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 Black Jack Ketchum Swung Into Eternity - Clayton, NM
N 36° 26.947 W 103° 11.264
13S E 662412 N 4035290
A plaque on the Union County Sheriff's Office indicates that, on this site, outlaw Black Jack Ketchum was hanged in 1901. The office is behind the Union County Courthouse, 200 Court St, Clayton, NM.
Waymark Code: WMPT07
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2015
Views: 6
This small, bronze plaque is brief and to the point:
Against This Wall
Thomas Edward
"Black Jack"
Ketchum
Swung Into Eternity
April 26, 1901
Desperado Train Robber
"A Good Cowboy That Went Wrong"
History::
Black Jack Ketchum's life of crime came to a halt when he attempted to rob a train in New Mexico Territory that he and his gang had robbed previously. Ready for anything, the train's conductor spotted Black Jack's approach, and grabbing a shotgun, he wounded Ketchum in the arm. A posse recovered Ketchum the next day, and he was so badly injured that his arm was amputated during his incarceration in Trinidad, CO.
Ultimately sent back to Clayton to stand trial for the first robbery, Ketchum was convicted and sentenced to death. Unfortunately for him, there was nobody qualified available to properly hang him, so when the trapdoor opened, Ketchum was decapitated. His last words were alleged to have been "Good-bye. Please dig my grave very deep. All right; hurry up."
Ketchum's head was reattached to his body for viewing, and he was buried in the Clayton Cemetery.
Link to History,Plaque or Sign:: [Web Link]
Additional Point: Not Listed
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