Jack Helm
| Jack Helm | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Jackson Helm 1839 |
| Died | May 17, 1873 (aged 33–34) Albuquerque, Texas |
| Cause of death | killed by Jim Taylor and John Wesley Hardin |
| Occupation | Lawman |
John Jackson "Jack" Helm (sometimes Helms) (c.1839–May 17, 1873), was a lawman, cowboy, gunfighter, and inventor in the American Old West. He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, but worked as a lawmen for the Union during Reconstruction. He was an active participant in the Sutton–Taylor feud in and about Dewitt County, Texas, and eventually died when he was ambushed by Jim Taylor and John Wesley Hardin.
John Jackson Helm was born in 1837, the son of George Helm and Ruth Mayo [nee Burnett] Helm.
Helm fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, enlisting as a private with Company G, Texas Calvary, CSA. It is reported that during the war he killed a black man just for whistling a Yankee song.
Immediately after the war, Helm worked for rancher "Shanghai" Pierce rousting cattle. During this time, he functioned as the leader of the Goliad County Regulators, a group of vigilantes, who cruelly but successfully restored order to the area.
In June, 1869, Helm was appointed a 'special officer' by Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds 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 Sutton faction. Helm was also sworn as a Goliad County deputy sheriff, 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 the Peaces brothers, also Taylor family allies. 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. At this time, the Galveston Daily News reported that Helm and his men had killed more than 20 men in two months, while his force had handed over just ten men to civil authorities.
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