Murphy has the dubious distinction of being one of three men lynched in Utah's history and the only one in Park City.

Accused of shooting a local miner, Murphy was moved to Coalville for safe keeping. So sure a lynch mob would try to take his prisoner, the sheriff removed "Black Jack" from the cell. He made him sleep in the middle of a hay field with his leg tied to a stake. After a few days the sheriff felt it was safe to return "Black Jack" to jail.

A vigilante group high-jacked a train to Coalville and broke out Murphy. They took him back to Park City, held a brief trial next to the tracks and hung him from a telegraph pole.