Transcripts For CSPAN3 American History TV 20140907 : vimars

CSPAN3 American History TV September 7, 2014

Project on my part. I was happy to see it reach print. Mong the most notable realities, tom horn occupies a prominent place. Throughout the last quarter of century, he participated in many dangerous ctivity, as cowhand, minor, indian fighter, law man, and detective. Survive. Ed to while wild west aficionados do an equal as horn such notables as wyattern and kidd, he runs them close second. And hes been the subject of articles, books, and hollywood movies. Oday you can buy tom horn tshirts. In one area, horn stands out bove all other western characters. Is controversial death by hanging. Hangin hanging. Missouri in in 1850. He coincided with the civil war were very called difficult times. His parents, devout flowers of of christ, imposed a strict code in the home, prompting young tom to leave the mid 1870s. Westward working at odd jobs and became a cow drives on texas cattle to dodge city, kansas. Fortune he sought his in the booming camp of ledville, colorado. Hen he failed to prosper, he reportedly hired out his gun during a dispute between two for oad companies vying control of the best route into ledville. There, he , or from ade his way to arizona territory in 1881 arriving just apache tbreak for disturbances was occurring. Need of employment. Horne signed on in the army of civilian employee. And a ed as a teamster civilian chief of scouts. He was present both as a scout spanish interpreter during the negotiations with geronimo, that finally led to his wiley old medicine man of ender in september of 1886. He tried his hand at cow unching and mining in ground county, arizona where he had many friends. In 1888 the friends assist and outbreak and the tanto basin in arizona. This is between the families of ewkesbury on one side and Thomas Graham on the other resulted in as many as 25 deaths. While horne maintained that he was merely an immediate yea tore vendetta and did not he sides, it is known that partisan. S tewksberry he was a deputy sheriff, horn vigilantes anded lynching three suspected thieves. Since he launched a small herd, he developed that patriot for all thievery. His friends, rancher burke don lop in Graham County down on that horn was thieves more than any man he knew. Attention of he the Pinkerton Agency. He went to work for the branch denver, colorado. At that time, newspapers soon applaud in him for the toing and determined efforts run down train robbers. The agency september him to wyoming where a range war had erupted between the big cattle companies on one and and small ranchers homesteaders on the other for control of the range. Pinkerton believed he was ready for this assignment. After six months of dangerous county, ohnson including one shootout with theler, horn concluded that paltry wages of a detective, 15 expenses, was not worth the effort. Soon after completing the the nment, horne left pinkertons saying he did not like the work. Resigned, houf,e william pinkerton, one of the owners of the company, later had to fire horn because horn was drinking very heavily. 1893, tom horn was at work as range detective for a wyoming cattle company. His decision proved fatal though several years lapsed before it became clear. It did not take long for the new detective to conclude that wyoming juries often consisting f homesteaders and small ranchers, were prejudiced barons the lordly cattle for whom he worked. And when horn watched as several suspected rustlers he had arrested were set free, he vowed to work outside of the law and future. Rumors began to circulate that e was able to assassinate suspected rustlers for 600 per head. Murdered in were the Iron Mountain community in 1895, of cheyenne lawmakers soon regarded horn as primary person of interest. Missed a grand jury indictment for murder by two votes. Employers, the cattle barons, were very concerned that urged him bility and to leave wyoming. He returned to arizona territory 1896, and just in againals a icipate civilian scout . The last major Army Campaign the apaches. He was working in Graham County in the u. S. Went to war 1898. In april of the commander general of the remembered horn and his services in the apache campaigns against geronimo and sought horn campaigns mber the against forces in cuba. As the chief packer for the ar core, horn was in charge of trains which were the cal in keeping frontline troops supplied with ammunition in this heavily jungled area. By allahs, tom horn should have the pack niche in trains. When he applied for pack master in the United States the rebels uppress in the philippine islands, he down. Explicably turned in a huff, horn refused to make to travel to st. Louis where he would have gotten the trains if he had wanted to. As a result, he returned to the of his cattle baron friends in wyoming. 1899, he served as a union acific Railroad Detective and the u. S. Deputy marshal in the a band of post robbers and train robbers that were allegedly part of Butch Cassidys wild bunch. In 1900, horn, who had returned to the employee of the cattle companies was suspected assassinating two alleged livestock thieves in colorado. Ern, and finally in july of the following year, he was the primary suspect in the murder of a 14yearold boy, willie mountain the iron community. Horn was tried and convicted in siltingg District Court in cheyenne and hanged on 20 1903. Er my interest in tom horn stemmed from reading about the american a young boy. Of 250 up in a Village People in eastern arkansas, for me do. Ot a lot i became an avid reader. My grandfather, the local schoolteacher, also stimulated my interest in history. Visits toily saturday the nearest town of any size, my destination was always the book racks at the local drugstore. Given tom horns controversial areer, he was the favorite subject of western riders at this time in the early 1950s, in fop ullr western novels and magazines, i found a biography of a frontier character such as wyattern and billy the kidd. Author of these biographies took the truth, they encouraged to want to know more about personalities. R n spite of having information about tom horn in my later research about the u. S. Marshals in the ty sheriffs outhwest, i did not ever contemplate writing a biography of tom horn. But i found myself without an immediate subject for research write a short biography for a western series oklahoma versity of press. Suddenly i confronted the detailed of a very work which eventually ended up over 500 pages. How much work t was involved, i might not have project at all. As i began to look into what had horn, i tten about tom found there were at least three. The first, the tom horn in his autobiography, entitled life of scout and overnment urderer published posthumously in 1954 after his execution. Horn inspired om by his own autobiography. Inally, a limited amount of documented research already existing in his life. Getting beyond the first two proved a serious challenge. Tom horne wrote his autobiography while languishing in a cheyenne jail prior to his execution. Possessed only an el mea Elementary School education, his book is well written and day. Emely popular to this its presently available in at east seven separate paperback printings. However, he was an accomplished teller oftal tales. Tall tales. Hangmans ing the noose, he felt no compunction about the truth. More interested in telling exaggerations and lies than the truth. Early little about the years of his career on the frontier. But devoted most of the book to the experiences in the apache in arizona and northern mexico in the 1880s. Recounted a meeting with albert seener, the most famous civilian chief of scouts in at that time, and how he taught him the arts of scouting. The so maintained he met most notable apache war leader geronimo, and this noted warrior took a liking to him. Arranged for horn to ive with the pay cheats and learned to live with the customs. Ear for languages, learned the tongue quickly. The truth is, contrary tradition Apache Community name talking the boy because he feels boastful talkative. He just couldnt keep his mouth shut. In future negotiations between and the u. S. Army, geronimo insisted that only he, the interpreting. With that, horn then devotes autobiography to narration of various battles in play the laims to decisive or at least a primary role. With a pleted the book few guarded references to the on the toe basin war and as a pinkerton operative. With the abruptly arrival in wyoming in 1892 saying that the newspapers had since that life time. In regard to the second obstacle, finding the real tom horn, the legend that has grown found almost i impenetrable sometimes. Orn, of course, was partly responsible for this, even before he published his book or after hisas published used every opportunity when he confronted a newspaper him with all gale of his heroics. He was very good, i wantly. S and early 1900s when he as still alive, fictional pieces using him in the such as cosmopolitan and mcclures. Grew up on an army post horn zona and knew tom personally and included him in jeron mow rode. Also placed him in the wyoming about the writing Wyoming Range wars, arthur denver newspaper man inevitably gave horn a prominent stories. Such john lloyd, a novelest, a noll entitled the neighbors and included horn as a a lover boy beit set in the Wyoming Range wars. Tom horns pinkerton comrades, cyrus shores and siringo also wrote their recollections about tom horne. Were not always very comp complimentary. About began to appear the mysterious range rider. Movie4, a pioneer wyoming maker produced a film about the Wyoming Range wars entitled of the plains, and it hornlike tom characterern as an assassin. He name of tom horn enjoyed Remarkable Growth in the 1920s and 30s as the market of the industrial cities for wild west material, any material, just boomed. Theres stories about any frontier character. Among the most popular horn were from tom chapters and books by dane men in the fighting the man about trigonometry is still in print. Nd a magazine entitled famous detective cases. Indeed, tom horns popularity audience ch a wide that retired Army Officers and had rizona pioneers who known tom horn were provoked to exaggerated t this image that was floating around about tom horn. Fact, under the leadership of charles gaitwood army officerof the who was responsible for or geronimosm gatewood jr. Arles organized a circle of correspondent to try to fight exaggerations and butllishments of tom horne, alas, they were unsuccessful. In spite or perhaps because of popularity of the well known and controversial frontiersman, my efforts to reach the third horn, that is the documented one, proved much more difficult anticipated. In my research for previous encountered bits of new material about horn. While exploring a large correspondencehe of the u. S. Marshals of arizona n 1966 at the arizona historical society, i happened tom a letter written by horn to u. S. Marshal william 1896. Mead in november of a reply to r was eads request that horn join a posse that marshall had in field at pursuit of bank robbers 1896. Ime, november in horns reply, he apologizes cannot join the posse, he was busy at the time as a foreman of a ranch. Promised in the future if he could break free, he would try marshal. The however, horn encysts he would not serve with a posse that the marshal had in the field. They were normally saloon pickups or amateurs out for reward money. Were unreliable. Horn insisted that he would have to go by himself. Show to geta better those outlaws by going alone, he emarked, and will get some of them, meaning to kill them. And to drive the rest of them out of the country. The en went on to say to i will get these men, but then whats in it for me . No cure, no pay is my motto, said horne, very clearly in this letter. If i dont get them, meaning killing some of them, it costs nobody a cent. Revealing most letters ive found. In a sense, confirmed a lot of the rumors circulating about horn. In undertaking Serious Research by the horn biography, the of the u. S. Army was the logical place to begin. Century, the u. S. Congress kept tight controls over every federal agency that public moneys. All agencies were required to expenditure. Very army quart masters showed tom at whipple loyed barracks in prescott, arizona in september of 1881. A teamster and mule packer, not as a chief of scouts as he later claimed. 1885 was there evidence he served as the chief in the s and he did so full flowing year in the pursuit of toronto. Had not been found for horns employment in arizona, there are other records helped. E for instance, for six months in 1884, the records of the Bureau Indian affairs revealed horn the mployed as a clerk in settlers store in san carlos, arizona, the headquarters of the apache reservation. One of the puzzlings a penths of autobiography is why he about to tell the truth his military service. He felt the jobs of a teamster, muleis, driving a wagon, a packer, a settlers clerk, were beneath his dignity. Attitude, especially toward the job of packer is difficult to comprehend, since packers constituted an elite ed guild in the service of the u. S. Army. Brigadier george crook, commander of the department in horns in much of tom residence there, considered the packers and their mules as the pursuit of in the renegade apaches. Since the mountain ranges of and eastern arizona northern new mexico were largely oadless, only the surefooted mule could keep troops supplied campaigns. Further more, since many of them were hispanics or mexicans, tom opportunity to learn their language. Qualified to serve as a spanish interpreter for the army, but never as an apache he claimed. As of his embellishing sometimes outright laws are in regard to the various battles the apache renegades. Again, he did not have to exaggerate his part since sources show that he was present and performed his manner. In a respectable the civilian chief of scouts, and there were many besides critical pied a position in the frontier army. Campaigns against renegade apaches, the army apaches into dly the army. While these apache units enjoy privileges hts and of bite enlisted men, they normally served as separate a civilian ies and chief of scouts was assigned to guide each company. The white chiefs of scouts were to be familiar with the apache people and often had wives. And there is some indication that horn lived with an apache least one thered at child by her. Her name was tomacita. Civilian scouts were in the middle serving as mediators Army Officers who were seldom acquainted with apache who served apaches in the army, tom horn was assigned to companies of apache that several on several occasions. Hile he could not speak fluent apache, horn manages a pigeon in o that was common to all that time in those circumstances and he was able to converse with his scouts. Is it sthe chief of scouts lived apache scouts in the field and was expected to keep them in line, not so much discipline, but through a deft hand. The members of the apache scout ompanies who were general lip on a first name basis with their antan, meaning chief in the apache language, regarded him as one of them. Apaches asked tom horn to drink and gamble with them, consented. Horns name reached the nationwide press while serving s a chief of scouts and in pursuit of renegade apaches in sonora. 8586, nter of captain crawford led an pursuit of the apaches in northern new mexico. Tom horne was one of two chiefs of skoufts accompanying this party. Unfortunately, this campaign tragedy when mexican militiamen blundered into the american force. Apparently mistaking crawfords pache scouts for hostile apaches, the mexicans opened mortally wounding crawford, and giving tom horn a flesh wound. To his own life, horne stepped out the the fire in order of to identify themselves as americans. Whot lieutenant marion moss assumed command for the wounded later praised tom horne for his bravery and recommending for some sort of recommended service. Came, incidentally. Tom horne served as a scout in the search for geronimo and his small following sonora in the summer of 1886. Rigadier general nelson miles who just succeeded george crook as Department Commander ordered stay on the trail of he elusive apaches until they were run down, killed, or captured. Was located near sonora in august of 1886, tom scouts were present. When First Lieutenant charles conducted the negotiations with geronimo assembled interpreters for these talks. He borrowed chief of scouts tom apache serve as an interpretever. Negotiations were conducted from andhe to spanish to english vice versa. Fter geronimo and his party surrendered in skeleton canyon, arizona in early september, escorted the small band of about 20 apaches, thats escorted ere left, them to ft. Bowie, arizona, where he prepared them for exile in the east. Duty to had one last perform in this regard. S the convoy was organized at ft. Bowie to go to the railroad at bowie station, arizona, tom horne was given the of personally escorting geronimo. Buggy with geronimo and saw him off in exile to the east. Time on the frontier, moments encountered that his life could have taken a very different turn. Ne such moment in the end of his service as chief packer for general william shafters Army Campaign in 1898. Arizona where o , but in stay or go to arizona, neither one. Instead, he stayed in wyoming here in september of 1898, he returned to the employment of old cattle baron friend, john cobal. Life his point on, his began to take a downward spiral. 14yearold son of case nickel, a homesteader at iron ountain community was assassinated on 18 july, 1901, a public outcry immediately followed. Outcry only increased when a few days later in a separate unrelated case, a young boy was found murdered near casper, wyoming. At first, Laramie County officers in cheyenne were inclined to suspect that nickel erer of willie was a neighbor named james miller or the murderer could teenagen one of his two sons. Willys father and james miller had been quarrelling for sometime. However as a coroners jury unusually lengthy investigation, and that the some 400 pages is still available, suspicion began detectiveowards range tom horn who had been patrolling the nickelmiller neighborhood at the time of the assassination. As the finger of suspicion continue to point toward horn, speculation as to what motive he could have had for such a killing. Held that john kobel and other big cattlemen in t

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