A Timeline of Tom Horn

A chronological timeline of the life of Tom Horn

Thanks to Mr. Evan Green and the Wyoming State Museum for the use of this information.

Tom Horn Timeline

“I have lived about fifteen ordinary lives.” Tom Horn

Evan Green, Firearms Historian

Wyoming State Museum

December 4, 2024.

1860, November 21. Thomas H. Horn, Jr., was born in Scotland County, northeastern Missouri.

1874. In his autobiography, Tom Horn claimed he left home at "about fourteen years old” to escape an abusive father. Family tradition suggests sixteen or seventeen. Horn mangles or misrepresents other dates in his autobiography. Author Larry D. Ball (Panel discussion, October 12, 2023, Cheyenne, Wyoming) said the book should be read as a work of fiction because of exaggerations and outright lies.

Horn worked at various jobs - railroad laborer, teamster, prospector in Leadville and Cripple Creek areas of Colorado. May have been involved as a “gun hand” in the struggle for control of the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River between the Denver, Rio Grande, and Western Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. Introduction by Larry D. Ball to Tom Horn. Last of the Bad Men by Jay Monaghan. Many of the errors about Tom Horn perpetuated over the years have their origin in his autobiography.

1878. Tom Horn Jr., Tom’s older brother Charles, and Tom Horn Sr. had a livery stable in Newton, Kansas. Tom Horn in Life and Legend by Larry Ball, p. 12. Ball is quoting the Harvey County News of January 1878. On page 13, Ball says Charles Horn told author Jay Monaghan that Tom Horn made two cattle drives from Texas to Dodge City (possibly in 1878 and 1879). Horn was 17 years old. (Would have turned 18 on November 21st.)

1879. Horn had infected tonsils removed on Christmas eve in Scotland County, Missouri. Ball, p.14. Tom Horn was 19 years old.

1880. Tom refused an offer from Charles to buy out Horn Sr.’s interest in the Kansas livery stable. Memphis Reveille, April, 1880, reported Tom Horn Jr. as a resident of Leadville, Colorado. Ball, p. 15. The Cripple Creek City Directory for 1880 listed Tom Horn as a resident. Blood on the Moon, p. 33. Horn was 20 years old.

1881. Horn drove a mail hack between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Prescott, Arizona (Distance of 507 miles). Because of his familiarity with the area, Horn was hired to deliver a herd of mules to Beaverhead Station. (Beaverhead Stage Station was built in 1876 and abandoned in 1882.) He arrived at Camp Verde and was hired by a civilian contractor as a night herder. Some sources state or imply that Horn arrived in Arizona at age 14 or 15. On September 7, 1881, Horn was hired by 1st Lieutenant William Wallace Wotherspoon as a teamster at $30 a month. Ball, p. 17. Horn was 21 years old.

1882, October. Quartermaster General's records: Tom Horn was employed as a mule packer under General George Crook (1883-1886) and later by General Nelson Miles in the Apache wars. Introduction by Larry D. Ball to Tom Horn. Last of the Bad Men by Jay Monaghan, p. viii. Horn was 22 years old.

1885-1886. Quartermaster General's records: Tom Horn was listed as chief packer, and later, Chief of Scouts. Allegedly, Horn learned to braid rawhide and horsehair from the Apache Scouts. He may have taken an Apache wife and fathered a child. Horn was 25 years old.

1886, January 10-18. “U. S. Troops in pursuit of hostiles (Apache Raiders) about 50 miles southwest of Nacori, Sonora, Mexico were attacked by Mexican forces. Captain Crawford was killed, Mr. Tom Horn, Chief of Scouts, was also slightly wounded in the left arm.” Arizona Silver Belt (Globe, Arizona) January 30, 1886. Horn was 25 years old.

1886, September. Horn “escorted” the Army column that captured the famed Apache leader, Geronimo, for the final time. Horn was Chief of Scouts commanding about 500 Apache Scouts, about ten percent of Miles’ total command. Geronimo surrendered. Horn was released from Army service. Horn was 25 years old.

1887. Horn was employed as a cowhand for the Chiricahua Cattle Company, reportedly killing a Mexican in a fight over a woman. Participated in the Pleasant Valley (or Tonto Basin) War (1887-1888) possibly as a supporter of the Tewksburys. Introduction by Larry D. Ball to Tom Horn. Last of the Bad Men by Jay Monaghan, p. viii. Horn was 27 years old.

1888, November. Glenn Reynolds elected sheriff of Gila County Arizona. Horn was appointed as a deputy. Introduction by Larry D. Ball to Tom Horn. Last of the Bad Men by Jay Monaghan, p. viii.

1889, July 4. Tom Horn won a steer roping contest with a time of 58 seconds. Next fastest was a minute and 13 seconds. Arizona Silver Belt (Globe, Arizona) July 6, 1889 page 3.

1889, October. Tom Horn won the steer roping and tying contest in Phoenix with a time 1.19. Arizona Silver Belt (Globe, Arizona) October 26, 1889.

1890, February. Sheriff Cyrus Wells “Doc" Shores of Gunnison County, Colorado, and Tom Horn, special Deputy Sheriff for Graham County, Arizona, arrested two horse thieves in Aravaipa Canyon. Arizona Weekly Enterprise (Florence, Arizona) February 1, 1890.

1890, August. Horn completed training and became a full-time Pinkerton operative. Ball, p.122.

1891, April 6. Horn was arrested in Reno Nevada for an armed robbery of a faro dealer at the Palace Hotel. He was indicted. Pinkerton Agency arranged his bond. The first trial resulted in a hung jury. July 1891, the second trial ended in acquittal. Horn later bragged he had committed the robbery and was paid by the Pinkerton’s during the entire episode. Authorities seized a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber nickel-plated revolver with a 5 inch barrel. Ball, pp. 123-130.

1892. Horn arrived in Wyoming. Went to work for Swan Land and Cattle. In his autobiography, Horn says: ". . . so I left them (Pinkertons) in 1894. I then came to Wyoming.” Several sources confirm he was in Wyoming in 1892, see below.

1892. Johnson County Invasion began on April 5. Unknown if Horn was a participant. He was not among the Invaders taken into custody at the TA Ranch. Correspondence of U.S. Marshal Joseph P. Rankin shows Horn was in the state by May 1892, when Rankin deputized him to investigate a murder in the aftermath of the Johnson County invasion. Rankin believed Horn was working for the Pinkertons at the same time. Wyohistory.org.

1893. July. “Tom Horn, who gave his mailing address as Chugwater, headquarters of the Swan Land and Cattle Company.” Horn subpoenaed as a witness in the trial of the suspected killers of Deputy U.S. Marshal George Wellman. Ball, p. 156.

1894-95. “At this time, he (Horn) was still on the Wyoming Stock Growers Association payroll, according to a subsequent president, Russell Thorpe.” Ball, p. 166. U.S. Senator Joseph M. Carey, who chaired a secret Wyoming Stock Growers Association committee for the purpose of combating rustling after the 1892 debacle, was responsible for hiring Horn.” Ball, pp. 166-167. Some sources, including WSGA, deny Horn was ever directly employed by the Association. He was paid for his work by prominent members of WSGA.

1895, July 31-August 1. William Lewis shot dead in his corral. Iron Mountain area. Ball. p. 195

1895, September 10. Fred Powell shot dead from ambush. Iron Mountain Area. Ball, p. 176

1895, December. Tom Horn and Cyrus Wells “Doc” Shores captured robbers who held up the Rio Grande Passenger train on September 17, 1891. Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado) December 3, 1895.

1896. Horn returned to Arizona. He was foreman of the Dunlap’s’ Western Reserve Ranch. Horn planned to try again to go into ranching, but his stock was stolen. June 11. Horn was hired as “scout, guide & interpreter” for hot pursuit into Mexico after the Apache Kid and his renegades. Ball, p.197

1897, February. Horn staked copper claims in the Deer Creek mining district, Arizona. The area was determined to be inside the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Horn lost his claims. Ball, p. 199.

1898. Horn returned to John Coble’s Iron Mountain Ranch. Ball, p. 199.

1898, April-December. Spanish American War. “Horn sought out his old friends in the military and offered his services. He was commissioned Chief Pack Master for General William Shafter. Horn transported 500 pack mules to Cuba. Horn’s pack train supported the attack on San Juan Hill by Roosevelt's Rough Riders and the 9th and 10th Cavalry. When Horne later caught the fever, he was sent back to a friend's ranch (John Coble’s) in Wyoming to recuperate.” rimcountrymuseum.org/a-short-history-of-tom-horn-1861-1903 Rim Country Museum’s information is from Marshall Trimble, Arizona Adventure: action packed true tales of early Arizona. Golden West Publishers. Phoenix. 1982. This source http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/horn3.html, questions whether or not Horn actually served as a chief mule packer in Cuba in support of the Rough Riders, but acknowledges Horn served under General Nelson Miles in Puerto Rico. Trimble’s book contains other errors of fact regarding Horn.

Horn contracted malaria. Some sources say yellow fever, but the death rate from the fever was 85%. Recovery at the ranch didn’t go well, so Coble took him to the boarding house of Nannie Clay Steele in Cheyenne. Horn stayed until February, 1899, and then returned to Coble’s ranch.

1900. Tom Horn acquired a Model 1894 Winchester rifle serial number 82667 (1897 receiver) with a half magazine (also known as a button magazine) and a standard round barrel in .30 WCF (AKA .30-30). The rifle was shipped to a Denver firm on June 19, 1900. (Leverguns.com, Tom Horn’s Rifles by D.L. Staley.) That month, Horn had a conversation in Craig, Colorado with Cyrus Wells “Doc” Shores, then Chief of Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad’s Secret Service and Horn’s partner from the Pinkerton Agency days. Horn said he carried a “brand new 94 Winchester, .30-30 caliber.” Ball, p.214. Horn gave the rifle to Charlie Irwin and at one point the Winchester was at the Old West Museum in Cheyenne. On November 13, 2014, the rifle was sold at auction to a private collector for $149,500. (https://www.oldwestevents.com/highlights/2014/11/13/tom-horns-winchester-rifle.)

1900. Matt Rash (July 8) and Isom Dart (October 3) killed in Brown’s Park, Colorado. Locals believed Horn shot them both. Wikipedia, Larry Ball, p. 234. July 15, 1900, Horn was slashed on his neck during a bar fight in the Bull Dog Saloon in Baggs, Wyoming. Ball, p. 235.

1901. Willie Nickell was killed July 18. Ball, p. 264. Kels Nickell was shot and wounded on August 4th.

1902, January 12. Horn “confessed” to U.S. Deputy Marshal Joe LeFors. Casper Star Tribune Oct. 16, 1927. Ball, p. 303.

1902, January 13. Laramie County Sheriff E. J. Smalley and Deputy Sheriff Richard Proctor arrested Tom Horn in the office of the Inter Ocean hotel. The Weekly Boomerang, Laramie, Wyoming January 14, 1902. Ball, p. 309. Horn did not resist and was not placed in handcuffs (Shields, Annals of Wyoming).

October 10, 1902. Horn trial began. Casper Star Tribune Oct.16, 1927

October 24, 1902 Jury returned a guilty verdict, murder in the first degree. Horn sentenced to hang. Delays between sentencing and execution were due to appeals and other attempts to spare Horn’s life.

November 20, 1903. Horn hanged in Cheyenne. Tom Horn was one day short of 43 years old.

REFERENCES:

Ball, Larry D. “The Life and Misfortunes of Tom Horn. A Brainpower & Brown Bag Lecture.” Department of Cultural Affairs Media Center: 28 July 2024, media.nmculture.org/event/2239/the-life-and-misfortunes-of-tom-horn.

Ball, Larry D. Tom Horn in Life and Legend. Norman, Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 2014.

Barnes, Will C. “The Apache’s Last Stand in Arizona: The Battle of Big Dry Wash.” Arizona Historical Review, vol. 3, Jan. 1931, pp. 35–59.

Carlson, Chip. Joe Lefors: “I slickered Tom Horn…” Cheyenne, Wyoming. Beartooth Corral LLC, 1995.

Carlson, Chip. Tom Horn: “Killing Men is my specialty…” The Definitive History of the Notorious Wyoming Stock Detective. Cheyenne, Wyoming. Beartooth Corral, 1991.

Carlson, Chip. Tom Horn: Blood on the Moon: Dark History of the Murderous Cattle Detective. Glendo, Wyoming. High Plains Press, 2001.

Carlson, Chip. Tom Horn: Wyoming Enigma. Wyohistory.org. Wyoming Historical Society. Wyoming. November 8, 2014.

Currit, Richard. Personal communication regarding bridle and quirt. September 30, 2024.

Davis, John W. The Trial of Tom Horn. Norman, Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.

LeFors, Joe, and Dean Krakel. Wyoming Peace Officer: An Autobiography. Laramie, Wyoming. Powder River Publishers. Reprint. (Second Printing, December 1954.) Original Copyright 1953 by Mrs. Nettie (Joe) Lefors.

Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and their values. 9th Edition. Iola, Wisconsin. Krause Publications (Gun Digest Books), 2007.

History of Native American Bolo Ties. Palms Trading Company. Albuquerque, New Mexico. March 7, 2023.

Krakel, Dean F. The Saga of Tom Horn. The Story of a Cattlemen’s War. Lincoln and London. University of Nebraska Press, 1954.

Martin, Ned, and Jody Martin. Horsehair Bridles: A Unique American Folk Art. Volume 3 of the Bridles of the Americas. Nicasio, California. Hawk Hill Press. 2016.

Monaghan, Jay. Tom Horn: Last of the Bad Men. Lincoln and London. University of Nebraska Press, 1997. Reprint by Bison Books from the original 1946 edition by Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis.

Riley, Agnes F., editor. “Interesting Museum Accessions. Tom Horn’s Handicraft is on Display.” The Wyoming Historical Department. Cheyenne. Annals of Wyoming, vol. 11, no. #3, 1 July 1939, pp. 231–232.

Shields, Alice M. Ed Smalley: One of Cheyenne’s First Native Sons. The Wyoming Historical Department. Cheyenne. Annals of Wyoming, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 69-72.

Shields, Alice M. The Life of Nannie Clay Steele: In Which Southern Girl Becomes Western Ranch Woman. The Wyoming Historical Department. Cheyenne. Annals of Wyoming, vol. 13, No. 2, April 1941.

The Gillette News, Volume 15, Number 07, March 26, 1920.