Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-08-25
SURELY TOM
KETCHUM
Outlaw Captured at Folsom Is
the Original BLACK
lack"
He AND McGINNIS AT SANTA FE
They Passed Through Las VEGAS
Yesterday In Charge of
Officers.

| q
1t has been definitely ascertained ths
Thomas Stevens. as he calls himself
who attempted to hold up the Colorado
& Southern train near Folsom, N. M /, {
week ago, and who was laid out by
shot from Conductor Harrington, il
none other than Tom Ketchum, Of
Black Jack, the noted outlaw, who hat
for years been the terror of the south
| west. A--4.
Officer Reno of the Colorado & South
ern railroad, secured photograph Of
Stevens in jail at Trinidad and took II
with him to Carlsbad, where McGinnis
a member of the gang, was in custody.
Reno on the 2Sd telegraphed from
Carlsbad to the officers of the company
that Stevens was positively identified
as "Black Jack"
The picture was identified by Sheriff
Stewart of Eddy County, and Fayette
Brown, who was the companion OF
Ketchum on ranch for a year, as
Black Jack.
Tom krtchum, alias Stevens, and
Frank Mctlnnis, the latter captured a
few days since jn Eddy county, passed
through Las Vegas on No. 4. yesterday
Afternoon, being IN charge of United
States Marshal Foraker, Sheriff Stewart
of Eddy county and Special Officer
Reno Of the Colorado & Southern. Ketz
chum was so weak from the loss Of
blood that he is unable to walk or sit up
and was moved on stretcher. Nc
Ginnis, whose real name is unknown,
was we'll shackled and hand cuffed.
A reporter for TIE OPTIC travelled
with the party to Santa Fe, where the
prisoners were last evening lodged in
the territorial prison for safe-keeping
.ItsEas stated that 1t is more than likely
that the penitentiary physician will
amputate Ketchum's arm, in spite of
the fact that he does not want 1t done.
Marshal Foraker has telegraphed to
Berry Ketchum at San Angelo, Texas,
of the fact of his brothers. capture.
Sheriff Stewart stated in substance TO
THE Optic that Ketchum worked three
years for him in times past as cow
man. When Sheriff Stewart arrived at
the jail In Trinidad Ketchum could no
longer deny his identity and confessed
to the officer that he with three others
attempted to hold up the train on the
10th at Folsom. The charge from the
conductors shotgun entered his, right
arm, he said, while he was engaged In
leveling his rifle at the postal clerk
Tom said he was not in the Cimarron
fight. He is not in the habit of reading
.he papers and hence did not know that
his brother Sam was dead. Tom added
that If he had known that they had
tried to hold up train go recently; be
would not have undertaken another jot
80 soon afterward.
Tom acknowledged to Sheriff Stewart
that he tried to make the people al
Trinidad believe that his name was
Stevens and that his recent attempt
was the first one he had ever made.
Ketchum's arm is badly swollen and
perfectly blue in color. 1t is feared
that blood poisoning has set in and that
he will die, Not only did he attempt
to kill himself while in jail at Trinidad
by strangulation but he essayed tt
swallow the pins with which his band
ages were done up. Ketchum is ovel
six feet tall. raw-boned, has fair COM
plexion and dark brown hair and mus
tsche. lie will eigh about 100 pounds
Marshal Foraker looked after his com
fort in every way possible during the
journey on the train.
| McGihnis, the other outlaw in Gus
tody, has two bullet holes through hi
body. He says he suffered g fol
two weeks after the Cimarron fight
i lie fails to give any particulars of him
self and denies that he was in any OF
the hold-ups or the fight at Cima-ron
| The officers are sure that they have
Tom Ketchum, the original and only
eBlack Jack" and the McGinnis who
was In the Cimarron eght. The thirc
bandit, named Franks. who was In ths
Cinarron fight, is etill at large; alst
Tom Ketchum's co-partners, who were
In the last Folsom train robbery.
/ The actions and talk of Stevens sine,
his arrest corroborate the statement o.
the men and 1t Is almost certain. tina
the greatest criminal since the days O
the James and Younger gangs has beer
captured.
| 1t will be remembered that wheI
Stevens was taken in charge by tn
officers at Folsom be was very talkatiye
He said that it was his first attempt q
train robbing and that he had formerly
been law abiding and peaceable COW
boy; that he was alone in the enterprise
etc. When questioned as to what b
knew about Black Jack and bis gam
! he remarked that the much wanted
, bandit was dea1, q statement hardl.
consistent coming from man who hat
been leading the life of an ordinar.
citizen.
Stevens while at the hospital wal
guarded. during the night, by Dep
uty Sheriff Tittsworth. aud although
he had maintained 70 others tina
he was alone In the hold u
enterprise. be United TO that off, :
! that there were others in the plot, bu
! would not reveal their identity. Il
seemed anxious 10 die from th