Do you know of any books written about Scott Cooley (and his gang)?
Mike Weirens
Sartell, Minnesota
I’m not aware of any books written specifically on Scott Cooley, but Steve Gatto has written a good book on Johnny Ringo, who rode with Cooley in the Hoodoo or Mason County War. Other books I recommend are Jack Burrows’ John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was and James Gillett’s Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881, which includes the story of the feud. Wild West magazine also published an excellent article about Cooley in its August 2005 issue.
Cooley, an ex-Texas Ranger, died at the young age of 21, but he was one tough hombre while he lived. During the bitter fighting in the 1875 Mason County War, he killed and scalped John Wohrle, killed Carl Bader and, with some friends, killed at least one other man in the town of Mason. He reportedly died of “brain fever,” but some believe the other side poisoned him.
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