American Outlaw: John Coble
Tom Horn, Frank Bosler and the murder of Willie Nickell
When John Coble left Pennsylvania for the cattle business in the west he had no idea his life would take the path of murder and suicide.
In the late 1800s when John Coble decided to leave his home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and go west, he hoped to begin a life of prosperity in the cattle business. Coble spent time along the North Platte River in Nebraska, working on cattle ranches before moving to Albany County, Wyoming to take a job with another Pennsylvania native, Frank Bosler. That choice defined Coble's life.
Frank Bosler was a prominent cattle rancher in Wyoming and a member of the Wyoming Stock Growers' Association and Cheyenne Cattlemen's Club. He hired Coble as the operations' manager for the Iron Mountain Ranch near Chugwater. Whether Bosler was involved in the Johnson County War is unclear, however, his animosity towards the neighboring homesteaders resulted in him hiring the legendary Tom Horn.
Tom Horn's reputation followed him wherever he went. He did not hesitate to brag about the number of men he killed and it did not matter to him whether the killings were justified or not. He killed for the game of it. Horn resided at the Iron Mountain Ranch and became close friends with John Coble.
On July 18, 1901, Horn was riding the Bosler range when the murder of fourteen-year-old Willie Nickell took place. Nickell , while walking his father's horse though an open gate on his father's farm, was shot twice in the back. Kels Nickell, Willie's father, was the original target for the murder and according to Chip Carlson's book, Blood on the Moon, the person or person's who shot the boy turned the body over and when they realized they killed the wrong person, laid the boy's head on a rock, Tom Horn's signature.
The prime suspect at first was Victor Miller who had an ongoing feud with Nickell. When questioned by the sheriff, Miller said he was having breakfast with his family. The alibi checked out and suspicion turned to Tom Horn because of his killing reputation.
In January 1902, United States Marshal, Joe LeFors met with Horn in Cheyenne under the disguise of wanting him to do a "job" for him. After two days of conversation and in a drunken state, Horn admitted to LeFors that he killed Willie Nickell. Horn's confession and circumstantial evidence led to his arrest.
John Coble believed LeFors tricked Horn into making the confession; therefore, he put together a well-esteemed group of attorneys to prove his friend's innocence. The trial began the following October after his arrest. After two weeks, the jury found Horn guilty. A year later, and a day short of his forty-third birthday, Horn met his maker by hanging.
Coble paid a hundred thousand dollars for Horn's defense. Some of the money he used came from Bosler to purchase cattle. When Bosler learned that Coble used the money towards Horn's defense instead of buying cattle, Bosler was outraged.
Although Bosler hired Horn to protect his cattle from rustlers, he did not believe in Horn's innocence, nor did he want to bring any suspicion to himself. In 1904, Bosler fired Coble and never wanted anything to do with him again.
Coble traveled throughout the Midwest working on various ranches, but the loss of his good friend and his job at the Iron Mountain Ranch sent him into a downward spiral. He wrote Bosler several letters begging for money. One of his letters stated that if Bosler continues to refuse to send him money he would kill himself. The threat meant nothing to Frank Bosler. On December 4, 1914, Coble wrote the following letter to his wife:
Elko, Nev., Dec. 4, 1914.
Dear Elise:
Believe me, I have tried to pull through. I am ALL IN, I AM ALL IN. Believe me - I am yours until the end, and I cannot make good.
Lovingly,
SIGNATURE (Illegible)
Elko Independent 12-4-1914
Coble then took his Smith and Wesson .32 revolver, walked into the ladies bathroom at the Commercial Hotel/Cassino in Elko, Nevada, put the revolver to his head and pulled the trigger.
Coble became a broken man when Tom Horn was put to death and when he lost his position at the Iron Mountain Ranch. His prosperity and his promising life disappeared. Coble's legacy is that of a distraught man who could no longer deal with his own demons.
Sources:
Carlson, Chip. Blood on the Moon. High Plains Press, Glendo, Wyoming, 2001.
Bosler Papers, American Heritage Center, Laramie, Wyoming.
