Jump to content

Heck Thomas: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
Citation bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
5,428,823 edits
Added date. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Spinixster | Category:People from Atlanta | #UCB_Category 276/293
 
(31 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown)
Line 18: Line 18:
|parents={{unbulleted list|[[Lovick Pierce Thomas, I]]|Martha Ann Fullwood Thomas}}
|parents={{unbulleted list|[[Lovick Pierce Thomas, I]]|Martha Ann Fullwood Thomas}}
}}
}}
'''Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas''' (January 3, 1850 – August 14, 1912) was a [[Law enforcement officer|lawman]] on the
'''<span lang="Persian" dir="ltr">Henry</span> Andrew "Heck" Thomas''' (January 3, 1850 – August 14, 1912) was a [[Law enforcement officer|lawman]] on the [[American frontier]], most notably in [[Indian Territory]]. He was known for helping bring law and order to the region. In 1889 as a deputy in [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]], he tried to capture [[Ned Christie]] ([[Cherokee people|Cherokee]]), wanted as a suspect in the killing of a US marshal.
[[Frontier#American frontier|American frontier]], most notably in [[Oklahoma]].


Thomas was among the lawmen who ended the run of the [[Wild Bunch]], also known as the Doolin-[[Dalton Gang]]. [[Emmett Dalton]], the surviving member of the gang, said that due to Thomas's relentless pursuit, they attempted two simultaneous robberies in [[Coffeyville, Kansas]], planning to leave the territory with a haul. These failed and four gang members died in a shootout there. In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw [[Bill Doolin]].
==Biography==
⚫
Thomas was born in 1850 in [[Oxford, Georgia]], the youngest of five children of Martha Ann Fullwood (''née'' Bedell) and [[Lovick Pierce Thomas, I]].<ref name=Heck_Thomas>{{cite web |url = http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TH009.html |title = Thomas, Henry Andrew (1850–1912) |author = Keen, Patrick |publisher = Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Oklahoma Historical Society |accessdate= 10 January 2013}}</ref>


==Early life==
⚫
At the beginning of the [[American Civil War]], Thomas, at the age of twelve, accompanied as a courier his uncle, [[Edward Lloyd Thomas]], and his father, who were officers in the 35th Georgia Infantry, to the battlefields in [[Virginia (U.S. state)|Virginia]].
⚫
Thomas was born in 1850 in [[Oxford, Georgia]], the youngest of five children of Martha Ann Fullwood (''née'' Bedell) and [[Lovick Pierce Thomas, I]].<ref name=Heck_Thomas>{{cite web |url = http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TH009.html |title = Thomas, Henry Andrew (1850–1912) |author = Keen, Patrick |publisher = Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Oklahoma Historical Society |access-date= 10 January 2013}}</ref>


⚫
At the beginning of the [[American Civil War]], Thomas was twelve when he accompanied his father and his uncle, [[Edward Lloyd Thomas]], to war as a courier. The men were officers in the 35th Georgia Infantry and fought in the battlefields in [[Virginia (U.S. state)|Virginia]].
⚫
On September 1, 1862, [[Union Army|Union]] [[General]] [[Philip Kearny]] was killed at the [[Battle of Chantilly]]. Young "Heck" was entrusted with the general's horse and equipment and was ordered by Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]] to take them through the lines to General Kearny's widow. He recounted this in a letter to his brother Lovick Pierce Thomas, II:<ref>{{citation |author=Thomas, Heck |title=letter to Lovick Pierce Thomas |journal=Thomas Collection |publisher=F. W. Huff |location=659 Old Mountain Rd., Kennesaw GA., 30152 |date= }}</ref>


== Career ==
⚫
{{quote|One evening while the fight was going on or, rather, just before dark, a soldier came to the rear where Uncle Ed's baggage and the darkies and I were, leading a black horse with saddle and bridle. He brought also a sword. Just after this, [[Stonewall Jackson]] crossed over into [[Maryland]] and captured the city of [[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]]; that was after taking [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harper's Ferry]] (now [[West Virginia]]) and about 14,000 federal prisoners. These prisoners were held by Uncle Ed's brigade, while the army was fighting the [[Battle of Sharpsburg]]. We could see the smoke and hear they cannon from Harper's Ferry. While we were at Harpers Ferry, General Lee sent an order to uncle Ed for the horse and equipments. I carried them forward, and it was one of the proudest minutes of my life when I found myself under the observation of General Robert E. Lee. Then General Lee sent the horse and everything through the lines, under a flag of truce, to General Kearney's {{sic}} widow. I had ridden the horse and cared for him up to that time, and I hated to part with him.}}


⚫
On September 1, 1862, [[Union Army|Union]] [[General]] [[Philip Kearny]] was killed at the [[Battle of Chantilly]]. Young "Heck" Thomas was entrusted with the general's horse and equipment; Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]] ordered him to take them through the lines to General Kearny's widow. Thomas recounted this in a letter to his brother Lovick Pierce Thomas, II:<ref>{{citation |author=Thomas, Heck |title=letter to Lovick Pierce Thomas |journal=Thomas Collection |publisher=F. W. Huff |location=Kennesaw, Georgia }}</ref>
⚫
In 1863, Thomas contracted typhoid fever and returned to his family in Athens. As a young man, he clerked in the store in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] of his brother, Lovick Pierce Thomas, II, and then worked as an Atlanta policeman. In 1871, he married Isabel Gray.


⚫
{{quote|One evening while the fight was going on or, rather, just before dark, a soldier came to the rear where Uncle Ed's baggage and the darkies and I were, leading a black horse with saddle and bridle. He brought also a sword. Just after this, [[Stonewall Jackson]] crossed over into [[Maryland]] and captured the city of [[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]]; that was after taking [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harper's Ferry]] and about 14,000 federal prisoners. These prisoners were held by Uncle Ed's brigade, while the army was fighting the [[Battle of Sharpsburg]]. We could see the smoke and hear they cannon from Harper's Ferry. While we were at Harpers Ferry, General Lee sent an order to uncle Ed for the horse and equipments. I carried them forward, and it was one of the proudest minutes of my life when I found myself under the observation of General Robert E. Lee. Then General Lee sent the horse and everything through the lines, under a flag of truce, to General Kearney's {{sic}} widow. I had ridden the horse and cared for him up to that time, and I hated to part with him.}}
⚫
He and his family migrated to Texas in 1875 and, with the help of his cousin, Jim Thomas, obtained a job with the railroad as a guard. Thomas became a railroad detective and later went to work for the [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] Detective Association. He was appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal out of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]], working under [[U.S. District Judge]] [[Isaac C. Parker]].


⚫
In 1863, Thomas contracted [[typhoid fever]] and returned to his family in [[Athens, Georgia]]. As a young man, he clerked in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] at his brother Lovick's store. Later he worked as an Atlanta policeman. In 1871, he married Isabel Gray.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
⚫
By 1889, Thomas teamed with two other deputy U.S. marshals, [[Chris Madsen]] and [[Bill Tilghman]]. They became known as the [[Three Guardsmen]] and were credited with bringing law and order to the [[Indian Territory]], in the state that would become [[Oklahoma]] in 1907.


⚫
Thomas and his family migrated to Texas in 1875; with the help of his cousin, Jim Thomas, he obtained a job as a guard with the railroad. Thomas was promoted to railroad detective and later went to work for the [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] Detective Association. He was appointed a U.S. Deputy Marshal based in [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]], working under [[U.S. District Judge]] [[Isaac C. Parker]]. Parker's district included [[Indian Territory]]. {{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
The Three Guardsmen were credited with the apprehension of more than three hundred outlaws over the next decade, killing several. They were credited with the ultimate demise of the [[Wild Bunch]] or Doolin Gang. Thomas was specifically mentioned by [[Emmett Dalton]], years after his release from prison, as one of the main reasons that the [[Dalton Gang]] chose to commit two simultaneous [[bank robbery|bank robberies]] in [[Coffeyville, Kansas|Coffeyville]] in southeastern [[Kansas]], the gang stating that Thomas was relentless in his pursuit. It decided to make one big score and leave the territory for a time. Instead, the gang was wiped out in the Coffeyville robberies, with Emmett Dalton being the only survivor.


⚫
By 1889, Thomas teamed with two other deputy U.S. marshals, [[Chris Madsen]] and [[Bill Tilghman]]. They became known as the [[Three Guardsmen]] and were credited with bringing law and order to the [[Indian Territory]] (this later became the state of [[Oklahoma]] in 1907.){{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw [[Bill Doolin]], who had previously been captured by Tilghman, only to escape from prison, on July 5, 1896.


The Three Guardsmen were credited with capturing more than three hundred outlaws over the next decade, and killing several. They were credited with ending the [[Wild Bunch]], also known as the Doolin Gang.
By 1902, much of Oklahoma had been settled. Thomas was sent to [[Lawton, Oklahoma|Lawton]], where he was elected as the first police chief in the town. He served in that position for seven years until his health began to fail.


Years after being released from prison, [[Emmet Dalton]] said that Thomas's relentless pursuit of the [[Dalton Gang]] was why they had tried to pull off two simultaneous [[bank robbery|bank robberies]] in [[Coffeyville, Kansas|Coffeyville]] in southeastern [[Kansas]]. They wanted to make one big score and leave the territory for a time. But four of the gang were killed in the shootout and only Emmett Dalton survived. {{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
⚫
Showing his lighter side, he assembled a posse and chased and captured bank robbers in the 1908 film ''The Bank Robbery''. The outlaws were led by [[Al Jennings]] while the one-reel movie was directed by Bill Tilghman, James Bennie Kent was the cinema-photographer, and it was produced by the Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company. The film was shot in [[Cache, Oklahoma|Cache]], Oklahoma, and at the [[Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]], with [[Quanah Parker]] having a bit part. A bystander thought that the bank was really being robbed and jumped out a window to run for the police.<ref>{{cite book|title= Motion Pictures from the Library of Congress Paper Print Collection, 1894–1912 |author= Niver, Kemp R |editor= Bergsten, Bebe |date=October 1967 |publisher= University of California Press |page= 169 |isbn= 978-0520009479}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West |author= Wallis, Michael |date=July 2000 |work= |publisher= St. Martin's Griffin |pages= 378–379 |isbn= 978-0312263812 |accessdate=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Encyclopedia of the Great Plains |author= Wishart, David J |date=September 2004 |publisher= University of Nebraska Press |page= 257 |isbn= 978-0803247871}}</ref>


In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw [[Bill Doolin]]. He had been captured, convicted and imprisoned but had escaped on July 5, 1896. By 1902, there were many European-American settlements in what became Oklahoma. Thomas was sent to [[Lawton, Oklahoma|Lawton]]. There he resigned as deputy marshal after being elected as the first police chief in the town. He served for seven years until his health began to fail.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
⚫
Thomas died aged 62 in Lawton, Oklahoma on August 14, 1912 of [[Bright's disease]].<ref name=Heck_Thomas />


⚫
Thomas assembled a posse, and chased and captured bank robbers in the 1908 silent film ''[[The Bank Robbery]]''. The outlaws were led by [[Al Jennings]]. The one-reel movie was directed by his former colleague [[Bill Tilghman]]. James Bennie Kent was the cinema-photographer, and it was produced by the Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company. The film was shot in [[Cache, Oklahoma|Cache]], Oklahoma, and at the [[Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]]. Comanche leader [[Quanah Parker]] had a bit part. During the filming, a bystander thought the bank was really being robbed and jumped out a window to run for the police.<ref>{{cite book|title= Motion Pictures from the Library of Congress Paper Print Collection, 1894–1912 |author= Niver, Kemp R |editor= Bergsten, Bebe |date=October 1967 |publisher= University of California Press |page= 169 |isbn= 978-0520009479}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West |author= Wallis, Michael |date=July 2000 |publisher= St. Martin's Griffin |pages= 378–379 |isbn= 978-0312263812 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Encyclopedia of the Great Plains |author1-link=David J. Wishart|author= Wishart, David J. |date=September 2004 |publisher= University of Nebraska Press |page= 257 |isbn= 978-0803247871}}</ref>
The actor Robert Anderson (1920-1996) was cast as Thomas in the 1964 episode, "There Was Another Dalton Brother", of the [[Television syndication|syndicated television]] [[anthology series]], ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', hosted by [[Ronald Reagan]]. In the story line, while starting his job as a [[United States Marshals Service|deputy U.S. Marshal]], [[Frank Dalton]] ([[Don Collier]]) must question Frank Johnson, a suspect in a missing persons case. Johnson is the father of Dalton's girlfriend, Emmy Johnson ([[Carl Monson|Laura Shelton]]) . [[Strother Martin]] was cast in this episode as Charlie Neel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556906/?ref_=ttep_ep24|title=There Was Another Dalton Brother on ''Death Valley Days''|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=September 9, 2018}}</ref>[[Charles Fredericks]] played Thomas in the earlier 1960 ''Death Valley Days'' episode, "A Wedding Dress". In the story line, [[Brad Johnson (actor, born 1924)|Brad Johnson]], cast in the lead as [[Bill Tilghman]], is in pursuit of the [[Bill Doolin|Doolin gang]] in the Oklahoma Territory. Popular [[character actor]] [[J. Pat O'Malley]] was cast as Horace Capshaw and [[Mary Webster (American actress)|Mary Webster]] as Mrs. Tilghman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556897/|title=A Wedding Dress on ''Death Valley Days''|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=September 14, 2018}}</ref>

⚫
Thomas died aged 62 in Lawton, Oklahoma, on August 14, 1912, of [[Bright's disease]].<ref name=Heck_Thomas />

== In popular culture ==

Heck Thomas was featured as a character in two episodes of the [[Television syndication|syndicated television]] [[anthology series]], ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', hosted by [[Ronald Reagan]]. In "A Wedding Dress" (1960), [[Charles Fredericks]] played Thomas. [[Brad Johnson (actor, born 1924)|Brad Johnson]], cast as lead [[Bill Tilghman]], pursues the [[Bill Doolin|Doolin gang]] in Oklahoma Territory with Thomas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556897/|title=A Wedding Dress on ''Death Valley Days''|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=September 14, 2018}}</ref> In "There Was Another Dalton Brother" (1964), actor [[Robert Anderson (actor, born 1920)|Robert Anderson]] (1920–1996) played Thomas. He serves as a deputy US Marshal along with [[Frank Dalton]] ([[Don Collier]]), who questions a suspect in a missing persons case.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556906/?ref_=ttep_ep24|title=There Was Another Dalton Brother on ''Death Valley Days''|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=September 9, 2018}}</ref>

Thomas was also featured in the original series [https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/wild-west-chronicles/8584491738301268112 Wild West Chronicles] on [[INSP (TV channel)|INSP]] and [[Peacock TV]] played by [http://www.imdb.me/davidthomasnewman David Thomas Newman]


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|30em}}


==References==
==References==
* {{cite book |title= Heck Thomas: Frontier Marshal |author1= Shirley, Glenn |date=October 1981|publisher= University of Oklahoma Press |page= 320 |isbn= 978-0806116648}}
* {{cite book |title= Heck Thomas: Frontier Marshal |author1= Shirley, Glenn |date=October 1981|publisher= University of Oklahoma Press |page= 320 |isbn= 978-0806116648}}
* Shirley, Glenn (1962). – ''Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story of a Real Gunfighter''. – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Chilton Company. – {{OCLC|1300987}}
* Shirley, Glenn (1962). – ''Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story of a Real Gunfighter''. – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Chilton Company. – {{OCLC|1300987}}
* {{cite book|title= Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story Of A Real Gunfighter |author1= Shirley, Glenn |year= 1962|publisher= [[Chilton Book Co]], Philadelphia, PA |asin= B001U1AE86 |isbn= 978-1258134952}}
* {{cite book|title= Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story Of A Real Gunfighter |author1= Shirley, Glenn |year= 1962|publisher= [[Chilton Book Co]], Philadelphia, PA |isbn= 978-1258134952}}
* {{cite book|title= Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story Of A Real Gunfighter |author1= Shirley, Glenn |date=October 2011 |publisher= Literary Licensing, LLC |page= 258 |isbn= 978-1258134952}}
* {{cite book|title= Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story Of A Real Gunfighter |author1= Shirley, Glenn |date=October 2011 |publisher= Literary Licensing, LLC |page= 258 |isbn= 978-1258134952}}
* {{cite book |title= Portrait of a Lawman: U. S. Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas |author1= Speer, Bonnie Stahlman |date= May 1996 |publisher= Reliance Press |page= 172 |isbn= 978-0961963934 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/portraitoflawman00spee }}
* {{cite book |title= Portrait of a Lawman: U. S. Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas |author1= Speer, Bonnie Stahlman |date= May 1996 |publisher= Reliance Press |page= [https://archive.org/details/portraitoflawman00spee/page/172 172] |isbn= 978-0961963934 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/portraitoflawman00spee/page/172 }}
* {{cite book |title= Heck Thomas, My Papa |author1= Thomas, Beth |author2= Meeks, Bonnie Spear |month= |year= 1988 |publisher= Levite of Apache |page= 80 |isbn= 978-0961863456}}
* {{cite book |title= Heck Thomas, My Papa |author1= Thomas, Beth |author2= Meeks, Bonnie Spear |year= 1988 |publisher= Levite of Apache |page= 80 |isbn= 978-0961863456}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Find a Grave|10191083|Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas|work=Deputy US Marshal, Folk Figure|date=December 30, 2004|accessdate=April 16, 2009}}
* {{Find a Grave|10191083|Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas|work=Deputy US Marshal, Folk Figure|date=December 30, 2004|accessdate=April 16, 2009}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-heckthomas.html |title= Heck Thomas – Tough Law in Indian Territory |author1= Weiser-Alexander, Kathy |publisher= Legends of America – Old West Legends }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-heckthomas.html |title= Heck Thomas – Tough Law in Indian Territory |author1= Weiser-Alexander, Kathy |publisher= Legends of America – Old West Legends }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-dalton.html |title= The Dalton Gang |author1= Weiser-Alexander, Kathy |publisher= Legends of America – Old West Legends }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-dalton.html |title= The Dalton Gang |author1= Weiser-Alexander, Kathy |publisher= Legends of America – Old West Legends }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.chrisanddavid.com/georgia/index.html |title= 35th Georgia Infantry C.S.A. |author1= Long, Chris and David |publisher= ChrisandDavid.com }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.chrisanddavid.com/georgia/index.html |title= 35th Georgia Infantry C.S.A. |author1= Long, Chris and David |publisher= ChrisandDavid.com }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.ionet.net/~okhombre/days.htm |title= The Last Days of Bill Doolin |author1= Cordry, Dee |publisher= OKLAHOMBRES Inc |accessdate=}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.ionet.net/~okhombre/days.htm |title= The Last Days of Bill Doolin |author1= Cordry, Dee |publisher= OKLAHOMBRES Inc |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110517235254/http://www.ionet.net/~okhombre/days.htm |archive-date= 2011-05-17 |url-status= dead }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250244/ |title=The Bank Robbery |last1=Tilghman |first1=William |date=December 28, 1908 |publisher=[[Internet Movie Data Base]] |ref=Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250244/ |title=The Bank Robbery |last1=Tilghman |first1=William |date=December 28, 1908 |publisher=[[IMDb|Internet Movie Database]] |ref=Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/full-episodes#the-real-story-true-grit-full-episode |title= The Real Story True Grit |publisher= Smithsonian Channel.com}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/full-episodes#the-real-story-true-grit-full-episode |title= The Real Story True Grit |publisher= Smithsonian Channel.com |access-date= 2013-07-19 |archive-date= 2015-01-30 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150130090443/http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/full-episodes/#the-real-story-true-grit-full-episode |url-status= dead }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbX4ekoVBDg |title=''The Bank Robbery''}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbX4ekoVBDg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/RbX4ekoVBDg |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=''The Bank Robbery''|website=[[YouTube]] |date=28 April 2014 }}{{cbignore}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


Line 80: Line 87:
[[Category:Lawmen of the American Old West]]
[[Category:Lawmen of the American Old West]]
[[Category:People from Lawton, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Lawton, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Deaths from kidney failure]]
[[Category:Deaths from kidney failure in the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-crime activists]]

Latest revision as of 04:52, 3 November 2024

Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas
Born(1850-01-06)January 6, 1850
Oxford, Georgia, US
DiedAugust 14, 1912(1912-08-14) (aged 62)
Lawton, Oklahoma, US
Resting placeHighland Cemetery
34°37′56″N 98°24′1″W / 34.63222°N 98.40028°W / 34.63222; -98.40028 (Heck Thomas Burial Site)
Occupations
  • Lawman
  • Gunfighter
  • Gambler
  • Railroad Agent
Spouses
  • Isabella Stewart Gray Thomas-Oliphant (married 1871)
  • Mattie Mowbray
Children6
Parents

Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas (January 3, 1850 – August 14, 1912) was a lawman on the American frontier, most notably in Indian Territory. He was known for helping bring law and order to the region. In 1889 as a deputy in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he tried to capture Ned Christie (Cherokee), wanted as a suspect in the killing of a US marshal.

Thomas was among the lawmen who ended the run of the Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Emmett Dalton, the surviving member of the gang, said that due to Thomas's relentless pursuit, they attempted two simultaneous robberies in Coffeyville, Kansas, planning to leave the territory with a haul. These failed and four gang members died in a shootout there. In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw Bill Doolin.

Early life

[edit]

Thomas was born in 1850 in Oxford, Georgia, the youngest of five children of Martha Ann Fullwood (née Bedell) and Lovick Pierce Thomas, I.[1]

At the beginning of the American Civil War, Thomas was twelve when he accompanied his father and his uncle, Edward Lloyd Thomas, to war as a courier. The men were officers in the 35th Georgia Infantry and fought in the battlefields in Virginia.

Career

[edit]

On September 1, 1862, Union General Philip Kearny was killed at the Battle of Chantilly. Young "Heck" Thomas was entrusted with the general's horse and equipment; Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered him to take them through the lines to General Kearny's widow. Thomas recounted this in a letter to his brother Lovick Pierce Thomas, II:[2]

One evening while the fight was going on or, rather, just before dark, a soldier came to the rear where Uncle Ed's baggage and the darkies and I were, leading a black horse with saddle and bridle. He brought also a sword. Just after this, Stonewall Jackson crossed over into Maryland and captured the city of Frederick; that was after taking Harper's Ferry and about 14,000 federal prisoners. These prisoners were held by Uncle Ed's brigade, while the army was fighting the Battle of Sharpsburg. We could see the smoke and hear they cannon from Harper's Ferry. While we were at Harpers Ferry, General Lee sent an order to uncle Ed for the horse and equipments. I carried them forward, and it was one of the proudest minutes of my life when I found myself under the observation of General Robert E. Lee. Then General Lee sent the horse and everything through the lines, under a flag of truce, to General Kearney's [sic] widow. I had ridden the horse and cared for him up to that time, and I hated to part with him.

In 1863, Thomas contracted typhoid fever and returned to his family in Athens, Georgia. As a young man, he clerked in Atlanta at his brother Lovick's store. Later he worked as an Atlanta policeman. In 1871, he married Isabel Gray.[citation needed]

Thomas and his family migrated to Texas in 1875; with the help of his cousin, Jim Thomas, he obtained a job as a guard with the railroad. Thomas was promoted to railroad detective and later went to work for the Fort Worth Detective Association. He was appointed a U.S. Deputy Marshal based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, working under U.S. District Judge Isaac C. Parker. Parker's district included Indian Territory. [citation needed]

By 1889, Thomas teamed with two other deputy U.S. marshals, Chris Madsen and Bill Tilghman. They became known as the Three Guardsmen and were credited with bringing law and order to the Indian Territory (this later became the state of Oklahoma in 1907.)[citation needed]

The Three Guardsmen were credited with capturing more than three hundred outlaws over the next decade, and killing several. They were credited with ending the Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin Gang.

Years after being released from prison, Emmet Dalton said that Thomas's relentless pursuit of the Dalton Gang was why they had tried to pull off two simultaneous bank robberies in Coffeyville in southeastern Kansas. They wanted to make one big score and leave the territory for a time. But four of the gang were killed in the shootout and only Emmett Dalton survived. [citation needed]

In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw Bill Doolin. He had been captured, convicted and imprisoned but had escaped on July 5, 1896. By 1902, there were many European-American settlements in what became Oklahoma. Thomas was sent to Lawton. There he resigned as deputy marshal after being elected as the first police chief in the town. He served for seven years until his health began to fail.[citation needed]

Thomas assembled a posse, and chased and captured bank robbers in the 1908 silent film The Bank Robbery. The outlaws were led by Al Jennings. The one-reel movie was directed by his former colleague Bill Tilghman. James Bennie Kent was the cinema-photographer, and it was produced by the Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company. The film was shot in Cache, Oklahoma, and at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Comanche leader Quanah Parker had a bit part. During the filming, a bystander thought the bank was really being robbed and jumped out a window to run for the police.[3][4][5]

Thomas died aged 62 in Lawton, Oklahoma, on August 14, 1912, of Bright's disease.[1]

[edit]

Heck Thomas was featured as a character in two episodes of the syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Ronald Reagan. In "A Wedding Dress" (1960), Charles Fredericks played Thomas. Brad Johnson, cast as lead Bill Tilghman, pursues the Doolin gang in Oklahoma Territory with Thomas.[6] In "There Was Another Dalton Brother" (1964), actor Robert Anderson (1920–1996) played Thomas. He serves as a deputy US Marshal along with Frank Dalton (Don Collier), who questions a suspect in a missing persons case.[7]

Thomas was also featured in the original series Wild West Chronicles on INSP and Peacock TV played by David Thomas Newman

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Keen, Patrick. "Thomas, Henry Andrew (1850–1912)". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  2. ^ Thomas, Heck, "letter to Lovick Pierce Thomas", Thomas Collection, Kennesaw, Georgia: F. W. Huff
  3. ^ Niver, Kemp R (October 1967). Bergsten, Bebe (ed.). Motion Pictures from the Library of Congress Paper Print Collection, 1894–1912. University of California Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0520009479.
  4. ^ Wallis, Michael (July 2000). The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 378–379. ISBN 978-0312263812.
  5. ^ Wishart, David J. (September 2004). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0803247871.
  6. ^ "A Wedding Dress on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  7. ^ "There Was Another Dalton Brother on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 9, 2018.

References

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Heck_Thomas&oldid=1255106548"