Who was the only outlaw to be tried, convicted and hanged for “felonious assault upon a railway train”?

Texas-born outlaw, Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum, enjoyed a colorful career in the 1890s Southwest plundering trains, killing folk and other distinctively American pastimes until August 16, 1899, when he decided to rob a train by himself. He wasn't aware that his brother, Sam and a gang attempted to rob the same train (Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe), in the same place, five days earlier when Sam was killed.

As Tom was riding toward the train, the conductor recognized him, ran to get his shotgun, got the drop on Ketchum and shot, knocking Tom off the train. He was too weakened by his injury to run so he was caught by a posse the following day. Badly wounded, Tom was taken to a doctor in Trinidad, Colorado, where his right arm was amputated. After recovering, Tom was taken to Clayton, NM Territory, for trial.

The inexperience of the Clayton officials, never having conducted a hanging and not knowing exactly what to do, created a complication. When Ketchum dropped through the trap, he was instantly decapitated. The severed head went rolling and blood was spurting from his neck. Contributing factors were: rope too long, noose too loose and Tom had gained too much weight while in jail. Consequently, Tom's head was sewn back onto his body and he was buried at Clayton’s Boot Hill, NM Territory.

Ketchum was the only person executed for “felonious assault upon a railway train”. Train robbery wasn't a Federal offense unless the robbers stole U.S. mail, which most did.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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43 Comments

JBViP

Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum, was indeed hanged in Clayton, NM, and the photographs of his execution hang in our family-owned 1892 Hotel Eklund three blocks away. There are some inaccurate statements made in this account, however, and clarifications I would like to make. 1. He was shot in the arm by the MARSHALL on the COLORADO SOUTHERN train, who was certain Black Jack would show up at this particular sharp bend in the railway near Folsom, NM. BJ escaped on horseback, but turned himself in a couple days later because he needed medical attention. Nobody got the $1000 reward because of that. 2. His brother, Sam & his gang met their demise in another town, Cimarron, NM, when they were shot trying to hold up another train several days earlier. True, BJ learned of this after his surrender. 3. The hanging did result in his decapitation, but the leading contributing factors were that the men who were tasked with testing the trap door used a 200-lb. sandbag and were supposed to remove it immediately, but they left the bag hanging overnight. This removed any give the rope might have had. They also built the gallows 2 feet higher than instructed so everyone could see the activity better. 4. On April 26, 1901, Ketchum was walked onto the gallows and a black hood was placed over his head before the hanging. When the trap door opened, BJ was immediately decapitated. He didn't hang...he went straight through and His head did NOT roll. It came to a rest immediately in front of his chest. Yes, the blood pooled and ran. Superstition is the reason they sewed his head back on. Some believe they felt guilty for having hanged the guy, and this was the kindest thing left for them to do. After all, he was already missing his right arm. He was buried in Boot Hill at the edge of town. The next day, his execution was declared unconstitutional, as it was too severe a penalty for the crime. A few years later, Boot Hill "residents," were moved when someone decided to build a home on the spot. Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum now lays in the row of trees dividing the Clayton Cemetery's Protestants and Catholics, neither of whom wanted him buried on "their" side. May he rest in pieces!

Speedy

...colorful nicknames...

balegal debby

Knew the person but not as much history on his capture and subsequent execution.

veaguilar

Trinidad!!!!!! TSJC ROCKS!

Twylajr

I take exception to the sentence "plundering trains, killing folk and other distinctively American pastimes" No other country has train robbers and murderers?

urbigguns

As a history major, and having spent many years between Colorado Springs and California I knew this from having actually been to many sites associated with western lore