Daly Gang

The Daly Gang was a notorious, though now unknown, bandit gang who operated in Aurora, Nevada and its neighboring parts.[1] The gang was named after its leader John Daly but was masterminded by a boss only known as “Three-Fingered” Jack McDowell. The gang terrorized Aurora and was infamous for their armed robberies and shootouts. They were also known for their violent treatment of their victims and anyone who resisted their robbery. The gang is now considered by historians as one of the most underrated and violent gangs in the Old West.[2]

For 25 years the gang committed their crimes with little to no interference from the law. To make matters worse for the people of Aurora, many members of the gang, including John Daly, became City Marshals in the Fall of 1863. A year later, the local newspaper Esmeralda Star is quoted with saying "No sooner had the Marshal been sworn in than the worst villains that ever infested a civilized community were appointed policemen, and with but few exceptions they were composed of as hard a set if criminals ever went unhung." Any witnesses of their crimes were threatened and scared away.

But on February 1, 1864, their murder of a man named William R. Johnson gained national attention which finally infuriated many of the settlers in the city.[1][3] Johnson had previously killed a Daly Gang member named Jim Sears when the latter tried to steal his horse. The Daly Gang retaliated by capturing Johnson, and afterwards either shot him or slit his throat. Some accounts say that the gang also set his body on fire. After the murder of Johnson, many got fed up of the Daly Gang, and they formed a vigilante group of over 600 men. They captured many members of the gang including Daly and McDowell in their hideout in the Aurora Saloon. They were then locked up in a makeshift prison, and after their drumhead trials, were subsequently hanged outside Armory Hall.

This action angered Governor James W. Nye so much that two days later he headed for Aurora with a Provost Marshal Van Bokkelen and United States Marshal Wasson and was going to call out the troops from Fort Churchill to put down the vigilantes. After the Marshal looked into the facts, no action was taken against the "Citizen Safety Committee."

Prominent members

John Daly

John Daly was the gang's leader and namesake. Arriving in Aurora, Nevada from California in the early 1860s as a hired gun, Daly soon hooked up with "Three-Fingered Jack" McDowell and the two ran an unsavory saloon and operated the Daly Gang which terrorized the Nevada gold fields between Aurora and Carson City. Using scare tactics known as "criminal vigilantism," they lynched anyone who resisted. The Pond Mining Company hired the gang as hired guns in their feud against the Real Del Monte Mining Company over claims to Last Chance Hill. Both companies hired gunmen to intimidate the other side and to keep witnesses from testifying against their companies in court. Within three years some twenty-seven citizens became casualties of the violence.

After the murder of William Johnson on February 5, 1864, a vigilante group dragged Daly and gang members McDowell, Buckley, and Masterson from the saloon and locked them up while they quickly constructed a gallows. A short time later, all four men were hanged outside Armory Hall in Aurora. Daly's ghost is said to still appear in Aurora, initially during the first anniversary of his execution.[4]

George Lloyd

George Lloyd was a member of the Daly Gang noteworthy for being the only member killed by John Daly while he and the gang were serving as lawmen in Aurora.[5] George Lloyd was a participant in a gunfight that took place in a Nevada wharf and resulted in the death of a number of men, including some of his relatives. He was tried and imprisoned, but was soon released. John Daly, acting as a peace-officer, met Lloyd in the Del Monte Exchange Saloon. After an argument, the two drew their guns and fired at each other. George was mortally wounded and died later.[6]

Tom Carberry

Another one of the Daly Gang's most notorious and well-documented members was Irish born Tom Carberry, also nicknamed “Irish Tom”. He was one of the most feared gunfighters in Aurora and Austin, having fought a number of shootouts with fellow gunfighters and bandits. When the gang was finally captured by the vigilantes, Tom was one of those freed after proving he had nothing to do with the Johnson murder, and he was one of the lucky few who survived well after the gang's destruction.[4]

One of Tom's shootouts was his duel with fellow Daly gang member Vance, who had recently returned to Austin in August 1867. It was reported that Vance was jealous of Tom's reputation, and wanting to test the latter's skills, Vance challenged him to a duel. Carberry was unarmed at that time, so Vance told him to “get himself heeled” and come back with a weapon. Soon enough, Carberry brought his own pistol, and when he and Vance finally met face-to-face at Austin's main street, both immediately drew guns and commenced firing. During their shootout, Vance's shots missed Tom, but the Irishman took a steadier aim and shot Vance dead. After that incident, only Irish Tom was left of the former Daly Gang in Aurora.[4]

On September 5, 1868, Irish Tom had another duel with a man named Charles Ridgely. It started when the two unfortunately met each other at Austin's International Hotel. The two men had a previous grudge against each other, and when they met, they started trading insults. Tom then told Ridgely to get out of the building and arm himself, which the latter angrily obliged.[4] Ridgley got out of the hotel, got his gun, and walked back to face Tom. As he walked towards the hotel, Tom suddenly calls out to him from the street. Both then quickly drew their pistols and fired multiple shots. Their first shots missed but Tom managed to drill two bullets right into Ridgley's chest that would kill him minutes later. This event would be the last time Irish Tom or the Daly Gang would appear or be mentioned in the news or records after.

References

1. Thompson & West. History of Nevada 1881, With Illustrations And Biographical Sketches Of Its Prominent Men And Pioneers (Reproduction). Howell-North Books (1958). pp. 401–425
2. "Top Ten Wild West Gangs". The Vintage News. Nov 29, 2015
3. Legends of America: Old West Gangs
4. McGrath, Roger D. Gunfighters, Highwaymen & Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier. University of California Press (March 23, 1987). pp. 99- 100. ISBN 978-0520060265.
5. McGrath, Roger D. Gunfighters, Highwaymen & Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier. University of California Press (March 23, 1987). pp. 88. ISBN 978-0520060265.
6. AURORA'S VIGILANTES