Tom Horn
American outlaw / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas Horn Jr., (November 21, 1860 – November 20, 1903) was an American scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century and early 20th-century American Old West. Believed to have committed 17 killings as a hired gunman throughout the West,[2] Horn was convicted in 1902 of the murder of 14-year-old Willie Nickell near Iron Mountain, Wyoming. Willie was the son of sheep rancher Kels Nickell, who had been involved in a range feud with neighbor and cattle rancher Jim Miller. On the day before his 43rd birthday, Horn was executed by hanging in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Tom Horn | |
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Born | Thomas Horn Jr. (1860-11-21)November 21, 1860 |
Died | November 20, 1903(1903-11-20) (aged 42) Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. |
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Resting place | Columbia Cemetery, Boulder, Colorado |
Other names | Tom Hale[1] Tom Hicks |
Occupation(s) | U.S. Army Scout, lawman, cowboy, detective, |
Years active | 1876–1903 |
Employer | Pinkerton Detective Agency |
Known for | Assisting in the capture of Geronimo; murdering Willie Nickell |
While in jail, he wrote his autobiography, Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter,[3] which was published posthumously in 1904. Numerous editions have been published in the late 20th century. Horn has since become a larger-than-life figure of western folklore, and debate continues as to whether he was actually guilty of Nickell's murder.