by John Mason Glen, Ph.D., for the Western Heritage Foundation
In last month’s edition of Prescott NOW, I introduced iconic westerner Tom Horn. At various times, he was a government scout and packer during the Apache wars, a member of Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Spanish American war, a Pinkerton detective, a deputy sheriff in Globe, a “hired gun” during both the Pleasant Valley War in Arizona and the Johnson County war in Wyoming, and a range detective in Colorado and Wyoming, charged with apprehending cattle rustlers.
It was in this last period of employment for the large ranch owners that Horn fell from grace.
His policy for dealing with rustlers was to become extensively visible in the area frequented by a rustler gang, then to warn that if they persisted in this malevolence, there would be consequences, perhaps lethal. Horn was known to have carried out this threat on at least four occasions.
News of deaths spread quickly and accomplished exactly what Horn and his employers hoped for, a rapid exodus of alleged cattle thieves.
However, a feud between two families, the Nichols, who raised sheep, and the Millers, who were cattlemen, persisted. On July 18, 1901, the body of 14-year-old Willy Nicholl was found shot to death.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Joe LaFors arrested Jim Miller and both his sons in connection with the homicide. LaFors also suspected Horn, inviting him to have a conversation in his office. Unbeknownst to Horn, the marshal had secreted a stenographer in a closet with orders to take down every word of the conversation.
LaFors and Horn had known each other for many years and were engaged in drinking and talking about old times, when LaFors asked Horn about the Willy Nichol murder.
“If I done it, it was the best shot I ever made and the dirtiest deed I ever done,” Horn responded. Unfortunately for Horn, the stenographer missed the first four words, and the “confession” was enough for LaFors to arrest Horn for homicide.
A jury found Horn guilty of first-degree murder, and he was hanged for the crime on Nov. 20, 1903. The question of Horn’s guilt persists to this day. In 1993 a “mock” trial was held and Horn was acquitted.
For more great stories about the West, visit the Western Heritage Center at 156 S. Montezuma St. Admission is free.
