# Town hires a hitman to kill a bully? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509 "2006-07-14T18:51:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/1 "2006-07-14T18:51:36Z")
Does anyone here know anything about a case where the citizens of a small town pooled their money together to hire a hitman to kill the local bully? This was told to me as a true story, but without any details as to where or when it took place. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/2 "2006-07-14T18:53:20Z")
This rings bells, but no answers. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/3 "2006-07-14T18:53:58Z")
You sure it wasn’t the Texas case where several dozen people witnessed the public murder of the town bully by several people, but no one came forward to identify them? ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/4 "2006-07-14T19:03:18Z")
The [murder of Ken McElroy](http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/ken_mcelroy/index.html) in Skidmore, Missouri is the one that comes to my mind as well. (That is, if “comes to my mind” = searching online.) ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/5 "2006-07-14T19:03:28Z")
Wow, fast responses. Could be **Ludovic**. Anyone know the name of the town where that took place? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/6 "2006-07-14T19:15:10Z")
Yes that’s probably the one **Papermache Prince**. Thanks guys. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/7 "2006-07-14T19:26:07Z")
_Wizard of Oz?_ ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/8 "2006-07-14T19:30:20Z")
[QUOTE=Omega Glory] Does anyone here know anything about a case where the citizens of a small town pooled their money together to hire a hitman to kill the local bully? This was told to me as a true story, but without any details as to where or when it took place. [/QUOTE] The story is similar to the plot of _High Plains Drifter_. The town hires a badass gunfighter to defend them against several thugs due to be released from prison. They don’t realize who (or what) the gunslinger is (or may be) when they hire him, and things don’t quite turn out the way they planned. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/9 "2006-07-14T19:44:21Z")
The 1991 TV movie _In Broad Daylight_ with Brian Dennehey is based on the Ken McElroy incident. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/10 "2006-07-14T19:45:31Z")
_Seven Samurai_? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/11 "2006-07-14T20:35:35Z")
The Three Amigos? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/12 "2006-07-14T21:08:03Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] _Wizard of Oz?_ [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure that was _pro bono_ work on Dorothy’s part. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/13 "2006-07-14T21:20:15Z")
The small Rocky Mountain town of Hot Sulphur Springs reenacts the killing of [Texas Charley](http://www.grandcountycharacters.org/texas%20charley%20wilson.htm) every year. A distasteful character who was universally disliked, he was killed in the middle of the day in the middle of town by several bullets coming from many different directions - and no one in town saw a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/14 "2006-07-14T23:04:14Z")
> **[In Broad Daylight: Maclean, Harry M.: 9780440205098: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Broad-Daylight-Harry-M-Maclean/dp/0440205093)** > > In Broad Daylight \[Maclean, Harry M.\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. In Broad Daylight Hell of a true story and a gripping read too. Though the town didn’t hire anyone, the men of the town held a meeting and planned it. They all surrounded his truck and open fired while he sat in it. Too quick of a death for him really. He was a very very bad person. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/15 "2006-07-14T23:10:24Z")
I read the [crimelibrary.com](http://crimelibrary.com) story on Ken McElroy. Man, if there was ever anyone who "needed killin’ " . . . ---
**Author:** ![jillian98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jillian98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jillian98)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/16 "2011-05-07T17:52:09Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Does anyone here know anything about a case where the citizens of a small town pooled their money together to hire a hitman to kill the local bully? > > This was told to me as a true story, but without any details as to where or when it took place. It took place in Skidmore, MO. and it was the towns people who shot the man in broad daylight. Thats the name of the book too ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/17 "2011-05-07T18:03:14Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > This rings bells, but no answers. > > Hmmm. I think Quasimodo died of natural causes. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/18 "2011-05-07T18:15:52Z")
60 Minutes ran a piece on it back when it happened, too, whichever case it was. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/19 "2011-05-07T22:24:47Z")
_Road House_? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509/20 "2011-05-07T23:56:01Z")
I heard he came back to life almost 5 years later. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-hires-a-hitman-to-kill-a-bully/364509.md?page=2)