Scott Cooley
Encyclopedia
Scott Cooley was an Old West Texas Ranger
and later outlaw
, best known for his association with gunman Johnny Ringo
.
, and was unofficially adopted as a boy and raised by rancher Tim Williamson. As a child, Tim Williamson and his wife nursed Cooley through a serious illness when he contracted Typhoid, and Cooley treated the couple with the utmost respect. He joined the Texas Rangers as a young man. He was well respected as a lawman, and even feared due to his relentless pursuit of outlaws. However, on May 13, 1875, Tim Williamson was falsely arrested in Mason County, Texas
for cattle rustling by Deputy Sheriff John Worley (sometimes spelled John Worhle). While Williamson was being escorted to jail
by Worley, an angry mob of German cattle ranchers jerked him aside and shot him to death. This event marked the beginning of what would be called the Mason County War
, known also as the "Hoodoo War".
When Cooley received the news at the Texas Ranger camp where his Ranger Company was based, he broke into uncontrollable crying, which quickly turned to anger. Cooley blamed Worley for Williamson's death, believing that he was in cahoots with the Germans, as Worley was of German descent. However, he waited for indictment
s to be passed down from the court against those responsible for Williamson's death, but when none came, he took matters into his own hands. Cooley went to Worley's home, where Worley was working on his well
with a helper. Cooley shot and killed Worley on sight. He then scalped
him, and displayed the scalp as a prize to the Germans. Cooley then killed German cattleman Carl Bader. By that time gunman Johnny Ringo had joined Cooley, along with several others. Two of Ringo's friends, Moses Baird and George Gladden, were ambushed shortly thereafter by a posse
led by Sheriff
John Clark, during which Baird was killed and Gladden seriously wounded. That posse included Peter Bader, brother to Cooley's second victim, Carl Bader.
Johnny Ringo and a friend named Bill Williams rode boldly into Mason, Texas
on September 25, 1875, riding up in front of the house of James Cheyney, the man who led Gladden and Baird into the ambush. As Cheyney came out, both Ringo and Williams shot and killed him. The two then rode to the house of Dave Doole, and called him outside, but when he came out with a gun, they fled back into town. Four days later, Scott Cooley and John Baird, brother to Moses Baird, then killed German cowboy
Daniel Hoerster, and wounded Germans Peter Jordan and Henry Plueneke. The German cattlemen then retaliated, hanging two men they suspected had assisted Cooley. The next day Texas Rangers arrived, finding the town in chaos, and Cooley and his faction gone. Major John B. Jones of the Texas Rangers dispatched three parties to pursue Cooley and his followers. The next day local Sheriff John Clark dispatched a posse of deputies to arrest Bill Coke, suspected of assisting Cooley. Coke was located and arrested, but allegedly "escaped" while on the way to town. Coke was never seen again, and it is suspected that the posse executed him. Charley Johnson, a friend to Bill Coke, then appeared in town looking for blacksmith
William Miller, who had been a member of the posse that arrested Coke. He found Miller at his workplace, and shot him down. Badly wounded, Miller was saved only by his wife running outside and throwing herself toward him, at which point Johnson simply walked away.
By this time, killings were almost random. There was no local law enforcement to speak of, as the sheriff was obviously supporting the German cattlemen, and no arrests had been made against either side short of the arrest of Bill Coke. The Texas Rangers were also doing little to help matters, as many were friends to Scott Cooley. Frustrated, Major Jones asked that if any of them felt they could not perform their duty by pursuing Cooley, they should step forward. Seven of them did so, willing to accept discharges rather than to pursue Cooley. The Texas Governor
s office was by this time receiving letters in support of Cooley, stating the local sheriff was in support of the German cattlemen, which was filtering down on Major Jones, prompting him to act swiftly.
At the end of December, 1875, Cooley and Ringo were arrested by Sheriff A. J. Strickland for threatening the life of Burnet County, Texas
Deputy Sheriff John J. Strickland. They later escaped from the Lampasas County, Texas
jail, with the help of friends, but their arrests essentially stopped the violence. Cooley later escaped a posse near the Llano River
, fleeing into Blanco County, Texas
, and was never officially seen again. He is believed to have either been wounded by that posse and died shortly thereafter, or to have died due to what was referred to as "brain fever" shortly thereafter. He is believed to have been hiding out at the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas
at the time. However, neither of the reported death scenarios has ever been confirmed.
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
and later outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
, best known for his association with 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:...
.
Biography
Cooley was born in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and was unofficially adopted as a boy and raised by rancher Tim Williamson. As a child, Tim Williamson and his wife nursed Cooley through a serious illness when he contracted Typhoid, and Cooley treated the couple with the utmost respect. He joined the Texas Rangers as a young man. He was well respected as a lawman, and even feared due to his relentless pursuit of outlaws. However, on May 13, 1875, Tim Williamson was falsely arrested in Mason County, Texas
Mason County, Texas
Mason County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 4, 012. Its county seat is Mason...
for cattle rustling by Deputy Sheriff John Worley (sometimes spelled John Worhle). While Williamson was being escorted to jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
by Worley, an angry mob of German cattle ranchers jerked him aside and shot him to death. This event marked the beginning of what would be called the Mason County War
Mason County War
The Mason County War, also called the Hoodoo War was a cattle rustling dispute between German-American settlers and the non-German ranchers in Mason County, Texas.-Background:...
, known also as the "Hoodoo War".
When Cooley received the news at the Texas Ranger camp where his Ranger Company was based, he broke into uncontrollable crying, which quickly turned to anger. Cooley blamed Worley for Williamson's death, believing that he was in cahoots with the Germans, as Worley was of German descent. However, he waited for indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s to be passed down from the court against those responsible for Williamson's death, but when none came, he took matters into his own hands. Cooley went to Worley's home, where Worley was working on his well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
with a helper. Cooley shot and killed Worley on sight. He then scalped
Scalping
Scalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...
him, and displayed the scalp as a prize to the Germans. Cooley then killed German cattleman Carl Bader. By that time gunman Johnny Ringo had joined Cooley, along with several others. Two of Ringo's friends, Moses Baird and George Gladden, were ambushed shortly thereafter by a posse
Posse
Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...
led by Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
John Clark, during which Baird was killed and Gladden seriously wounded. That posse included Peter Bader, brother to Cooley's second victim, Carl Bader.
Johnny Ringo and a friend named Bill Williams rode boldly into Mason, Texas
Mason, Texas
Mason is the seat of Mason County, Texas, United States. The town is an agricultural community on Comanche Creek southwest of Mason Mountain, on the Edwards Plateau and part of the Llano Uplift. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census.-History:...
on September 25, 1875, riding up in front of the house of James Cheyney, the man who led Gladden and Baird into the ambush. As Cheyney came out, both Ringo and Williams shot and killed him. The two then rode to the house of Dave Doole, and called him outside, but when he came out with a gun, they fled back into town. Four days later, Scott Cooley and John Baird, brother to Moses Baird, then killed German cowboy
Cowboy
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...
Daniel Hoerster, and wounded Germans Peter Jordan and Henry Plueneke. The German cattlemen then retaliated, hanging two men they suspected had assisted Cooley. The next day Texas Rangers arrived, finding the town in chaos, and Cooley and his faction gone. Major John B. Jones of the Texas Rangers dispatched three parties to pursue Cooley and his followers. The next day local Sheriff John Clark dispatched a posse of deputies to arrest Bill Coke, suspected of assisting Cooley. Coke was located and arrested, but allegedly "escaped" while on the way to town. Coke was never seen again, and it is suspected that the posse executed him. Charley Johnson, a friend to Bill Coke, then appeared in town looking for blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
William Miller, who had been a member of the posse that arrested Coke. He found Miller at his workplace, and shot him down. Badly wounded, Miller was saved only by his wife running outside and throwing herself toward him, at which point Johnson simply walked away.
By this time, killings were almost random. There was no local law enforcement to speak of, as the sheriff was obviously supporting the German cattlemen, and no arrests had been made against either side short of the arrest of Bill Coke. The Texas Rangers were also doing little to help matters, as many were friends to Scott Cooley. Frustrated, Major Jones asked that if any of them felt they could not perform their duty by pursuing Cooley, they should step forward. Seven of them did so, willing to accept discharges rather than to pursue Cooley. The Texas Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s office was by this time receiving letters in support of Cooley, stating the local sheriff was in support of the German cattlemen, which was filtering down on Major Jones, prompting him to act swiftly.
At the end of December, 1875, Cooley and Ringo were arrested by Sheriff A. J. Strickland for threatening the life of Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
Deputy Sheriff John J. Strickland. They later escaped from the Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 17,762. Its seat is Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River....
jail, with the help of friends, but their arrests essentially stopped the violence. Cooley later escaped a posse near the Llano River
Llano River
The Llano River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 105 mi long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin....
, fleeing into Blanco County, Texas
Blanco County, Texas
Blanco County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 10,497. Its county seat is Johnson City. Blanco is named for the Blanco River which traverses the county. The State of Texas formed Blanco County in 1858 from portions of Burnet,...
, and was never officially seen again. He is believed to have either been wounded by that posse and died shortly thereafter, or to have died due to what was referred to as "brain fever" shortly thereafter. He is believed to have been hiding out at the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
at the time. However, neither of the reported death scenarios has ever been confirmed.