Tom Threepersons is considered to have been one of the last of gunfighters of the Old West although his career did not begin until the early 20th century.
20 Facts About Tom Threepersons
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Historians from the Cherokee Nation, including Morningstar, have claimed that "Tom Threepersons" was an assumed identity, including his backstory about being the son of a Cherokee Chief, and that the birth name of this person is presently lost to history.
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Tom Threepersons is said to have been born in Vinita, Indian Territory on July 22,1889 to John and Bell Tom Threepersons.
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Tom Threepersons is known to have pretended to be Three Persons on at least one occasion.
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Tom Threepersons claimed to have attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but there appears to be no record of this.
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Tom Threepersons claimed that in 1907, his and White's fathers were killed during a fight with cattle rustlers and that the suspects were arrested, but released on bond.
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Tom Threepersons claimed to have tracked them to a saloon, where he confronted both suspects and killed them during a shootout.
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Tom Threepersons is said to have been arrested for murder but later acquitted.
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Tom Threepersons moved to Douglas, Arizona around 1914, where he worked as a cowboy.
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The verifiable historical record of Tom Threepersons begins on the day that he met Black Jack Pershing during the Punitive Expedition.
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Tom Threepersons worked for two years for the El Paso Police.
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Tom Threepersons was partnered with officer Juan Escontrias, and the two were involved in two shootouts during that time with smugglers, resulting in four suspects being killed, and Threepersons being shot and wounded in the chest during one incident in 1921.
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On June 10,1922, Tom Threepersons was appointed as a Federal Prohibition Agent for El Paso, where he worked for 90 days.
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Tom Threepersons resigned to manage the "Cudahy Ranch" in Durango, Mexico.
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Tom Threepersons was arrested by Mexican authorities for the shooting, but escaped and returned to the United States.
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In July 1923, Threepersons accepted a position as a Mounted Inspector for the US Customs Service.
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Tom Threepersons was offered a job in Hollywood, California in the film industry, reputedly at a salary of $700 per month, which he declined.
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Tom Threepersons died on April 2,1969 in Safford, Arizona, and is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Silver City.
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Lawman Threepersons is frequently confused with the Kainai rodeo star, Tom Three Persons, who was born in Canada.
20.
The ninth episode of the second series of the Kraft Suspense Theatre was titled Tom Threepersons, and told the story of a Cherokee gunfighter hired by the local prohibition officer on the Texas border to kill a Mexican bootlegger.