The Alamogordo news. (Alamogordo, N.M.) 1899-1912, 1900-09-13
GALLOWS FOR BLACK JACK"
The Famous Train Robber Tried
and Convicted Last Week at
Clayton, New Mexico.
HIS CRIMINAL CAREER COMPLETED.
The Story of How He Held Up the Fort
Worth Express In Union County
Single Handed-ShOt by the
Conductor.

single Handed-Shot BY the
Conductor.
Tom Ketchum, alias "Black Jack"
the daring outlaw and bandit, was
quietly taken from the penitentiary at
Santa Fe on Monday morning, Septem-
ber 8, and under the escort OF Deputy
United States Marshal +. w. Hall and
Sheriff II. c. Klnsell, was taken to Clay
ton for trial in the district court for
Union county, where he was convicted
OF train robbery Saturday. Reasonable
precautions were taken for the safe
delivery Of the prisoner at his destina-
tion, but Marshal Foraker declined to
order special train and deputize an
army of guards as suggestediby some OF
the up-country people who felt sure
that an organized band would attempt
to rescue Black Jack between Trinidad
and Clayton. The prisoner was held
over night at Trinidad as a precautiOn-
airy measure, however, and taken to
Clayton Tuesday morning on special
train over the Colorado & Southern
road. Special Agent w. H. Reno, Of
the latter road, met the officers from
Santa Fe and the prisoner at Trinidad
and accompanied them to the Union
county Jail, and there force of special
officers were put on duty about the Jail
and court house to see to 1t that mem
bers of the old BLACK Jack" gang who
are supposed yet to be infesting the
Texas border did not make an attempt
to effect his release from custody.
Some six months or more ago he was
arraigned before the United States dis
trict court at Las Vegas and very cum
ningly entered plea of guilty, the
charge being the robbery OF the United
States mail, and the penalty of which
does not exceed ten years imprison.
ment. But the court suspended SEN
tence until other cases were heard
against the famous bandit.
In April, year ago, a month before
he held up the Colorado & Southern
train, he killed two men, named Win
field and Rogers, in store at Camp
Verde, Arlz., making good his escape.
If he does not escape, he is bound to
hang, and with him dies the most in-
trepid and daring bandit the southwest
has ever seen.
The story of how BLACK Jack" held
up the Fort Worth express in Union
county, is dramatic in its daring. Fol-
lowing the example of the former dis
astrous hold-up, he climbed on to the
"blind baggage" between the tender
and the baggage car at Folsom. AS the
train left the town he crawled with
rifle slung across his back over the
tender and, covering the engineer aud
fireman In the cab, ordered them to
stop the train, which they did. He
then ordered them to uncouple the en-
gine and go down the track. AS they
stepped to one side, the moon came out
from a bank of clouds and as the con.
ductor of the train looked out OF the
coach to see why the engineer had
stopped, BLACK Jack" presented an ex-
ceptionally good target. The train
crew, by orders of the division superin-
tendent, carried firearms to be Oh the
alert for another attack. The cOnduc-
tor raised his shot gun, took deliberate
aim at Ketchum and fired.
The horse and rider disappeared, but
he was captured few days later and
taken to the penitentiary at Santa Fe,
where, blood poison having set In, his
wounded arm was amputated.
On the way up to Trinidad the des-
perado was asked how he lost his arm.
"Oh, railroading," was the response.
Asked what he would do, were he free
man, Jack replied that he would shake
the dust OF the country from his feet
and "swim the lake" When It was
suggested that he might find work
scarce in the old country he retOrted
that he could find means of llveIihoo !
in any country under the heavens.
Jack does not drink, smoke or chew,
and consequently he Is always "at him
SELF when committing his bloody depre-
dations. OF course he does not mean to
kill II booty can be obtained In any
other way, but booty must be obtained
at all hazards to life or limb. It's his
business-Or, rather, It was his busi-
ness. He will likely go out Of II, now
that he has been convicted for his blood
curdling misdeOds, In court OF justice.
His career Is run. His end has come.
Yet he doesn't seem to care, only he
would like to get even with Conductor
Harrington, the nervy railroader who
shattered his good arus.
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