Photo of Audie Murphy

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

The thug (left) tried to carjack Murphy (right). Note the stain on Murphy’s sleeve.

 

 

[watab kid]

HE REALLY WASNT ONE TO BE TRIFF;LED WITH 

[Dubious Don #56333]

No. It's always the "small" quiet ones. Mostly, the quiet ones.

[Rip Snorter]

One I had never known about!  

[Giuseppe Calderoni]

"did a thug try to carjack WWII war hero Audie Murphy?

Yes, there was an incident in 1946 where Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II, fought off a would-be carjacker. The attacker, a 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound man, attempted to steal Murphy's car. Despite being significantly smaller, Murphy managed to subdue the attacker after a fierce 10-minute struggle"

https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/-ARCHIVED-THREAD-Audie-Murphy-fights-a-mugger-that-tried-to-steal-his-car-back-in-1946/5-1129972/?page=1

 

 

"Probably the best encounter that was very public at the time was this account published shortly after he returned from the war. It appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the local Newspaper on 11 December, 1946 with the following headline:

"War Hero Handy With His Fist, Hijacker Discovers"

"130-Pound Hero Fells 190-Pound Holdup Suspect"

DALLAS MORNING NEWS

DALLAS (Tex.) Dec. 11. (AP) —

Little Audie Murphy, who is World War II’s most decorated soldier, won another battle singlehanded this afternoon when he subdued a 6-foot 2-inch, 190-pounder who apparently attempted to steal his automobile.
The freckled kid from Farmersville, Tex., told the Dallas Morning News he knocked out the 25-year-old man in a rural filling station near here after a furious 10-minute battle. Murphy weighs 130 pounds and stands 5 feet 7 inches tall.
State Highway Patrolmen Everett Brandon and F. H. Jensen, who talked with the News by telephone, said they arrested the man and lodged him in the McKinney Jail. No complaint was filed immediately.

Tells of Holdup

The 20-year-old Texas hero, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor and every other U.S. combat medal in World War II, related he was driving alone when he saw a large man limping along the highway. “It was raining like the devil and I thought I would do the fellow a favor,” Audie related. “I picked him up and we drove about a mile. “Suddenly this guy jammed something into my ribs, slapped me across the mouth and said: “‘I’m the boss now. If you won’t talk, this .45 will. I can use this car.' “I admitted that he was pretty much the boss at that point and we drove about four more miles. He told me to pull into a roadside gasoline station and stop. I did and he took the keys and instructed me to slide along the seat and get out on his side of the car.”

Decides on Fight

Audie said the man’s left hand, hidden under an old army blouse, was still jammed into his ribs when he decided to make a fight for it. He grabbed the man’s hand, struck him a blow that tumbled him from the car and on to the filling station drive.
Murphy jumped squarely on the erstwhile tough guy and started swinging.
“We fought all over the place for about 10 minutes,” Audie said. “He was a pretty big fellow, all right. I finally got him, though.”
J. M. Peters, owner of the gasoline station, ran into the drive and ordered both men offthe premises before he knew the background, Patrolman Brandon added.
 

Calls in Police

Audie rushed to another gasoline station a mile north to telephone the State police and upon his return found that his attacker had recovered, escaped and gone to the home of Mrs. Park Grissom, a few hundred yards distant.
The man was scuffling with Mrs. Grissom and demanding fresh clothing to replace his bloody and torn garments when Murphy and the patrolmen overpowered him again.

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News
and Associated Press

Here is a photo of the would be hijacker John Thomas Daniels, a local ex-Army vet and thug. When looking at the photo notice the carjackers muddy clothing and Murphy's relatively clean suit except for a small water mark on his coat sleeve. The only sign of Murphy's fight is a water spot on his sleeve and some light mud on his shoes, whereas the John Daniels is a beast in comparison has what appears to be ripped and muddied clothing and a busted up mug. Murphy, by contrast looks like he is ready darn near to go to a movie premier! lol!

Lastly, I find it interesting that he had a .45 which Murphy took away from him, and then kicked his ass. Incidentally, that night began a very close personal friendship between Everette Brandon, the Highway Patrolman, who had never met Audie previously, and Audie that would only end with Audie's death. It was not easy for Murphy to befriend anyone. Other than his old Army buddies, he could count his personal friends on his his fingers and toes.
If one were lucky enough to become a friend of Audie Murphy.....it was indeed a lifetime friendship.
I looked for years for Mr. Daniels hoping to get his written recollections of the event, only to learn in the late 90's with the advent of the internet that Daniels passed away in 1993 in the Dallas area.
Posted responses will generate a couple of more stories from people who knew Audie postwar about his ability to take care of himself or others when in a pinch."

Edited December 24, 2024 by Giuseppe Calderoni