Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-18
TOGETHER IN CUBA.
William Jackson Talks About "BIack
Jack" Tom ketchum.


While a Courier representative was
sitting in the lobby at the Ballingall
Monday evening, William Jackson,
travelling man for an eastern tailor
ing establishment came in. The Cour-
Ter man used to know Jackson while
both were building telegraph lines for
Uncle Sam in Cuba, during the Span
ish-American war. When jackson
joined the army, he was citizen of
Arizona and had for several years
been a cowboy and telegraph opera
tor through the western country.
Jackson is getting to be an old man
now as far as age goes, he was too old
to soldier during the late war, but his
love for his country gave him chance
to overcome this. Last evening the
talk drifted to "Black Jack" Ketchum,
the first man legally executed for
train robbery, and whose head was
severed from the body at Clayton, N.
M, April 26, by the rope which was
only intended to break his neck. A
number of years ago, Jackson was EN-
ployed on the same ranch as Ketchum.
At that time" said Jackson, Tom was
fine looking young fellow. We were
the peope a eDSnt there weps
some pretty tough ones with the outfit. OF
all these, Tom Ketchum was the worst He
hiblted his tendency to perform feats Of
| crime on more than one occasion, to my
personal knowledge.
Boosted of His Badness.
"Ketchum and several other fellows
cam MP up from rom Texas and they gave It GU.
take long for them to prove what they
said said Thep = spent much Of their time in
/ | ic M nj inns Inv
fear more than by their regard FOR him.
IA certain EEL ain respect wa vas given him be-
Nothing and Would y undertake entsrprses
his followers hesitated about. They re.
spected him for this, and knew that he
trouble him much and when he hes said i'd a ny.
thing it ps s sened By ~ q them
boned and slim, with hair as black as a
ravens wing, and deep brown eyes that
shining from them: He was foul -mouthed
and did not care who took exception to his
talk 1t was his game to hunt trouble, al
though he was quiet when sober.
Known as Border Ruffian.
Border rnn rAzP ahat sans e
drank great deal. l see that he swore
he never used liquor, when he made his
he used plenty of it. Likewise, the liquor
had the same effect upon him as on the Or
With his brutal mind influenced by whis-
ky, Tom Ketchum could not be trifed with.
He used his six-shooters on the slightest
proyocation. # II had not been that his
SThat was in Billings, almost twenty
agsu dnnR a r. some S hs bsp
began cursing me. Before knew what
s son e. ne Napns Of out gn RS
and the other men stopped the whole thing
a before either Of US could do any more
that time. was not thinking Of such a
] thing. because we had been working to.
, gether and were friends.
a Was Dead Shot.
D "But he was dead shot. Tom could
use his reyolvers as fast as any Of them,
and he could generally hit what was in his
e way. Then, he didn't hesitate. to shoot.
C All of those cowpunchers gave him q wide
4 berth as far as having any trouble with
q own way.
/ Down in the Yellowstone country he
e was IN jail JAIL, several Eyer tin times; The gang he
! posed of bad men, most of them wanted In
Q one place or another. Soon after they got
this state they began u5ng assd
= run them south and took long chances on
9 cutting out good bunch now and then
III Tom was arrested SeVeral times IOf cdtSle
" rustling, but he was never sentenced fol
y it. The officers could not get enough proof
9 against him, and his pals always took care
= that he was not convicted.
r, Rustling His Speciality.
e Everybody that knew Tom Ketchum
It knew that he would end on the gallows
!. Most of us expected that he would muir
= der somebody and hang for that. WheI
Z he was in this country, he made special
IS ty Of cattle rustling, and we did not thinl
he would 90 into the train robbery bust
;. ness But he was ready for anything; dit
l. match, and had as little thought for tn,
4 lives Of Others"
~ Working "a Hours Day.
y There's no rest for those tireless lit