Porter was not a member of the Elks, but after his tragic death, the Elks donated the plot. After a performance in Marshall, Texas, Maurice Barrymore (patriarch of the famous Barrymore acting family) got in a dispute with a Texan named Jim Currie, over an insult to a fellow actress. Barrymore was shot in the shoulder by Currie, and later gave the slug that almost killed him to his son Lionel as a plaything. Fellow actor Ben Porter was not so lucky in the brawl, and died soon after Currie shot him in the stomach. Though Barrymore testified at the Currie's two murder trials, the Texan was acquitted both times on the grounds that he was drunk. Legend has it that of the 12 jurors in Currie's first trial, 11 were murderers themselves.
Porter was not a member of the Elks, but after his tragic death, the Elks donated the plot. After a performance in Marshall, Texas, Maurice Barrymore (patriarch of the famous Barrymore acting family) got in a dispute with a Texan named Jim Currie, over an insult to a fellow actress. Barrymore was shot in the shoulder by Currie, and later gave the slug that almost killed him to his son Lionel as a plaything. Fellow actor Ben Porter was not so lucky in the brawl, and died soon after Currie shot him in the stomach. Though Barrymore testified at the Currie's two murder trials, the Texan was acquitted both times on the grounds that he was drunk. Legend has it that of the 12 jurors in Currie's first trial, 11 were murderers themselves.
Bio by: Joe Fodor
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