Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas (January 3, 1850 – August 14, 1912) was a lawman on the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, most notably in

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

. He was known for helping bring law and order to the region. In 1889 as a deputy in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, he tried to capture

Ned Christie Ned Christie (December 14, 1852 – November 3, 1892), also known as ''NeDe WaDe'' (ᏁᏕᏩᏕ), was a Cherokee statesman. Christie was a member of the executive council in the Cherokee Nation senate, and served as one of three advisers to Pr ...

(

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

), wanted as a suspect in the killing of a US marshal. Thomas was among the lawmen who ended the run of the

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

, also known as the Doolin-

Dalton Gang The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because four of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank and train robberies. During an attempted double ...

Emmett Dalton Emmett Dalton (May 3, 1871 – July 13, 1937) was an American outlaw, train robber and member of the Dalton Gang in the American Old West. Part of a gang that attempted to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, on October 5, 1892, he was th ...

, the surviving member of the gang, said that due to Thomas's relentless pursuit, they attempted two simultaneous robberies in

Coffeyville, Kansas Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most popul ...

, 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 Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pla ...

Early life

Thomas was born in 1850 in

Oxford, Georgia Oxford is a city in Newton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,134. It is the location of Oxford College of Emory University. Much of the city is part of the National Parks-designated Oxford Histori ...

, the youngest of five children of Martha Ann Fullwood (''née'' Bedell) and Lovick Pierce Thomas, I. At the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, 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 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

Career

On September 1, 1862, Union

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Philip Kearny Philip Kearny Jr. (; June 1, 1815 – September 1, 1862) was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly. Early life and c ...

was killed at the

Battle of Chantilly The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corp ...

. Young "Heck" Thomas was entrusted with the general's horse and equipment; Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

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: In 1863, Thomas contracted

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over severa ...

and returned to his family in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the ...

. As a young man, he clerked in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

at his brother Lovick's store. Later he worked as an Atlanta policeman. In 1871, he married Isabel Gray. 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 Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

Detective Association. He was appointed a U.S. Deputy Marshal based in

, working under U.S. District Judge

Isaac C. Parker Isaac Charles Parker (October 15, 1838 – November 17, 1896), also known as “Hanging Judge” Parker, was an American politician and jurist. He served as a United States representative from Missouri and was appointed as the first United Stat ...

. Parker's district included

. By 1889, Thomas teamed with two other deputy U.S. marshals, Chris Madsen and

Bill Tilghman William Matthew Tilghman Jr. (July 4, 1854 – November 1, 1924) was a career lawman, gunfighter, and politician in Kansas and Oklahoma during the late 19th century. Tilghman was a Dodge City city marshal in the early 1880s and played a role in ...

. They became known as the Three Guardsmen and were credited with bringing law and order to the

(this later became the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in 1907.) 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

, also known as the Doolin Gang. Years after being released from prison,

Emmet Dalton James Emmet Dalton MC (4 March 1898 – 4 March 1978) was an Irish soldier and film producer. He served in the British Army in the First World War, reaching the rank of captain. However, on his return to Ireland he became one of the senior fig ...

said that Thomas's relentless pursuit of the

was why they had tried to pull off two simultaneous

bank robberies Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank- ...

Coffeyville Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most popul ...

in southeastern

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. 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. In August 1896, Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed outlaw

. 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. 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 Alphonso J. "Al" Jennings (November 25, 1863 – December 26, 1961) was an attorney in Oklahoma Territory who at one time robbed trains. He later became a silent film star and made many appearances in films as an actor and technical adviser. ...

. The one-reel movie was directed by his former colleague

. James Bennie Kent was the cinema-photographer, and it was produced by the Oklahoma Natural Mutoscene Company. The film was shot in

Cache Cache, caching, or caché may refer to: Places United States * Cache, Idaho, an unincorporated community * Cache, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Cache, Oklahoma, a city in Comanche County * Cache, Utah, Cache County, Utah * Cache County ...

, Oklahoma, and at the

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, located in southwestern Oklahoma near Lawton, has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901 and is the oldest managed wildlife facility in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service system. The refuge's l ...

. Comanche leader

Quanah Parker Quanah Parker (Comanche ''kwana'', "smell, odor") ( – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwah ...

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. Thomas died aged 62 in Lawton, Oklahoma on August 14, 1912 of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

In popular culture

Heck Thomas was featured as a character in two episodes of the

syndicated television Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

, ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', hosted by Ronald Reagan. In "A Wedding Dress" (1960),

Charles Fredericks Charles Fredericks (born Fred Cockerham; or Crockenham; September 5, 1918 – May 14, 1970) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. Early years Fredericks was born Fred Cockerham (or Crockenham) the son of a Presbyterian ministe ...

played Thomas. Brad Johnson, cast as lead

, pursues the Doolin gang in Oklahoma Territory with Thomas. 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 John Franklin "Frank" Dalton (June 8, 1859 – November 27, 1887) was a Deputy US Marshal of the Old West under Judge Isaac Parker (the hangin' judge), for Oklahoma Territory, as well as the older brother to the members of the Dalton Gang, in ad ...

(

Don Collier Donald Mounger Collier (October 17, 1928 – September 13, 2021) was an American actor best known for Western films and NBC television shows such as ''The High Chaparral'', ''Bonanza,'' ''Gunsmoke'', and ''Outlaws'' as Marshal Will Foreman. E ...

), who questions a suspect in a missing persons case. Thomas was also featured in the original serie
Wild West Chronicles
on INSP and

Peacock TV Peacock is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by the Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Named after the NBC logo, the service launched on July 15, 2020. The service pri ...

played b
David Thomas Newman

Notes

References

* * Shirley, Glenn (1962). – ''Heck Thomas, Frontier Marshal: The Story of a Real Gunfighter''. – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Chilton Company. – * * * *

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Heck 1850 births 1912 deaths People from Clarke County, Georgia People from Atlanta People from Fort Worth, Texas Confederate States Army soldiers United States Marshals Lawmen of the American Old West People from Lawton, Oklahoma Deaths from kidney failure