Whorlie Well
Mason, Mason County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for a victim in famous "Hoodoo War", provoked by cattle rustling in Mason County. John Whorlie (or Worley), a deputy sheriff, on May 13, 1875, lost a prisoner to a lynch mob on Aug. 10, 1875, Whorlie was killed and scalped while working on this well. His killer was identified as Scott Cooley, a friend of the lynched man. Masonic burial for Whorlie was conducted by the McCulloch Lodge No. 273, A. F. & A. M., of which he was a member. No one in Mason County was ever convicted for wrong doing in the "Hoodoo War", but after 1876 law, order, and peace were restored. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This well takes its name from John Whorlie, a deputy sheriff caught up in the 1875 "Hoodoo War," a bloody feud sparked by cattle rustling in Mason County. After a prisoner in his charge was seized by a lynch mob, Whorlie was killed and scalped while working here, reportedly by Scott Cooley, a friend of the lynched man. No one was ever convicted in the vendetta, though order was said to return to the county after 1876.
Why it matters
It memorializes the violent breakdown of frontier law in post–Civil War Texas, where feuds and vigilante justice filled the vacuum before courts and lawmen took hold.
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Related people
- · John Whorlie
- · Scott Cooley
Related events
- · Hoodoo War
Themes & tags
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