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Mystery of the hanging photo solved

Thomas Mitchell
January 12, 2009 - 12:39 pm
 

That photo of an old West hanging, purported to be that Sen. Harry Reid's great-great uncle Remus Reid, turns out to be the hanging of a member of the old Hole in the Wall Gang, Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum. According to Wikipedia, he was hanged in 1901 for attempted train robbery.

According to Wikipedia, Ketchum was hanged in Clayton, N.M. The rope was too long, and nobody in Clayton had ever hanged anyone, so Ketchum was decapitated when he dropped through the trap door.

His last words were: "I'll be in hell before you start breakfast, boys! Let her rip!"

His head was sewn back onto the body for viewing.

Nice ’stache.

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