Salt Lick native has ties to Old West Hero

The following is the story of Texas Jack as told by his third cousin Rick Omohundro.

John B. (Texas Jack) Omohundro was born on July 27, 1846 in Fluvanna Co., VA.

He went to school in Fluvanna Co. and was tutored at home, although he never liked school and often played “hooky”.

Even in his early youth he was a natural-born fisherman, huntsman, horseman, and a “crack” shot.

Jack was only 14 when the Civil War broke out but volunteered his services to the Confederate Army. He was refused because of his age.

He tried again when he was 15 but again he was refused.

At 16, he volunteered for a 3rd time and was accepted.

He was assigned to the regiment of Col. Stuart-later Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, and under Stuart rendered valuable services and gained renown as a scout of ability and bravery, and was known as the “boy scout of the Confederacy.”

After the war, Jack heard of the great ranches in Texas and made the decision to leave his home and head west.

Jack stopped in Texas and found employment as a cowboy for a man named Taylor. Jack eventually became the head of the Taylor ranch, the largest in Texas, and made considerable money by driving cattle from Texas to Nebraska and Missouri.

On one occasion, Jack heard of a terrible drought in Tennessee and that the people of that state were starving because of the lack of transportation to get supplies in. Jack gathered a large company of cowboys and a large herd of cattle and began the 6-month trip to Tennessee.

When a town in western Tennessee heard of the approaching herd, many of the townsfolk gathered as the herd entered the town.

One of the squires, or head men of the town, suddenly asked, “Who is at the head of this group?”

And a quiet unassuming man answered, “I am.” “What is your name?” “Jack” answered the man. “Where are you from?” asked the squire; “`Texas’’ answered Jack. “Well, boys,” said the squire, “Here is Texas Jack, who has saved us.” “Hurrah for Texas Jack,” the crowd yelled. And from that time the name of “Texas Jack” stuck.

On one of his cattle drives to Nebraska, Jack met Col. Wm. F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody.

The two became quick friends and Cody got Jack a contract to hunt for Fort McPherson. This was a job that suited Jack. While doing this job however, Jack had several skirmishes with the Indians, mainly the Comanche tribe.

Because of the ability he showed during these skirmishes, Cody wanted to employ him as a scout. There was, however, a problem with this.

The U.S. Government did not permit the employment of ex-Confederate soldiers.

Cody was so insistent that it is said that Congress passed a special act permitting the hiring of Jack as a U.S. Government scout. Cody and Omohundro worked together at Fort McPherson for many years and in doing so became fast friends and “pards”.

In the fall of 1872, Ned Buntline, Cody’s friend and a writer of dime novels, approached Cody to come east with him to try his hand at acting.

Cody asked Jack’s advice and if he would be interested in trying his hand at it as well.

The two made the decision to go and on Wednesday December 11, 1872 arrived in Chicago.

The next day they learned that the play was scheduled to open on Monday. Buntline had no script written, no extras had been hired, and Omohundro and Cody had no acting experience.

They were going to have to work fast to pull this off. Within four hours, Buntline had written a play that would be titled “The Scouts of the Prairie”. Mlle. Josephine Morlacchi, a noted ballerina, was in town and Buntline sought her out and convinced her to join the troupe – at least for the opening performance.

Buntline began giving Cody acting lessons and Josephine began teaching Jack. Opening night was a sell out and the two so-called actors were extremely nervous. Their acting was not very good and they were never on script during the entire play but the crowd had come to see real heroes of the Old West and to that extent the play was a great success.

Buntline, Cody, Omohundro, and now Morlacchi, after finishing their shows in Chicago, went on to a very successful tour to St. Louis, Cincinnati, Rochester, Albany, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Norfolk, Harrisburg, and finally Port Jervis, NY on June 16, 1873.

Financially, the tour was a huge success, but Buntline’s selfish attitude toward the others proved to be his downfall. Omohundro and Cody split ways with Buntline and went out on their own.

The 1873-74 season would begin with the help of Major John M. Burke, an actor, manager, critic, and city editor of various small newspapers.

Also, in organizing their new company, Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack thought of their old friend James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok and Wild Bill agreed to join them.

As Major Burke and Buffalo Bill worked on the details of the new show, Jack headed back to Rochester, NY, where on September 1, 1873, he and Josephine were married.

In March 1874, while playing in Rochester, Wild Bill’s antics on stage with firing off blank gunshots near the Indians legs and singeing them finally was a last straw.

The Indians threatened to quit if Hickok didn’t stop.

Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill approached Hickok about it and he decided to quit and return to the west.

The three of them shook hands later that night and bid farewell to Wild Bill. It is without doubt the last time the three were together.

Two years later, Wild Bill was shot and killed in Deadwood by Jack McCall.

Texas Jack was absent from the 1874-75 season.

He had taken leave to guide the Earl of Dunraven on an extended hunting trip.

Not much is known about the 1875-76 season other than Cody and Omohundro reorganized their old combination and made a successful tour.

It appears from all accounts that this was the last tour the two made together.

In the spring of 1880, Texas Jack and Josephine made their way to Leadville, CO.

It is thought that they went there either for a more favorable climate for Jack or perhaps for the adventures of mining. Josephine did do some acting there but that was not their purpose for going and they soon became part of the community.

Late in May, Jack came down with a cold to which he paid little attention.

After all, he had endured all sorts of exposures and was use to frontier life.

Finally, his wife persuaded him to take to his bed but it was too late.

His cold had turned to pneumonia and at 7:30am June 28, 1880 at the age of 33, Texas Jack passed away. His funeral was held at the Tabor Opera House with burial in the Evergreen Cemetery.

Josephine, Texas Jack’s widow, upon his death, left her troupe and went to her home in Lowell, MA.

Josephine never acted again and succumbed to cancer on July 23, 1886.

Texas Jack, along with actor Jack Elam, was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame’s Hall of Great Western Performers in Oklahoma City, OK on March 18, 1994.

Texas Jack was the first stage actor to receive this honor.

Texas Jack and Josephine had no children and therefore no direct descendants.

Rick Omohundro, of Salt Lick, is a first cousin three times removed.