This week, in honor of New Mexico’s centennial, I’m sharing a few of the stories that put Northeast New Mexico on the map.
“I’ll be in hell before you start breakfast, boys.” Some of the famous last words of Black Jack Ketchum before he was hanged in Clayton, NM on April 26, 1901 for attempted train robbery. He tried to rob the train at a point just east of the Morrow Ranch between Folsom and Des Moines.
Hanging Black Jack. photo courtesy http://www.claytonnewmexico.net
Ketchum was the only person ever hanged in Union County, NM. Good thing because it was a messy scene–Ketchum was decapitated when he dropped through the trap door. Read more about Black Jack Ketchum on the history page of www.claytonnewmexico.net.
