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| Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum |
My family and I stayed at the historic Hotel Eklund on one of our
trips through Clayton, New Mexico. While there, I noticed several photos
hanging on the walls of the hotel with articles about an infamous criminal
named Thomas “Black Jack” Ketchum. Being a writer, I couldn’t resist the urge
to find out more.
The proprietor shared the sad, twisted tale of Black Jack Ketchum,
a train robber and murderer whose birthday on Halloween day in 1863 seemed the
first harbinger of the man’s horrible fate.
According to the proprietor, Tom and his brother Sam’s outlaw
careers spanned the years 1896-1899.
During that time, their focus was mainly on train robberies, though many
would claim their crimes were far more reaching than that. They joined a gang
whose exploits and terror left a wide mark across the southwest, including New
Mexico, where Black Jack Ketchum was eventually captured and sentenced to hang.
Unfortunately for Black Jack, this wasn’t the end of his story.
On April 26, 1901 Thomas Edward “Black Jack” Ketchum was hanged in
Clayton, New Mexico, but the execution was bungled and the outlaw was
decapitated. Perhaps it was the length of the fall, the proprietor told me,
which instead of being the normal four to six feet, was more like eight. Or
perhaps it was the fact that the rope used to hang Ketchum was thin, thereby
severing his neck and spine. Whatever the cause, one fact remains—Tom Ketchum’s
death was almost as chilling as his life.
After
thanking the proprietor for his time, he smiled and encouraged me to visit the
hanging site (the North Wall of the
sheriff’s office at the courthouse). He also told me I could visit Black Jack’s
grave in the local cemetery east of town. I didn’t have the time to spend
researching further on this trip, but you can be sure I intend to go back…one
day.
In
the meantime, if you’re ever passing through Clayton, be sure to check out the
Hotel Eklund. Say hello to the proprietor for me, and ask him to show you
around the hotel, gunshot holes in the ceiling and all.
Tom Ketchum was my great grand uncle and Sam was my great grandfather. I have genealogy records of this family back to Edward Ketchum born 1764. The best, by far, documented information about the outlaw deeds see THE DEADLIEST OUTLAWS by Jeff Burton. 500 pages of well researched info.
ReplyDeleteTom Ketchum is my boyfriends great great uncle. His name is Michael Edward Smith. Do you have family information or a family tree you could share of Tom Ketchum?
DeleteMy wife family is also related to the Ketchum still trying to find out info.
DeleteI will definitely check it out! Thank you, Mr. Spradley.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if the rumors regarding a "falling out" between Tom and his brother, Sam, were true? Some of the documents I read at the hotel said the brothers parted ways right before Tom was captured, but I couldn't find evidence to support that.