate Book of British Comics. London: Alison & Busby. ISBN .

External links