The End of the Gazette

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, which has been in print for nearly 240 years since it was founded as the Pittsburgh Gazette in July of 1786, just announced it will cease operations in May.

The Post-Gazette was one of the many papers I referenced when I was researching my Texas Jack book, so I thought I would share a few stories from its pages.

This one, from the July 25, 1887, edition shares an illustration of the second marker to adorn Texas Jack's grave in Leadville, Colorado. The first marker, which was handwritten in Italian by Jack's wife, Giuseppina Morlacchi, was stolen. This replacement was placed by two young actors who had known Omohundro. It was later stolen and replaced with a simple pine slab that Buffalo Bill paid to replace in 1908 with the granite marker that remains there to this day.

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Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, Monday July 25, 1887.

LEADVILLE'S DEAD.

THE VERY STRANGE MONUMENT TO TEXAS JACK.

LEADVILLE, COL., July 24.—

The Rio Grande train climbs a long hill and steams into Leadville upon a ridge. To the east of the track is spread out the city of the living. On the slope to the west is the city of the dead. Leadville started a graveyard early, and patronized it well. For a time the headboards were planted almost as rapidly on one side of the hill as the claim stakes were driven on the other. There were 33,000 restless money-seekers up here among the clouds and the snow-drifts of mid-July. There are 3,300 graves in the gravel, among the bright green pines.

The most striking monument in the Evergreen Cemetery is that which marks the resting place of Texas Jack, as he was better known than by his name of J. B. Omohundro, a brother of Sidney Omohundro, of the Pittsburgh COMMERCIAL GAZETTE. Texas Jack entered the show business about the same time that Buffalo Bill did, and he was only second to Cody in promise. He had married a famous ballet-dancer, and was filling an engagement here when pneumonia carried him off. His grave is in a well-cared-for lot, and is marked by a slab bearing the inscription:—

Sacred to the Memory of

TEXAS JACK,

(J. B. OMOHUNDRO).

Died June 28, 1880.

39, Pneumonia.

The inscription occupies but a small place on the slab, which is fairly covered with artistic work. First there is a good representation of a cartridge-belt, with pistols crossed and bowie-knife sheathed. Below is sketched the trusty Winchester, and then the head of Texas Jack's favorite horse, Yellow Chief.

AI rendering of the grave marker by Google Gemini

On the reverse of the slab are fingers pointing heavenward, and the inscription, "Rest in peace. Remembered by his young friends, J. J. Levy and M. C. Levy." If Texas Jack had designed his own head-board he could not have done better. His wife, in respect for his memory, retired from the stage.