Tom Horn | Execution (Part 4)

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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