Samuel W. Ketchum

Samuel W. Ketchum was born January 4, 1854 in Caldwell County, Texas to parents Green Berry and Temperance Katherine Ketchum. His younger brother, Thomas, was born nine years later in 1863. Together the two brothers would form the Ketchum Gang.

Ketchum married his sweetheart Louisa J. Greenlee in San Saba, Texas on February 4, 1874 when he was twenty years old.

In his early years it is believed Ketchum lived life more or less on the straight and narrow, finding employment as a cowboy. By the mid-1890’s, Ketchum abandoned that life, choosing instead to join his younger brother in a life of crime. The two brothers, along with a revolving cast of associates, robbed a series of post offices, banks and stagecoaches before moving on to trains.

In December of 1895 Sam Ketchum and Will Carver found themselves accused of the murder of John N. “Jap” Powers in Knickerbocker, Texas. Despite their innocence, the two men fled the area. Sometime later Powers’ wife and her lover J.E. Wright were arrested for the murder.

In June of 1896, Sam joined his younger brother to rob a post office in Liberty, New Mexico. The aftermath of the robbery ended in the deaths of two men.

Two months later the brothers led a small crew in the attempt to rob the International Bank in Nogales, Arizona. The robbery failed when the bank’s president, John Dessart, made a successful dash to the door. While the outlaws were distracted, the cashier grabbed a gun and fired at the would-be robbers. The gang managed to escape without injury.

By 1897 the Ketchum Gang was in full swing and concentrating on train robberies. On May 14, 1897, the Ketchum brothers and Will Carver held up a Southern Pacific train near Lozier, Texas.

Four months later the outlaws robbed the Colorado & Southern Flyer Gulf Express in Folsom, New Mexico escaping with approximately $3,500.

In December of the same year Sam joined his brother Tom, Ed Bullion, Will Carver and three others robbing a Southern Pacific train at Stein’s Pass, New Mexico. A firefight broke out between the Southern Pacific employees and the outlaws resulting in the death of Ed Bullion.

Following a disagreement with his brother Tom, Sam Ketchum, along with Will Carver and Elzy Lay, robbed a Colorado & Southern train at Folsom, New Mexico on July 11, 1899. The outlaws escaped only to be cornered by a posse near Cimarron, New Mexico. Sam Ketchum and Elzy Lay were wounded in the resulting firefight but, with Will Carver’s assistance, managed to escape.

Badly wounded, Will Carver and Elzy Lay were forced to abandon their compatriot and as a result Sam Ketchum was captured. Ketchum was taken to the penitentiary in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he later died of blood poisoning as a result of his injuries on July 24, 1899. His brother, “Black Jack” Tom Ketchum, would later attempt to rob the same train on August 16, 1899. “Black Jack” was wounded in his attempt and was later captured and sentenced to death by hanging for the attempted robbery.

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