John M. Larn (March 1, 1849 – June 23, 1878) was a western
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
lawman and later
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
who, with gunfighter
John Selman, operated a
cattle rustling
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English ...
ring in
Shackelford County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, for over a year.
Life
Larn was born in
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
on March 1, 1849. He traveled to
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
as a teenager where he found work as a ranch hand until murdering his employer during an argument over a horse. Fleeing to
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, Larn killed a local sheriff he had thought was tracking him. After settling in
Fort Griffin, Texas
Fort Griffin, now a Texas state historic site as Fort Griffin State Historic Site, was a US Cavalry fort established 31 July 1867 by four companies of the Sixth Cavalry, U.S. ArmyCarter, R.G., ''On the Border with Mackenzie'', 1935, Washington D ...
, Larn once again was employed by local rancher Bill Hays as a
trail boss. It was also around this time, while traveling to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, that Larn had supposedly murdered two Mexicans after an argument and had their
bodies dumped in the
Pecos River
The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico ...
.
Deciding to stay in Fort Griffin, Larn eventually married Mary Matthews, a younger sister of John Alexander Matthews and within several years had become a well known citizen of Shackelford County. After years of service with the local vigilante committees, Larn was elected county sheriff in April 1876. Shortly after becoming elected, Larn agreed to a contract with the local territorial garrison to deliver three steers of cattle per day. Larn however, began planning with longtime friend and recently deputized John Selman to rustle cattle from neighboring ranchers in place of his own. Suspicions were soon raised as ranchers noticed while their herds were slowly shrinking, Larn's remained the only ranch unaffected and, after discovering the scheme, Larn was eventually forced to resign on March 7, 1877.
No charges were brought against him however; Leslie continued to live in Shackelford County until June 1878 when Larn wounded a local rancher by the name of Treadwell (who had reportedly uncovered the cattle rustling). Larn was soon arrested by Sheriff William Cruger on June 22, 1878, and taken to Albany where Cruger ordered the local blacksmith to shackle Larn to the floor of the jail house as to prevent a breakout by Larn's supporters. However, when vigilantes from Fort Griffin arrived the following night, finding they could not lynch Larn they instead shot him as he was still shackled in his cell.
Further reading
*Holden, Frances Mayhugh. ''Lambshead Before Interwoven: A Texas Range Chronicle, 1848-1878'', College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1982.
*Metz, Leon C. ''John Selman'' New York: Hastings House, 1966; 2d ed., Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980.
*Rister, Carl Coke. ''Fort Griffin on the Texas Frontier'', Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1956.
*Rye, Edgar. ''The Quirt and the Spur: Vanishing Shadows of the Texas Frontier'', Chicago: Conkey, 1909; facsimile ed., Austin: Steck-Vaughn, 1967).
*Sonnichsen, C. L. ''I'll Die Before I Run: The Story of the Great Feuds of Texas'', New York: Devin-Adair, 1962.
External links
The Handbook of Texas Online: John M. Larn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larn, John M.
1849 births
1878 deaths
American vigilantes
Fugitives
Lawmen of the American Old West
Outlaws of the American Old West
People from Shackelford County, Texas