Thomas "Tom" Horn
Thomas "Tom" Horn
Tom was born on November 21st near Memphis, Missouri to a family with 12 children. He was the fifth child, who was reported to have rendered severe abuse under the hand of his very own father. In accounts from Horn himself, it placed him leaving for Arizona as young as the age of 15, though most written reports in the area don’t document his time there until he is the age of 21. Tom was known to have been a teamster, driving a stagecoach between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Prescott, Arizona.
It is also documented that he might have spent time on the San Carlos Reservation where he worked as a livestock herder. Tom wouldn’t be introduced to the United States Army until 1882 where he worked as a mule packer under a civilian contract to support millitary against the Apache Tribe. He was eventually recruited to be a scout after Al Sieber, the Chief of the Apache Scouts, caught wind of his apprerent tracking abilities.
There are several battles that Tom was accredited to be in according to accounts from eyewittnesses that were discredited. An example would be Horn’s alleged presence at the Battle of Cibecue Creek that was proven to be false.
It was in 1890 that Tom joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Tom was known for having tracked down several different outlaws across Las Vegas, New Mexico, and later, Wyoming, where he had moved to become a stock detective.
Tom also worked as a hired gunman, earning himself a reputation as a cold, and ruthless killer. He was reported to have killed up to 17 different men, though were suspected to have been cases of mistaken identities. One notable case was the death of a 14 year-old boy, Willie Nickell, who was ambushed and murdered near Iron Mountain in Wyoming. It was reported to have been a case of mistaken identity, given he was believed to be his father. This is further reported when his father was injured in a similar ambush a week afterwards.
The attacks were believed to have been linked back to Tom, who eventually told the Deputy Marshal, Joe LeFors, that it was him who killed them. It was this that had him tried and eventually executed by hanging in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His life may have been filled with ups or downs, but his legacy still captivates historians to this day.