John Bull, the English-born gunman who built a lasting reputation in the American West, was involved in a deadly confrontation on a Helena, Montana street in 1867 that ended the life of his own gambling partner, Langford Peel, a former soldier with a fearsome reputation. Bull was arrested but later acquitted, and the incident dramatically raised his profile across frontier communities. Born John Edwin Bull in England, he immigrated to the United States sometime during the 1850s, likely drawn by mining opportunities and frontier expansion. His first documented appearance was in 1861 as a professional gambler seeking income in the rapidly developing mining settlements of the West.
In August 1862,he became involved in a confrontation in Gold Creek, Montana territory, while tracking individuals accused of stealing six horses. One suspect, Bill Arnett, was fatally wounded during a struggle when Bull ordered him to surrender. Another suspect, C. W.
Spillman, was found guilty by an improvised miners court and sentenced to death, while a third, B. F. Jermagin, successfully argued he had not participated in the theft and was released. The incident reflected the broader realities of frontier life, where formal courts were often distant and horse theft was considered a serious offense because horses were essential for survival.
Bull later settled in Austin, Nevada, a thriving silver camp. In early 1864, tensions arose between Irish and English factions within the mining community. Rather than settling the matter with firearms, the parties agreed to resolve the dispute through a regulated boxing match. On the night of February 21st, Bull represented the English side against an Irish opponent.
The match lasted 21 rounds, and Bull was declared the victor. Newspaper commentary afterward carried a tone of irony,suggesting that such public prize fights reflected the rough-and-ready culture of frontier society
In 1866,Bull resurfaced in Virginia City,where he formed a gambling partnership with Langford M. Peel. During this time,he reportedly became acquainted with Mark Twain,who later recalled their friendly relationship and mentioned a practical joke Bull played on him during the winter of 1866.
By early 1867,the two men relocated their gambling operations to Belmont and later to Salt Lake City,where disagreements arose and they temporarily parted ways. By the summer of 1867,they had reunited and were operating together again in Helena,a booming mining town
On the night of July 22nd,1867,the two men were seated at a table in the Greer Brothers Exchange Saloon when a previous disagreement resurfaced. Witnesses reported that the argument escalated quickly. Peel struck Bull and displayed a firearm.
Bull responded that he was unarmed. According to accounts,Peel told him to retrieve a weapon and return. Bull went to his room where he reportedly drafted a brief handwritten statement distributing his property should he not survive the encounter. He then armed himself and returned.
By that time,Peel had left the saloon assuming Bull would not come back. Peel had gone to the Chase Saloon to meet a woman identified in period sources as Belle Neil. After escorting her from the establishment,the pair encountered Bull on Helena’s Main Street. A confrontation followed.
During the tense exchange,Peel’s ability to respond appears to have been hindered as Neil clung to his arm. Bull discharged his weapon,and Peel fell. A final shot followed shortly thereafter,and Peel died at the scene
Helena’s town marshal,John Xavier Bierdler,quickly took Bull into custody. That evening,an angry crowd gathered with the apparent intention of exacting immediate punishment,but Bierdler intervened and prevented extrajudicial action.
Bull was later brought to trial. Despite the dramatic circumstances,the jury failed to reach a conviction,and he was released. Soon afterward,he departed Helena and traveled to Cheyenne. Peel had already been associated with multiple violent incidents prior to his death,and his reputation as a dangerous man was well established.
As a result,Bull’s role in the fatal encounter significantly raised his own profile across frontier communities. In Cheyenne,he was reportedly treated with a degree of notoriety,if not celebrity,because he had prevailed against a man widely regarded as formidable
In 1868,while again in Utah Territory,Bull married a woman contemporary sources described as refined and striking in appearance. Soon afterward,Bull relocated with her to Chicago,Illinois. The couple had two children during their time there.
Tragedy struck in 1872 when his wife died from illness. Following her death,Bull arranged for his children to be placed in foster care. By 1873,he had returned to the Western Circuit,this time appearing in Omaha,where he resumed work as a professional gambler
Shortly before midnight on July 12th,1873,Bull was in the company of another gambler,George Mehaffey,outside the Crystal Saloon in Omaha. A confrontation developed with a railroad employee named Samuel Atwood,who had reportedly warned others that Bull was operating a dishonest gambling game.
During the altercation,Atwood was seriously injured. Omaha Town Marshal Gilbert Rustin organized a search and soon located Bull inside Sullivan’s Saloon. When Rustin attempted to take him into custody,Bull initially resisted,prompting the marshal to withdraw and regroup. According to reports,Bull then cleared the saloon of patrons,and remained inside.
After some time,he fell asleep in a chair. When officers returned and awakened him,he surrendered without further resistance. Atwood survived the incident,though his condition was initially critical. Public anger rose quickly,and a crowd reportedly threatened vigilante action.
Meanwhile,Mehaffey was also arrested,and both men were held in the local jail. In a subsequent interview,Atwood identified Mehaffey as the assailant he could clearly recognize. On that basis,Bull was released. Mehaffey was later granted bond after Atwood recovered,and the two men resumed their gambling partnership
In the years that followed,Bull traveled frequently among smaller Western towns,often in the company of other professional gamblers.
Period accounts suggest that he sometimes participated in questionable gaming schemes designed to extract money from inexperienced players,a common,though controversial,practice in frontier saloons. Around this time,he also became involved in professional boxing promotion,reflecting his earlier interest in prize fighting and the growing popularity of organized matches in post-Civil War America. In 1874,Bull and his associate George Mahaffey were arrested on accusations of armed robbery stemming from an incident in which a man named Wilkinson claimed he had been robbed inside a gin mill. The charges lingered for some time,but in 1875,they were dismissed.
Bull was released on bond,and subsequently failed to appear in court,effectively forfeiting his bail. By this point,his reputation in the region had deteriorated,and in 1876,he relocated to Deadwood,another rapidly expanding boomtown fueled by gold discoveries in the Black Hills
By 1879,he had settled in Denver,a city transitioning from frontier outpost to established urban center. Over the next several years,his name appeared periodicallyin police reports,often related to public intoxication or disorderly conduct. In one notable incident at the Slaughterhouse Saloon,he resisted arrest,and injured an officer with a walking stick before being subdued by other policemen.
On October 14,1880,Bull,then partnered with gambler Jim Moon,became involved in another confrontation with city officers. The dispute escalated when Moon’s wife,and another woman associated with Bull,intervened,throwing objects at the policemen,and forcing them to withdraw temporarily. When officers returned with reinforcements,Bull and Moon initially prepared to defend themselves,but ultimately surrendered without further escalation. Less than a month later,Moon was involved in a separate altercation,that resulted in a man named Sam Hall losing his life.
Moon was later acquitted on the grounds of self-defense. Approximately 7 months afterward,Moon himself was killed during a dispute with gambler Clay Wilson,reportedly motivated by jealousy
Bull remained in Denver fora time. In January 1882,he was injured during an argument with another gambler,Jim Bush,who shot himin the foot. Bull declined to press charges,and the matter was dropped.
Shortly afterward,he resumed his pattern of relocation. By 1898,Bull was living in Spokane. After attending a performance at the People’s Theaterwith an associate known as Frisky Barnett,a bizarre and violent altercation erupted outside the venue. Barnett reportedly pressed a lit cigar into Bull’s eye,prompting Bull to draw a pistol.
Barnett responded in kind. In the exchange that followed,both men emptied their weapons. A bystander was wounded,and Barnett suffered a severe hand injury. Bull sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the severity of his injuries,one of which ultimately required the amputation of his arm,Bull survived. Barnett was fined a modest sumfor discharging a firearm within city limits,and was released. Physicians initially believed Bull would not recover,but he gradually regained strength,though one bullet remained lodged in his neckfor decades. In 1921,when the retained bullet began causing discomfort,Bull had it surgically removedin Excelsior Springs.
He recovered from the procedure,and lived several more years
John Bull ultimately diedin Vancouveron September 9th,1929,at the age of93. His later life illustrates the transformation of the American West from volatile boom towns to more structured urban centers. By the late 1870s,and 1880s,cities such as Denver had established police forces,and courts capable of handling disputes through legal channels rather than vigilant action. Bull’s longevity is particularly striking.
Born in the early 19th century,and living until 1929,he spanned nearly the entire era of the American frontier,from the mining camps of the Civil War period to the modern industrialized North America of the early 20th century. His life reflects not only the rough character of frontier society,but also the gradual evolution of law,order,and urbanization across the American West
