The Wild West Extravaganza The Wild West Extravaganza

In July of 1901, 14-year-old Willie Nickell was shot dead in an ambush. He had been less than a mile away from home attempting to open a gate when two bullets struck him in the back. A little over two years later, noted assassin Tom Horn was executed for Willie’s murder. In years prior, Tom had been an enforcer for various cattle barons throughout the state of Wyoming, and at the time of Willie’s death, he was employed as a Range Detective on John C. Coble’s Iron Mountain Ranch. And, well, let’s say that John Coble did not get along with the dead boy’s father, Kels Nickell. Not only had Kels filed a homestead on land that Coble considered his own, but he then had the absolute gal to begin fencing it off. And, if that isn’t bad enough, Kels nearly killed Coble during the summer of 1890. The two had been arguing at a train depot when Nickell whipped out a knife and slashed the rancher’s belly wide open. Coble pulled through, and despite charges being filed, Kels Nickell pretty much got off scot-free. At least, he did until nearly a decade later when he committed the grave sin of introducing several thousand sheep there on the Iron Mountain Range. Word on the streets of Cheyenne was that Coble hated Kels Nickell like the devil hates holy water. Ever since the knifing incident, he held a grudge, and now that Nickell had brought in all those sheep, Coble finally had a strong enough reason to go after him and his land. Like many other small homesteaders who opposed the larger spreads, Kels Nickell received an anonymous letter ordering him and his family to leave the area or suffer the consequences. And I reckon those consequences came to fruition on July 18th when his son, Willie, was murdered. The only question that remains is whether or not Tom Horn was genuinely guilty of the crime. And I’ll be honest, it isn’t looking good. After all, Tom was in the area of the Nickell homestead at the same time as the murder. He even admitted as much, saying he was checking to ensure Nickell sheep weren’t straying onto land owned by his employer, John Coble. What’s more, we know with near certainty that Tom had killed men on behalf of the cattle barons in the past. And these men were gunned down in the same fashion as 14-year-old Willie Nickell. Shot from a distance with a rifle. There was even a flat rock that had been placed under the dead boy’s head – a calling card of sorts that Tom often left in the field to let the bosses know that it was he who completed the job. And then, of course, you’ve got the words of Tom Horn himself. In January of 1902, less than six months after the killing, Tom confessed to a deputy Marshal that he was 300 yards away from Willie when he opened fire, saying that it was quote “the best shot that I ever made and the dirtiest trick I ever done.” End quote. Sounds pretty cut and dry. Like I said, Tom would ultimately be found guilty in a court of law and sentenced to hang for the murder of Willie Nickell. That said, many, to this day, including historians, believe Horn was an innocent man, at least in that particular killing. And, despite everything you just heard, they may be on to something. As it turns out, someone other than John Coble and Tom Horn had an even stronger motive for going after Kels Nickell.

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Tom Horn first arrived in Wyoming in 1892. He had spent most of a decade chasing Apache down in Arizona before diving headfirst into a feud known as the Pleasant Valley War. Although Tom’s actions during the feud remain unclear, he most likely fought on the side of the Tewksbury’s against their avowed enemies, the Grahams. And despite wearing the badge of a Gila County Sheriff’s deputy, Horn would participate in the lynching of at least three men. This was followed by a stint with the Pinkertons, a job that saw Tom working on the behest of the cattle barons up in Johnson County, Wyoming. Once again, Horn’s involvement is somewhat shrouded in mystery, but he is suspected of assassinating at least two men on behalf of the large ranchers. Whether or not that’s true is unknown, but Tom did help to put an end to the notorious Red Sash Gang. Next, Horn would drift south and find employment as a Range Detective at John Coble’s Iron Mountain Ranch, doing pretty much the same work he had done in Johnson County: investigating stock theft and working as an enforcer for large spreads. The only difference was that Horn had lost all faith in the judicial system by this point. Rather than waste time arresting criminals only for the courts to set them free, Tom resolved to handle business his way, and it just so happened that his way entailed a whole helluva lot of killing. Also discussed: The Apache Kid, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, the Spanish American War, Matt Rash, Isom Dart, and Black Jack Ketchum.

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Bronco Apache - https://youtu.be/SXAQ4jTT2kQ?si=ZOOc_0xkwPyQkxnm

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Regarding Old West feuds, Arizona’s Pleasant Valley War ranked among the most violent. Also known as the Graham-Tewksbury feud, this conflict would rage on for over a decade and see a death toll from between twenty to fifty men, some of whom fell at the hands of a notorious up-and-coming killer by the name of Tom Horn. And, of course, this would not be the last feud that Tom was involved in. After leaving Arizona, he’d hire on with the Pinkertons, and it wouldn’t be long before they sent him up to a little place in Wyoming known as Johnson County. The cattle barons seemed to be getting fed up with the rustlers and looking for men like Tom Horn, who weren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty.

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Commadore Perry Owens | Texas History Lessons - https://youtu.be/GLxTmx3w7VY?si=-og4PtxwZTJYtBxu

Frank Canton | Johnson County War - https://youtu.be/psestaX_qqY?si=nKUg7w7ngdGdChMR

Tom Horn: In Life & Legend by Larry D. Ball - https://www.amazon.com/Horn-Life-Legend-Larry-Ball/dp/0806151757/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EYOCZ7IPMJ8A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LnF9Ra8txfb9_U0HIcm8ug.Fhby2anYEnNBJIUwsl1JZR721EEnwP-Zz0y5nEO3A2s&dib_tag=se&keywords=larry+d+ball+tom+horn&qid=1716395499&sprefix=larry+d+ball+tom+horn%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1

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“Killing men is my specialty. I look at it as a business proposition, and I think I have a corner on the market.” – Tom Horn, scout, lawman, detective, and assassin.
As a young man, Tom Horn walked the rough cow towns of Dodge and Newton before cutting his teeth and fighting Apache down in Arizona. Graduated to the Range Wars, and in time, Horn would put his talents to use for the wealthy cattle barons of Wyoming, possibly killing as many as 17 men in the process.
Or at least he did before being executed for a murder that many believe he did not commit.
Today, we’ll discuss Tom’s background, his early life as a cowboy, and his time working for the Army in Arizona and Mexico. Also discussed are the Apache, Al Sieber, Geronimo, and the Pleasant Valley War.

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Lonesome Dove, the 11th novel of famed author Larry McMurtry, was published in 1985. Four years later, the characters Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call were immortalized on screen by actors Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. But did you know that much of Lonesome Dove was inspired by real-life people and events? Today, we discuss the real history behind Lonesome Dove—Charles Goodnight, Oliver Loving, Bose Ikard, Nelson Story, and more! We also discuss favorite Lonesome Dove quotes and a little behind-the-scenes trivia.

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Satanta | Kiowa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tbWm_hDh0

Remembering Larry McMurtry | Texas History Lessons -https://www.texashistorylessons.com/remembering-larry-mcmurtry/
 
Texas Cattle Drives | Texas History Lessons -https://www.texashistorylessons.com/the-texas-cattle-drives-of-1866-to-1/

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There is no new episode this week. Instead, I thought I'd share a compilation of previously released material. In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss Comanche Jack Stilwell, his heroics during the Battle of Beecher Island, and his brother’s time in Tombstone. Afterward, we’ll join Billy the Kid and his pals over at White Oaks and discuss the Kid’s arrest at Stinking Springs. We’ll take some sage advice from the legendary Wyatt Earp, delve into the lives of Alabama outlaw Rube Burrow and Old West conman Soapy Smith, join Kit Carson as he faces off against the Comanche at Adobe Walls, draw inspiration from sharpshooter Annie Oakley and finally, we’ll take a look at the circumstances surrounding the death of Billy the Kid.
(0:00) Comanche Jack vs Wyatt Earp
(10:27) Billy the Kid & the White Oaks Standoff
(14:17) Wyatt Earp Speaks
(26:59) Rube Burrow
(1:15:43) Billy the Kid’s Arrest at Stinking Springs
(1:20:49) First Battle of Adobe Walls
(1:45:54) Soapy Smith
(2:31:41) Billy the Kid’s Escape from Lincoln
(2:37:07) Cullen Baker
(3:21:58) Annie Oakley

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