John Morco, usually known as "Happy Jack" Morco (1848? – October 16, 1873), was an alleged gunman by his own accounts as well as a corruptlawman of the Old West, most notably during the wildest days of the cattletown Ellsworth, Kansas.
Gunslinger and gunfighter are words used historically to refer to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and had participated in gunfights and shootouts. Gunman was a more common term used for these individuals in the 19th century. Today, the term "gunslinger" is more or less used to denote someone who is quick on the draw with a pistol, but can also refer to riflemen and shotgun messengers. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, video games, and literature.
Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.
A police officer, also known as an officer, policeman, policewoman, cop/copper, garda, police agent, or a police employee is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the rank "officer" is legally reserved for military personnel.
Morco is believed to have been born in the east, possibly in New York City, venturing west some time around 1866. Morco first traveled to California, where he became known for his drunken brawls and boasting. Morco is believed to have killed four men in saloon brawls during that time, reportedly with all of the men being unarmed. However, there is little way of confirming that. In around 1870, Morco turned up in Ellsworth, Kansas, then a bustling boomtown due to the cattle industry. Boasting of having killed twelve men in gunfights, Morco was hired by the local police force, which at the time was in desperate need of good men. The hiring of Morco would be a mistake that they would later regret. The remaining members of the police force included Ed Hogue and Ed Crawford, both equally corrupt and both bullies. Although it has been written that Wyatt Earp worked there as well during this time, there is no mention of him in the records of this period in events involving John Morco, Crawford or Hogue, and if he was employed there he did nothing of note.
The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.
California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.
A Western saloon is a kind of bar particular to the Old West. Saloons served customers such as fur trappers, cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, miners and gamblers. A saloon might also be known as a "watering trough, bughouse, shebang, cantina, grogshop, and gin mill". The first saloon was established at Brown's Hole, Wyoming, in 1822, to serve fur trappers.
At the time, Ellsworth had one of the highest crime rates in the west, and violence was common. On September 26, 1869, Town Constable William Semans had been shot and killed while attempting to arrest an unruly cowboy in a dance hall. Immediately after Constable Semans' death, two outlaws known only as Craig and Johnson began bullying the townspeople, often committing acts of armed robbery openly, with no fear from the law. Townsmen organized a group, and overwhelmed the two outlaws, hanging them both. County Sheriff E.W. Kingsbury had proven to be a competent sheriff, but had not only the town of Ellsworth to contend with, but the rest of the county as well. He was assisted by yet another competent and well respected lawman, Deputy Chauncey Whitney.
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other people may be granted powers of a constable without holding this title.
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world work at identical tasks and have obtained considerable respect for their achievements. Cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia, perform work similar to the cowboy.
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in the West had at least one dance hall, and almost always featured live musicians playing a range of music from strict tempo ballroom dance music to big band, swing and jazz. One of the most famous dance hall musicians was Glenn Miller.
Morco hired on at a time when the town was desperate, otherwise he likely would not have lasted as long as he did. He became known fairly quickly for his boasts and tales of the men he'd killed before coming to Ellsworth. In reality, although possible, it is just as likely that he never killed anyone. He was arrogant, for no apparent reason, and a bully. Within only a matter of weeks, he began using his authority to punish those he disliked, while covering up for those he did.
Clash with the Thompson brothers, death
In April, 1873, gunman and gamblerBilly Thompson arrived in Ellsworth, followed shortly afterwards by his well-known gunman brother, Ben Thompson. The two immediately set themselves up as "house gamblers", which was their main sort of employment. By this time, Sheriff Kingsbury had moved on, and Chauncey Whitney had taken over as County Sheriff. Whitney had a personality that made him an easy man to respect, as he was strong but fair. Whitney and the Thompson brothers became fast friends, and often spent time in one another's company, as both the brothers, Billy Thompson in particular, liked him. On August 15, 1873, Ben Thompson attempted to collect a debt owed to him by gambler John Sterling. When he confronted Sterling, the latter was in the company of John Morco. Knowing that Thompson was not armed, Sterling slapped him, followed by Morco pulling his pistol and forcing Thompson into the street.
Billy Thompson, sometimes known as Texas Billy Thompson was an Old West gunman and gambler, and the younger brother of the famous gunman and lawman Ben Thompson. The younger Thompson brother never achieved the fame that his brother achieved, and in his own lifetime was mainly referred to as the unpredictable and troubled younger brother of Ben Thompson. Factually, however, while a dangerous man, he also was a formidable opponent in a gunfight.
Ben Thompson was a gunman, gambler, and sometimes lawman of the Old West. He was a contemporary of "Buffalo" Bill Cody, Bat Masterson, John Wesley Hardin, and "Wild Bill" Hickock, some of whom considered him a friend, others an enemy. Thompson fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and later for Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. When hired in 1881 as marshal in Austin, Texas, the crime rate reportedly dropped sharply. Thompson was murdered at the age of 40 in San Antonio, Texas, in the "Vaudeville Theater Ambush."
Thompson went and armed himself, and was quickly joined by his brother Billy, who was drunk. As the two brothers went to meet Morco and Sterling, who were calling for them to come and face them, Sheriff Whitney interceded, convincing the Thompson brothers to go have a drink and talk it over. Walking together, the three saw Morco and Sterling walking toward them, at which Ben Thompson fired a rifle shot in their direction. Morco and Sterling continued to advance, when suddenly Billy Thompson's shotgun discharged, accidentally shooting Sheriff Whitney. By all accounts, including that of Sheriff Whitney before his death on August 18, the shooting was an accident. Billy Thompson was forced by his brother to flee to avoid being lynched, probably a good decision at the time. He was later arrested and returned for trial, and acquitted.
Lynching is a premeditated extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate a group. It is an extreme form of informal group social control such as charivari, riding the rail, and tarring and feathering, and often conducted with the display of a public spectacle for maximum intimidation. It is to be considered an act of terrorism and punishable by law. Instances of lynchings and similar mob violence can be found in every society.
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, which may occur before a judge, jury, or other designated trier of fact, aims to achieve a resolution to their dispute.
However, reaction to the death of Sheriff Whitney was swift and violent. A vigilante group was formed, taking action against any Texascowboys causing trouble in town. On August 16, 1877, the day after the shooting, police officer Ed Crawford had shot Billy Thompson's friend Cad Pierce in the side, an incident that Officer Crawford provoked, then pistol whipped him to death, while in the same period Morco filed charges of assault against Ben Thompson. On August 17, 1877, Morco and Ed Hogue ran Neil Cain, another friend to the Thompson's, out of town. Crawford and Morco, however, avoided Ben Thompson during this time. Ed Hogue eventually arrested Ben Thompson on the assault charge.
A vigilante is a civilian or organization acting in a law enforcement capacity without legal authority.
Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.
However, the Town Council fired Morco, due to his inappropriate involvement in the whole incident, and shortly afterwards dismissed the entire police department. Shortly afterwards, believed to have been on October 16, 1877, Morco entered town and began ranting and boasting, clashing verbally with a Texas cowboy in front of the Lizzie Palmer Dancehall. When newly appointed town Police Officer J.C. "Charlie" Brown interceded, Morco pulled a gun, prompting Brown to do the same, with Brown shooting Morco in the chest and head, killing him. Following Morco's death, Ed Hogue left town. Crawford, ignoring threats that Texas cowboys who were friends with Cad Pierce would kill him due to Pierce's murder, refused to leave. Cowboys, although never identified but presumed friends to Pierce, tracked Crawford to Nauchville, more or less a suburb of Ellsworth located half a mile out of town, finding him in a brothel, where they shot and killed him. Pierce's brother in law was alleged to have been the actual shooter, however no arrests were ever made.
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