John Jackson "Jack" Helm (sometimes Helms) (c.1839–May 17, 1873), was a lawman, cowboy, gunfighter, and inventor in the American
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
. He fought for the
Confederacy during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, but worked as a lawman for the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
during
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
. He was an active participant in the
Sutton–Taylor feud in and about
Dewitt County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
; and was killed in an ambush related to the feud and perpetrated by Jim Taylor and
John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming h ...
.
Early life and family
John Jackson Helm was born in Missouri in 1837, the son of George Washington Helm and Ruth Mayo [] Helm.
Jack married his first wife, Manerva McCown, about 1857. The couple had two children, George and Mattie. Helm married his second wife, Margaret Crawford, sometime before 1870.
War and Reconstruction years
Helm fought briefly for the Confederacy during the Civil War, enlisting in 1861 as a private with Company G, Texas Cavalry, CSA. In the next year, it is reported that he joined a vigilante group that killed five civilians (Union sympathizers); and that he also killed a black man he came across just because he was whistling a 'Yankee' song.
Helm deserted in April 1864, and soon went to work for rancher
"Shanghai" Pierce rousting cattle.
After the war ended, Helm functioned as the leader of the Goliad County Regulators, a group of
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
s, who cruelly—but successfully—restored order to the area which was suffering rampant
cattle rustling
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English ...
and general lawlessness.
Lawman
Special law officer
In June 1869, Helm was appointed a '
special officer' by Colonel
Joseph J. Reynolds
Joseph Jones Reynolds (January 4, 1822 – February 25, 1899) was an American engineer, educator, and military officer who fought in the American Civil War and the postbellum Indian Wars.
Early life and career
Reynolds was born in Fleming ...
to assist Capt. C. S. Bell in subduing the outlaw "Taylor Party"
in neighboring DeWitt County, drawing him into the Sutton–Taylor feud. Helm now found himself aligned with the Union-backed Sutton faction.
Helm was also sworn as a
Goliad County deputy sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
, based out of
Middletown (now Weesatche) at this time.
On August 23, 1869, Bell and Helm led an attack on the Taylor brother's ranch. In the ensuing gun battle, Hays Taylor was killed, and Doby Taylor was wounded.
Helm and Goliad County Sheriff Andrew J. Jacobs, were successful in the capture of a Creed Taylor ally, Jim Bell, wanted on warrants. Jacobs, however, was shortly thereafter killed by Taylor family allies, the Peaces brothers.
Afterward, Helm became relentless in hunting down members of the Taylor faction. Helm had by now developed a reputation for bringing in wanted men more often dead than alive.
He would often give lawbreakers 10 days to leave Texas or face the consequences (usually to be shot dead with no warning or formal trial).
The
Galveston Daily News
''The Daily News'', formerly the ''Galveston County Daily News'' and ''Galveston Daily News'', is a newspaper published in Galveston, Texas, United States. It was first published April 11, 1842, making it the oldest newspaper in the U.S. state o ...
once reported that Helm and his men had killed more than 20 men in two months, while at the same time he and his force had handed-over just ten men to civil authorities.
State Police force work
On July 1, 1870, Helm joined the
Texas State Police
The Texas State Police (TSP) was created following the Civil War by order of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis. The TSP worked primarily against racially based crimes in Texas, and included black police officers. It was replaced by a renewed Texas ...
. With Governor
Edmund J. Davis's approval, Helm held the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, and was tasked with patrolling the Texas counties of
Wilson,
Nueces, DeWitt,
Bee, and Goliad during the
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
.
On August 26, 1870, Captain Helm and his men attempted to arrest brothers Henry and William Kelly (relatives by marriage of Creed Taylor's brother, Pitkin), on a trivial charge. During the attempted arrests, the Kellys were killed (although Kelly family witnesses claimed they were outright murdered).
Mainly due to his decidedly heavy-handed methods, and the public outrage following the deaths of the Kelly brothers, Helm was suspended the following October.
Governor Davis dismissed him from the State Police Force in December 1870. He was, however, legally cleared of any wrongdoing.
Local law enforcement
After his dismissal from the Texas State Police Force, Helm continued to serve the area, as
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of DeWitt County; he had been elected by 305 votes and had beat out two competitors for the office of sheriff.
Ambushed in town
On May 17, 1873,
[''Memorial 'Roll Call : End of Watch 05/17/1873''](_blank)
PDF download; retrieved February 2023; Panel 3, Row 8: the outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, an ally of the Taylor family, played a part in the death of Helm in
Albuquerque, Texas
Albuquerque, Texas was a settlement established in 1857 by Samuel McCracken and Henry Hastings in what they thought was Wilson County. Its population grew, and following the American Civil War, the town boasted a mercantile store, saloon, blacks ...
.
Reportedly, Hardin, Helm, and Sam McCracken, an acquaintance of Helm were talking in front of a blacksmith shop. Helm had recently moved to the area, and in order to perfect a cotton-worm destroyer machine which he had invented, he often spent time in town, staying at McCracken's boarding house while he worked on his invention at Bland's Blacksmith Shop. Helm found himself unarmed except for a
bowie knife when confronted by Hardin, having developed the habit of leaving his guns in his room while working on his invention.
[''Jack Helms – Texas Lawman''](_blank)
article; Alexander, Kathy; Legends of America online; retrieved February 2023
While being distracted by Hardin, Jim Taylor, a nephew of Creed Taylor, crept up on Helm from behind and attempted to shoot him, but his revolver misfired. As the startled Helm turned, Taylor managed to get off a shot, striking Helm in the chest. Helm rushed Taylor, but Hardin shattered Helm's arm with a shotgun blast.
Helm then attempted to flee into the blacksmith shop. While Hardin held the townspeople at gunpoint, Taylor chased down Helm and unloaded the remaining five bullets into his head.
As Hardin and Taylor mounted their horses and prepared to ride away, they boasted that they had accomplished what they had set out to do.
Burial
Helm was buried in a shallow grave in the McCracken Family Cemetery in rural Gonzales County.
Notes
References
External links
''Helm's Cotton Worm Destroyer'' US Patent Office, details
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helm, Jack
1873 deaths
Confederate States Army soldiers
Lawmen of the American Old West
Deaths by firearm in Texas
1839 births