Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-04-29
THE "elAck JACK" oANo.
All but Two Of the pesperadoes Nee,
Justice.

tsttC
The execution OF Tom Ketchum,
alias Black Jack" the train robber.
at Clayton. New Mexico, calls to mind
a long list of ~robberies and murders
committed by this famous Black
Jack gang. of which Tom Ketchum,
however, vas not a member, nor was
he the original desperate bearing the
title which had become a name of ter.
ror in the southwest.
The original Black Jack" gang. or
the High Five" as they were styled
in the Chiricahua country OF Arizona.
organized in July, 1896, and was com
posed OF local talent from the ranks
Of the cowboys Of the San Simon and
Sulphur Springs valleys OF extreme
southeastern Arizona.
Some of the boys had drifted into
the country from Texas and Oklaho.
ma, but. previous to this date. had
been quietly working on the ranges.
where they were all known as expert
riders. ropers and good COW hands in
general. They were BLACK Jack"
who may have been Jack McChris.
tian, George Musgrave, alias Jesse
Williams. alias JEFF Davis, Cole Young.
or Cole Estes. Bob Hayes and Tom
Anderson.
Black Jack" had been employed as
a bronco buster" on a ranch near the
south end of the Chiricahua range and
at n time a engaged in cutting
some posts to make a corral on the
horse range OF the San Simon cattle
company. There were n few black
jack oaks where he was cutting. and
his title came from his having been
seen working among them, thus nc.
quiring that which nearly every COW
boy has. a nickname.
Their first expedition was To No
gales. ON the Sonora border, where
they attempted to rob the bank. but
failed.
In a fight at the mouth of Skeleton
canyon a few days later a pursuing
posse was worsted and a United
States custom rider, Frank Robson,
was instantly killed.
Next they made a successful at.
.cmpt at Separ, on the Southern Pa
cifc railroad in New Mexico, taking In
the postofice. store and express Of
ice. Some time later, In the same
year. they repeated the visit to this
place. and after lining up all the men
around there, some thirteen in num-
Der. they again took everything in
sight.
They twice held up both the stages
on the line from San Antonio to White
oaks, but did not get much for their
trouble.
In October, '96, they held up the
overland passenger train on the Santa
Fe road at Rio Puerco, west Of Albu-
luerque but were driven of after a
eight with Deputy United States Mar
shall LOOMS, who killed the leader.
Cole Young, after which the others
fed. leaving three bombs, composed
Of twenty sticks OF dynamite, as a
suggestion of their tender intentions
toward the Wells.Fargo messenger,
Mr.. LOOMS.
The band afterward held up San
Simon station, store n p~ostoffice,
and took in the station at Huachuca
siding. They robbed a store at Will
cox. one at pierce. the store and post
Office at Gin, on the ella river near
Silver City. and murdered Frank Par.
ker. a cattleman on the Pecos, and
George smith. one OF the most prom.
inent ranchers of western Socorro
county.
In a fight with the bunch at Deer
creek. near the southwest corner of
New Mexico. Bob Hayes was killed
and BLACK Jacks" horse shot from
under him by three deputies OF Mar
shall Hall. of New Mexico.
The three men were Leslie Dow, az
terward murdered while sheriff OF
Eddy county, New Mexico: Fred Hig
gins. sheriff at Roswell. and Charlie
Ballard. afterward first lieutenant OF
Rough Riders.
The original BLACK jack was killed
by Fred. Higgins after this In a fight
1t the goat ranch about twelve miles
EAST of Clifton. Arizona. ut which lat
Ger place his body was identified and
buried.
This leaves two OF the original gang
~unaccounted for. Musgrave and An
lprSOn.