El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-05

law Since IT'S Early
Boyhood Days.
HIS BANDIT BROTHER
Received a Slight Wound, Resulting
in Blood Poisoning Which Proved
Fatal.
In the jail of the ancient town of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, Tom ketchum,
the Jesse James OF Texas, is imprisoned.
The wound from which he ia sufferin G
is in his right arm, and under ordin-
arv circumstances would cause little
or no trouble for the man who has felt
the sting of leaden pellets SO many
times before, but the officers who cap
tured him near Folsom on the night OF
August l6 found it impossible to secure
proper medical attention for the in
iured man until some hours after the
battle in which the wound was receiv-
ed and, as q result, blood poisoning OF
q malignant type set in.
The arrest of Ketchum last month
has put an effectual end to the famous
gang of train robbers and desparadOes
which took its name from the sObrl-
uuet of it's no less famous leader, who,
in his way, was one of the most nOtorl-
GUS criminals with whom the peace Of
ficers of this country have lad to deal
for years.
Tom Ketchum was born in San Saba
county some thirty-five years ago and
is essentially Texas product,
although the state is by no means
proud of the reputation he has made
for it. He is one of the last surviving
members of class of desperate and
Iawless men, the deeds of whom
have done more toward blsckening
the fair name of the Lone Star State in
the eyes of the outside world than per-
haps all other causes comb ined. He
has been an outlaw ever since his early
youth AID the story of his life if it is
ever written, will be in the nature of
decided acquisition, although hardly q
valuable one, to the mass of yellow
covered, dime hovelish literature
which has had such a pernicious effect
on the young men Of this country since
the days when the stuff was first put
on the market.
1t is related of Ketehum that, when
only a boy roaming West Texas
ranch, in the enjoyment of all of the
freedom and boundless privileges of
the original red man, he was summon
paid no attention to the summons, and
from that time until one hateful night
last month. when he attempted to rob
q train alone and unaided, the strong
arm of the law has been constantly
reaching for him. The nature of the
man is shown by the well autheuticat-
ed story to the effect that, during his
boyhoOd days on the ranch, one OF his
chief sources of pleasure was gained
hoh hn
had of hiding behind the chapar-
raj on some lonely hill and
from this vantage point shooting
at-and seldom missing-the Mexican
herders on the plains below. He has
always upheld the reputation for nerve
which he made early in his career, and
his last exploit showed that be was
game to the backbone. He has never
been known to quit" as many man
who has resisted him can testify, and
as many more .could testify if they
were living now. He is in many ways
a remarkable character, and, had he
applied his peculiar talents in other
channels, he could have accomplished
wonderful ends. AS it is, it seems that
he is doomed to take his last look at
life through the bars of q prison cell
ard that he will not even have the
satisfaction, so dear to men of his class,
of dying with his boats on.
There was another member of the
Ketchum family, Sam by name. who,
while he never reached the heights of
potoriety attained by his brother, was
long a member of the dreaded "Black
Jack" gang and participated in practi-
cally all of the daring operations of
that lawless band until his death not
long ago. After leaving their home in
San Saba county, the two brothers liv-
ed in Tom Green county, near San An
gelo, and both were we'll known in that
section of the state. After some of
their depredatiOns made inadvisable
the matter of further residence there.
they were located at various times
in other parts of West Texas, in New
Mexico, Arizona and the Republic of
Mexico. During it's palmy days their
gang robbed the Santa Fe at different
points in New Mexico, the Southern
Pacific in Arizona and numberless
stores and banks all through the west
ern country. The express companies
have also suffered through the depre-
dations Of the band. The Pacific was
touched up'' at Stanton, Martin coun-
ty, and the Wells Fargo at Lozier,
Pecos county, as well as at other points
in this state and New Mexico, includ-
ing Folsom,
The latter town, a little station on
the Colorado and Southern railroad,
in the extreme northeastern corner of
the territory, has proven an unfortu-
nate field of operations for the ''Black
] acks." 1t was as a result of rob-
berry committed there that Sam Ket-
4 l. , T. \