Texas Jack Vermillion

Vermillion, John Wilson
Civil War enlistment photo
Born	1842 Russell County, Virginia
Died	1911 (aged 68–69) Washington County, Virginia
Occupation	Soldier, lawman, outlaw, Methodist preacher
Spouse(s)	Margaret Horton, Nannie Fleenor
Children	Son Oppie, Daughter Minnie Bell
Parent(s)	William Vermillion, Nancy Owens

John Wilson Vermillion (1842 – 1911), also known as "Texas Jack" or later as "Shoot-Your-Eye-Out Vermillion," was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation in the Earp vendetta ride and his later association with Soapy Smith.

Vermillion was born in 1842 in Russell County, Virginia, the second of 12 children born to William and Nancy Vermillion (née Owens). He was a Confederate civil war veteran and fought under the command of General Joseph Wheeler and Nathan Bedford Forrest. After the war, Jack went to Indiana where he married Margaret Horton in September, 1865. They moved to Missouri where Jack accepted the position as Territorial Marshal for the eastern section of Missouri. Jack's wife and two young children (a daughter and son) died in a diphtheria epidemic in Missouri, while Jack was away.

Vermillion eventually wound up in Kansas in the late 1870s. He went to Tombstone, Arizona (Arizona Territory), from Dodge City, Kansas, where he possibly previously knew the Earps and also perhaps Doc Holliday. He was listed by Virgil Earp as special policeman (i.e., deputy city policeman) June 22, 1881. This is the day of the large Tombstone fire of 1881, with which Virgil had to cope as acting city marshal; the date suggests that Jack is one of the extra men Virgil hired to help cope with looting, during and after the disaster.

The origin of Texas Jack, Vermillion's nickname, is unknown, but he is first listed by this moniker on a wanted poster, for shooting a man during an argument at cards. When asked about why he was called Texas Jack, he replied "Because I'm from Virginia."

Vermillion did not accompany Virgil Earp as a member of the protective squad which escorted him to Tucson, March 20, 1882. Instead, Vermillion joined the vendetta posse March 21, 1882 in Tombstone, a day after the killing of Frank Stilwell in Tucson, thus Vermillion was not one of the 5 men indicted for Stilwell's killing. He presumably did participate in the killing of Florentino Cruz on March 22, and he had his horse shot out from under him during the fight at Iron Springs (March 24), in which "Curly Bill" Brocius was killed. Vermillion was himself not hit in that fight, but he had to be picked up by Doc Holliday after exposing himself to fire from the cowboys, while trying to retrieve the rifle wedged under his fallen horse. This episode, combined with Wyatt's memory in the Flood manuscript, suggests that Vermillion may have participated in the Earp posse more as friend of Holliday, who was also a Methodist and fellow southerner. Note that Holliday's father had also served as a Confederate soldier. Vermillion family history also suggests a friendship between Holliday and Texas Jack.