Mike O'Rourke
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" O'Rourke (1862–1882), aka "Johnny O'Rourke" 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 Earp
's having saving him from being lynched
in Tombstone
, Arizona Territory
in 1881.
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 O'Rourke 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 (14.5 km) 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 O'Rourke shot and killed him.
Tombstone Marshal George McKelvey arrived and arrested O'Rourke. 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 O'Rourke, and Earp put O'Rourke on his own horse, reaching Tombstone before the mob. Assistant Marshal Morgan Earp
took the prisoner to Vogan's Bowling Alley while Pima County Sheriff Wyatt Earp
pulled out his shotgun and held off the crowd, convincing them to disperse.
O'Rourke was escorted by Wyatt Earp to a jail in Tucson, but he escaped shortly afterward and never stood trial for the miner's murder. In 1882, while gambling in Sulphur Springs Valley
, he was again accused of cheating. The argument motivated O'Rourke 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 O'Rourke was rumored to have played a part. Diehl was in town at the time, and was known to believe that O'Rourke was responsible for Ringo's death.
, a character based on O'Rourke is called Tommy "Behind the Deuce" O'Rourke, played by actor John Doe. The events surrounding O'Rourke's being saved by Wyatt are recounted when one of O'Rourke's nephews recognizes Earp and his wife Josie aboard a ship off the coast of Alaska, when Wyatt is an old man. O'Rourke's nephew tells the Earps that his uncle was killed in Omaha in 1887.
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
's having saving him from being lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
in Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
, Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
in 1881.
Life in Tombstone
O'Rourke first surfaced in TucsonTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
when he was 16, where he developed into a talented poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern 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 O'Rourke 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
Charleston, Arizona
Charleston is a ghost town in Cochise County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was occupied from the late-1870s through the late-1880s, and was located in what was then known as the Arizona Territory...
, a stamp-mill town of about 200 individuals 9 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Tombstone on the San Pedro River
San Pedro River
San Pedro River may refer to:* San Pedro River , a river which flows north from the Mexican state of Sonora into Arizona.* San Pedro River * San Pedro River * San Pedro River * 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 O'Rourke shot and killed him.
Tombstone Marshal George McKelvey arrived and arrested O'Rourke. He put him in a wagon and began the trip back to Tombstone. Outlaw Cowboys
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
Curly Bill Brocius
William Brocius
William "Curly Bill" Brocius was a gunman, rustler and an outlaw Cowboy in the Cochise County area of Arizona Territory during the early 1880s. He had a number of conflicts with the lawmen of the Earp family, and he was named as one of the individuals who participated Morgan Earp's assassination....
and John Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
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
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
.
McKelvey told Earp that the mob on his tail was aiming to lynch O'Rourke, and Earp put O'Rourke on his own horse, reaching Tombstone before the mob. Assistant Marshal Morgan Earp
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp was the younger brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp. Morgan was a deputy of Virgil's and all three men were the target of repeated death threats made by outlaw Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. This conflict eventually...
took the prisoner to Vogan's Bowling Alley while Pima County Sheriff Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
pulled out his shotgun and held off the crowd, convincing them to disperse.
O'Rourke was escorted by Wyatt Earp to a jail in Tucson, but he escaped shortly afterward and never stood trial for the miner's murder. In 1882, while gambling in Sulphur Springs Valley
Sulphur Springs Valley
The Sulphur Springs Valley is a major valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona. The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains–Dos Cabezas Mountains complex; the Chiricahua's have a valley to the northeast, San Simon Valley, and to the southeast,...
, he was again accused of cheating. The argument motivated O'Rourke 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
Pony Diehl
Charles "Pony" Diehl was an Old West outlaw who crossed paths and associated with some of the most famous western characters in American history. His origins are unknown, although he is believed to have been part Cherokee....
, a former friend to gunman Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
, in whose mysterious death O'Rourke was rumored to have played a part. Diehl was in town at the time, and was known to believe that O'Rourke was responsible for Ringo's death.
Film discrepancies
In the movie Wyatt EarpWyatt Earp (film)
Wyatt Earp is a 1994 American semi-biographical Western film, written by Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Kasdan. It stars Kevin Costner in the title role as lawman Wyatt Earp, and features an ensemble cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Isabella Rossellini, Mark Harmon,...
, a character based on O'Rourke is called Tommy "Behind the Deuce" O'Rourke, played by actor John Doe. The events surrounding O'Rourke's being saved by Wyatt are recounted when one of O'Rourke's nephews recognizes Earp and his wife Josie aboard a ship off the coast of Alaska, when Wyatt is an old man. O'Rourke's nephew tells the Earps that his uncle was killed in Omaha in 1887.