Tom Ketchum is an American cowboy who became famous for his criminal activities in Texas and Arizona. While working on the ranch, he contacted the bandits, with whom he began to attack trains, public institutions and wealthy people. After the execution of Ketchum in 1901, journalists and writers idealized his image so much that the country's main criminal instantly became a kind of phenomenon. They still write books about him, make films and make up legends.
Biography
Tom Ketchum was born on October 31, 1863 in San Saba County, Texas. The boy received his 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 local robbers and became a participant in the first crime. Tom robbed a railroad train bound for Deming. The bandits knew that there were quite rich people in the salon, who had recently received a salary. They promptly stopped the car, threatening the driver with reprisals, 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 the violators.
Tom's second serious crime was committed on December 12, 1895, in Tom Green County, Texas. On that fateful day, the perpetrator killed his former neighbor John Powers, who teased him as a child. After that, Ketchum, trying to fend off the pursuit, went on horseback to San Angelo. There he was awaited by other members of the criminal group, 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 managed to accumulate over the past time. Eventually Tom took his share and left the community.
The cowboy committed another murder on February 1, 1896 in New Mexico. This time, he attacked the famous lawyer Albert Jennings and his son Henry. In order to somehow hide his crimes, Ketchum for a long time pretended to be an ordinary rancher. Together with his brother, Tom worked on the farm from time to time, looked after the animals and, according to his employers, pretended to be a successful and independent person.
However, in June 1896, Tom robbed Bell Ranch and a nearby associate store. A thunderstorm began that evening, and while people were resting in their homes, Ketchum pulled off another crime. During the operation, he took 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 the robbery process. Sometimes he allowed himself to buy horses. He did not have a permanent place of residence. In general, Tom has always opposed social stereotypes and wanted to live freely.
After robbing a ranch and a store, Levi Hertzstein, the owner of the territory and the main victim of the attack, went on the trail of criminals. He formed a squad of four former soldiers and sent them to retrieve the intruders. Finding the Ketchum gang, they immediately began a firefight. A few seconds later, Levi Hertzstein was already dead. Ketchum shot him with his rifle and then fled with his accomplices in a nearby settlement.
After a while, Tom again focused on robbing trains. At the same time, he met members of the famous "Wild Gang", led by Butch Cassidy. Together, they raided several train stations and post offices, and then parted ways due to an altercation between Ketchum and one of the leaders of the criminal group.
At the same time, the local search headquarters did not lose hope of finding the already famous killer and robber. When sending out directions, they mistakenly called him Black Jack, although in fact this name belonged to a completely different criminal. From that moment on, a fierce nickname was entrenched for him.
last years of life
In 1897, authorities finally reached out to Ketchum after he was robbed in Twin Mountain. Not far from the Scream Gorge, a shootout broke out between the sheriff and the criminal. Tom received several serious injuries, but managed to escape from his pursuers. For two years, he hid 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 Clayton, USA. Not a single employee had experience in hanging, so in the end it was decided to behead the perpetrator. Later, his last words were reported in the local newspaper The Chronicles of San Francisco: “Goodbye. Please dig very deeply for my grave. Okay, take your time."
Interestingly, in his entire life, Ketchum never met women, telling his comrades that his real passion is robbery and criminal operations against the rich. However, some sources report that Tom still had a common-law wife, but the couple quickly broke up.
Creative comprehension of the image
Immediately after the death of Ketchum, an unknown factory distributed postcards with the image of his body throughout America. The story of the bandit began to gain popularity in the United States. For many citizens, the personality of Tom Ketchum was shrouded in an aura of secrets and mysteries.
In addition, in 1955, in the syndicated series Stories of the Century, Americans first saw the television image of a robber on the big screen. He was played by popular Western actor Jack Elam. In 1957, the US also released the film "Desperate" with a detailed biography of the bandit.
Now the image of Tom Ketchum is associated among Americans with the difficult era of the late 1890s, when many people were left without a livelihood and were forced to earn money illegally.
