Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum: The Outlaw Who Went Out With a Bang (and a Snap)
Thomas Edward Ketchum, better known as "Black Jack," wasn’t your average cowboy. Born in San Saba County, Texas, in 1863, he started life with a fairly unremarkable existence on the family ranch. But as with many young men in the Wild West, the lure of adventure—and later, crime—proved too strong. By the time of his infamous execution in 1901, Ketchum had gone from ranch hand to one of the most colourful characters in American outlaw lore. And, let’s be honest, how many people can claim an entry in the history books thanks to a botched hanging?
A Cowboy with a Wild Streak
Black Jack’s early life was a mix of cattle drives and dusty trails, but things took a turn in the early 1890s when he left Texas under something of a cloud—probably after running into some legal trouble. He ended up in New Mexico, working as a cowboy along the Pecos River. It wasn’t long before his older brother Sam joined him, and the duo began dabbling in a bit of mischief that would soon spiral out of control.
In 1892, Black Jack and his gang made their mark with a robbery of an Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway train near Nutt, New Mexico. The gang, likely figuring that payroll trains were the Wild West equivalent of a jackpot, grabbed their loot and got away. This was just the beginning of what would become a string of robberies—and, eventually, murders.
Trouble in Liberty: A Messy Heist Turned Deadly
The Ketchum brothers’ criminal careers hit a bloody milestone in June 1896. They were accused of robbing a store and post office in Liberty, New Mexico. But what really escalated things was the aftermath. A posse, led by local merchant Levi Herzstein, tracked the outlaws to a nearby arroyo. A gunfight broke out, leaving Herzstein and another posse member dead. Ketchum, ever the opportunist, didn’t hesitate to finish the job by emptying his rifle into the fallen men.
Although Tom and Sam evaded capture for this particular crime, the incident left a long shadow. Levi’s brother, Morris Herzstein, later witnessed Black Jack’s execution—bringing a kind of poetic, if gruesome, justice to the whole affair.
Friends in Low Places: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang
After Liberty, the Ketchum brothers found themselves part of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, a ragtag collection of outlaws who used a remote hideout in Wyoming as their base. This wasn’t just any gang—it was the same outfit that included Wild West legends like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For a while, the Ketchums fit right in, but things weren’t always smooth. Black Jack had a particularly thorny relationship with Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, a fellow gang member with a penchant for violence.
The Ketchums had a knack for hitting trains, especially along the Colorado and Southern Railroad. Their favourite spot? A stretch of track near Twin Mountain, New Mexico. Between 1897 and 1899, the gang robbed trains there three times, creating quite a headache for the railroad company and a lot of excitement for local newspapers.
A Botched Robbery and Brotherly Loss
In July 1899, Sam Ketchum led a train heist near Twin Mountain without his brother. Things didn’t go well. After the robbery, the gang was tracked by a posse by Turkey Creek Canyon, where a gunfight erupted. Sam was gravely injured but managed to escape briefly before being caught. He died in custody from his wounds, leaving Tom to carry the outlaw torch alone.
Black Jack didn’t seem fazed by his brother’s fate—or at least, he didn’t learn from it. Just a few weeks later, in August 1899, he decided to rob the very same train at the very same spot. But this time, he was flying solo. Armed and ready, he approached the train as it slowed, only to be met by an alert conductor named Frank Harrington, who promptly shot him in the arm. The injury was severe enough to knock him off his horse and leave him stranded beside the tracks. A posse picked him up the next day, badly wounded, and he was whisked off to Trinidad, Colorado, where doctors amputated his arm.
The Trial of Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum and the Hangman’s Rope
After recovering from his injuries, Black Jack was sent to Clayton, New Mexico Territory, to stand trial. His crime—attempted train robbery—carried an unusual penalty: death. This was largely thanks to a new law aimed at curbing railway banditry, but historians later deemed it unconstitutional. Unfortunately for Black Jack, legal technicalities came too late to save him.
On April 26, 1901, the people of Clayton gathered to witness the town’s first (and only) hanging. The problem? Nobody in town really knew how to conduct an execution. They underestimated the drop length and failed to account for Ketchum’s considerable weight gain during his time in jail. When the trapdoor opened, the force of the fall decapitated him instantly.
An account of the event from Sheriff Salome Garcia detailed the scene:
He walked firmly up the steps, saying as he went up, "Dig my grave deep, boys." Stepping upon the trap door he asked for the black cap, and it was placed over his head but [it] had to be removed to permit the rope to be placed on his neck, and while they delayed somewhat he became impatient and said, "Let her go boys." ... The sheriff cut the trigger rope with a hatchet, and his body shot down with all its 215 pounds of weight. Everyone within or without the stockade held their breath, and their hearts gave a great bound of horror when it was seen that his head had been severed from his body by the fall. His body alighted squarely upon its feet, stood for a moment, swayed and fell and then great streams of red, red blood spurted from his severed neck, as if to shame the very ground upon which it poured. The head rolled aside and the rope, released, bounded high and fell with a thud upon the scaffold from whence it came.
Ketchum’s last words, "Good-bye. Please dig my grave very deep. All right; hurry up," were strangely prophetic, though probably not in the way he intended. The grisly scene shocked onlookers, and his severed head became a macabre detail that ensured his story would live on.
Legacy: The Myth of Black Jack Ketchum
Black Jack’s execution turned him into a morbid celebrity. A photograph of his decapitated body circulated as a postcard, cementing his status as a Wild West antihero. His story is a vivid reminder of the chaos and rough justice that defined the American frontier.
Today, Black Jack Ketchum lies buried in Clayton Cemetery, a quiet resting place for a man whose life was anything but. For those fascinated by the Wild West, his tale offers a little bit of everything—train heists, gunfights, brotherly loyalty, and a truly unforgettable exit. In the end, it’s safe to say that Black Jack Ketchum lived—and died—by the motto of the Wild West: go big or go home.