Birth: 1862, USA Death: 1882 Arizona, USA Michael Mike ORourke, aka Johnny ORourke or Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce, was a professional gambler of the Old West, whose notoriety is mainly due to Old West lawman and legend Wyatt Earps having saving him from being lynched in Tombstone, Arizona Territory in 1881. ORourke first surfaced in Tucson when he was 16, where he developed into a talented poker player. He was often accused of cheating, but more often than not his accusers recanted in view of his reputation for being good with a gun and fast on the draw. There is evidence that ORourke had a fast temper and was prone to altercations, but none to support his having been in any gunfights. He relocated to the rough town of Charleston, a stamp-mill town of about 200 individuals 9 miles southeast of Tombstone on the San Pedro River. In Charleston on January 14, 1881, he played poker all night with Henry Schneider, chief engineer of the Tombstone Mining and Milling Company. Schneider was losing badly, and the men argued. Schneider pulled a knife and ORourke shot and killed him. Tombstone Marshal George McKelvey arrived and arrested ORourke. He put him in a wagon and began the trip back to Tombstone. Outlaw Cowboys Curly Bill Brocius and John Ringo encouraged talk of a lynching and led other men who pursued the wagon. McKelvey got to the outskirts of Tombstone and the Last Chance Saloon just ahead of the mob where he was met by Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp. McKelvey told Earp that the mob on his tail was aiming to lynch this ORourke, and Earp put ORourke on his own horse, reaching Tombstone before the mob. Assistant Marshal Morgan Earp took the prisoner to Vogans Bowling Alley while Pima County Sheriff Wyatt Earp pulled out his shotgun and held off the crowd, convincing them to disperse. ORourke was escorted by Wyatt Earp to a jail in Tucson, but he escaped shortly afterward and never stood trial for the miners murder. In 1882, while gambling in Sulphur Springs Valley, he was again accused of cheating. The argument motivated ORourke to leave, but he was shot and killed in a gunfight shortly afterward, although there were no witnesses. Many believed the gunman may have been Pony Diehl, a former friend to gunman Johnny Ringo, in whose mysterious death ORourke was rumored to have played a part. Diehl was in town at the time, and was known to believe that ORourke was responsible for Ringos death.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 21:53:52 +0000
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