Robert T. Tucker/Name Unknown - Odom Cemetery - Johnson County, TX
N 32° 17.190 W 097° 07.265
14S E 676932 N 3573742
Although they bear different dates, two grave markers in Odom Cemetery probably serve as a headstone and a footstone for Robert T. Tucker, who was hanged for stealing horses back in 1860 or so.
Waymark Code: WM12X0W
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2020
Views: 2
These two modern granite headstones are just feet from each other, and they read:
Robert T. Tucker
Age 28 from Missouri
Hung in 1861 by Vigilantes
Alleged Horse Thief
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Name Unknown
Alleged Horse Thief
Hung by Vigilantes
in 1863
Besides the link for Robert T. Tucker, Findagrave also has a listing for "Horse Thief". This may have been created by someone in the know, or it may have been created by someone who was eager to pad their numbers, as this is not a phenomenon peculiar to Waymarking. Until recently, it was easy to interpret this particular section in the back of the cemetery as a place to put a couple of horse thieves, but light was shed in November of 2019 when a plaque was dedicated by the Johnson County Historical Commission. It is a simple medallion, attached to the cemetery sign at the gate, but the Historical Commission's News and Events page provides some reading (and a copy is preserved in the gallery should that link go invalid):
Odom's 2 most interesting stones likely depict the same event - the hanging of 28-year-old Robert Tucker from Missouri. 3 newspapers date the event around Sept. 11, 1860 "in the presence and with the approval of 300 delegates of Vigilance Committees" from Johnson and 6 surrounding counties. Stories refer to Tucker as a "notorious horse thief" and state that he not only confessed but also "implied many citizens of fair reputation". One stone at Odom states he was "hung…about 1/2 mile due east of here in a big oak tree."
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