Black Jack Ketchum - Clayton Cemetery - Clayton, NM - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Black Jack's headstone is made of gray granite, but appropriately, it turns black when the rain comes (see gallery photos). It says:

Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum
Oct. 31, 1863 - Apr. 26, 1901

And How His Audit
Stands Who Knows
Save Heaven -- William Shakespeare

Slightly perpendicular to the headstone is another stone that provides some background:

Tom and Brother Sam chose the outlaw trail and paid the ultimate price. Sam was shot by a posse and is buried in Santa Fe. Tom was hung in Clayton and is buried here.

--

Despite being in a small island in the center of a cemetery road, the grave is well-maintained, with red rocks to cover a bed that is curbed in concrete and decorated with black stones.

The Handbook of Texas Online has an entry on both Ketchum boys: (visit link)

Thomas Edward (Black Jack) and Samuel W. Ketchum were members of a gang of outlaws that terrorized Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas in the 1890s. Sam was born on January 4, 1854, in Caldwell County, and Tom was born in San Saba County on October 31, 1863. They were the sons of Green Berry and Temperance Katherine (Wydic) Ketchum and grew up in San Saba, Texas. Their father had been coroner of Christian County, Illinois, before coming to Texas, where he may have been a doctor. His sons were ranch boys of little education. Sam married Louisa J. Greenlee in San Saba on February 4, 1874, according to family records; Tom never married. Tom left Texas about 1890, possibly because of a murder or a train robbery, and went to work for cow outfits in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico. By 1894 Sam had joined him, and the brothers began a career of crime, including killing a merchant near Carrizo, robbing post offices, and holding up stages, trains, and a railroad station. In 1897 they spent a good deal of time across the line in Mexico but stopped two trains in Arizona. On September 3, 1897, they held up the Colorado Southern passenger train near Folsom. In 1898 apparently there was some disagreement in the ranks, and Black Jack was not present when Sam and others again held up the Colorado Southern near Folsom on July 11, 1899. A posse caught up with them; Sam was wounded and captured and died two weeks later in the penitentiary at Santa Fe. Two peace officers and another of the robbers were killed in the battle. Not knowing of the outcome of Sam's last attempt, Black Jack determined to make one more raid and tried, singlehanded, to hold up the Colorado Southern, again near Folsom, on August 16, 1899. Wounded by the conductor, he was picked up beside the tracks next day. On October 5, 1900, he was sentenced to hang. The sentence was carried out at Clayton on April 26, 1901. The Ketchum gang was blamed for a good many crimes that they may not have committed. Apparently they had connections with a larger organization of outlaws. It is also possible that many of the crimes attributed to Black Jack Ketchum were committed by Will "Black Jack" Christian and his brother, and that Tom Ketchum inherited the name and reputation after Christian was killed; however, the facts of Tom Ketchum's career indicate that his notoriety outdistanced that of Christian.

Description: Generally described as a cowboy turned outlaw, Black Jack Ketchum had a good number of crimes on his resume, including robberies and murder. He has also been linked to the disappearance of Albert Jennings Fountain and his son: Fountain's disappearance was certainly a boon to some of his political enemies, such as future Teapot Dome figure, Albert Fall. At some point, Ketchum was confused with another outlaw, Black Jack Christian, and so he obtained his nickname. He may also have added Christian's reputation to his own. Notably, when Ketchum was caught and hanged, the authorities lacked the experience for a proper hanging, and unfortunately for him, Ketchum was decapitated when the trap door opened. His head was reattached to his body for viewing before he was buried here. Date of birth: 10/31/1863 Date of death: 04/26/1901 Area of notoriety: Crime Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight hours Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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