Tom Ketchum is an American cowboy who became famous for his criminal activities in Texas and Arizona. While working on a ranch, he contacted bandits, with whom he began to attack trains, public institutions and wealthy people. After the execution of Ketchum in 1901, journalists and writers so idealized his image that the country's main criminal in an instant became a kind of phenomenon. Books are still being written about him, films are made and legends are composed.
Biography
Tom Ketchum was born on October 31, 1863 in San Saba, Texas. The boy received primary and secondary education at a local school, but his grades left much to be desired. Without completing his studies, in 1890 Tom left his hometown with his older brother Sam. His family was poor and could not provide for his sons.
For a short time, Ketchum worked as a cowboy on a ranch in the Pecos Valley in New Mexico. In 1894, he met with local robbers and became a member of the first crime. Tom robbed a train that was heading to Deming. The bandits knew that there were quite wealthy people in the cabin who had recently received a salary. They promptly stopped the car, threatening the driver with violence, and then forced the passengers to give them the money. Immediately after the robbery, the gang quickly disappeared into the forests of Arizona. And no matter how hard the local gendarmes tried, they could not get on the trail of violators.
Tom committed his second serious crime on December 12, 1895 in Tom Green County, Texas. On that fateful day, the criminal killed his former neighbor John Powers, who teased him as a child. After that, Ketchum, trying to fight off the pursuit, rode away to San Angelo on a horse. There, other members of the criminal group awaited him, who had robbed several influential citizens the day before.
By the end of 1895, serious disagreements began between Ketchum and the leader of the illegal gang. In particular, they could not share the money that they had managed to accumulate over the entire past time. Ultimately, Tom took his share and left the community.
The cowboy committed the next murder on February 1, 1896 in New Mexico. This time he attacked the famous lawyer Albert Jennings and his son Henry. To somehow hide his crimes, Ketchum for a long time was pretending to be an ordinary rancher. Together with his brother, Tom worked from time to time on a farm, looked after animals and, according to employers, gave the appearance of a successful and independent person.
However, in June 1896, Tom robbed Bell ranch and the nearby combined store. A thunderstorm began that evening, and while people were resting in their homes, Ketchum turned around a new crime. During the operation, he took away money, securities and jewelry. Subsequently, the thief hid all the acquired wealth in his own vault.
It is known that Tom Ketchum rarely spent "earned" funds. Most likely, he enjoyed it from the process of robbery. Sometimes he allowed himself to buy horses. He did not have a permanent residence. In general, Tom always opposed social stereotypes and wanted to live freely.
After the robbery of the ranch and the store, Levi Herzstein, the owner of the territory and the main victim of the attack, went on the trail of the criminals. He formed a detachment of four former soldiers and sent them for violators. Finding a gang of Ketchum, they immediately began a shootout. After a few seconds, Levi Herzstein was already dead. Ketchum shot him with his rifle, and then disappeared with his accomplices in the nearest settlement.
After some time, Tom again focused on robbing trains. At the same time, he met with members of the famous Wild Gang, which was led by Butch Cassidy. Together, they raided several train stations and post offices, and then separated because of Ketchum’s quarrel with one of the leaders of the criminal group.
At the same time, the local headquarters of the search did not lose hope of finding the already famous killer and robber. When sending out orientations, they mistakenly called him Black Jack, although in reality this name belonged to a completely different criminal. From that moment on, a fierce nickname was assigned to him.
last years of life
In 1897, authorities nevertheless came to Ketchum after his robbery at Twin Mountain. Not far from the gorge "Scream" between the sheriff and the criminal a skirmish ensued. Tom received several serious injuries, but managed to escape from his pursuers. For two years he was hiding from the investigation, but in 1899 in Colorado he was again noticed by one of the sergeants. During the chase, he shot the criminal in the arm and knocked him off the horse. Ketchum was immediately taken to a medical facility, his right limb was amputated, and then sent to the courtroom.
As a result of the trial, Tom was sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging in American Clayton. Not a single employee had experience in hanging, so they ultimately decided to decapitate the offender. Later, his last words were reported in the local San Francisco Chronicles newspaper: "Goodbye. Please dig my grave very deep. Well, take your time."
Interestingly, in all his life, Ketchum never met women, telling his comrades that his real passion was robbery and criminal operations against the rich. However, some sources say that Tom still had a common-law wife, but the couple quickly broke up.
