Featured C. M. Thompson & the Wild Horse case

This is being posted because I know there are several people here who like old photographs as much as I do... I'm not asking a question here, but feel free to post comments as you wish, including any research.

One of my gifts from my Secret Santa (desperate_fun) was this cabinet card of a young man named C. M. Thompson, who apparently had copies of these printed up. He wrote a lengthy description of himself on the back. See images below. When I scanned this I realized that this is not actually a photographic print. It has the little dots or squares that indicate some sort of offset printing process. I think he probably had an old photo printed up for his "resume." The writing on the back appears to be original, but I have not scrutinized it enough yet to be sure. It does not have the offset printing dots and appears to be written on the card.

This photo came to me with a story that was included in the auction (all grammatical errors are in the auction) : "First appearance is just another family studio shot however, the man pictured on the front describes himself on the reverse in some sort of Resume. ... The gentleman is a Mr. C. M. Thompson of Corning, Iowa. He taught at the Corning Schools and soon became School Superintendent of Corning, Iowa. Later, in 1917, he was sent a serve a year at hard labor in the Leavenworth, Kansas Prison. The charge was fraud in the Arizona "Wild Horse" case that eventually landed indictments on 43 individuals."

And I've found a lot more about him. His full name was Charles Madison Thompson, born in 1869 in Ohio and died 1948 in Nebraska. He went to college at Iowa State Normal School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I believe that this photo was probably taken on the occasion of his graduation. Although he started out as an educator in Iowa, after several years he went into the finance and banking industries in Nebraska.

In a reply to this post I will include a chronology of his life as I have it. There is more research to do, but apparently after his short time in prison he stayed out of trouble with the Federal government.



Here is the back:

 

Here is a chronology that I developed of the life of Charles Madison Thompson. There is more research to do, though.

Chronology of Charles Madison Thompson’s Life

January 1, 1869 -- Born in Senecaville, Guernsey Co., Ohio, son of Jacob and Harriet Ellen (Perry) Thompson

1880 or so – Father Jacob took family to Colorado to look for gold? Moved to Iowa before 1892

1892 – Graduated from Iowa State Normal School

1892 – Photo on cabinet card was originally taken

1892- 1895– Principal at LeRoy public schools in LeRoy, (Minnesota)

1895- ??? -- Principal of Corning, Iowa schools (Newspapers in Ancestry)

June 27, 1894 -- Married Bertha V. Berry of Rock Rapids, Iowa

1897 – Cabinet card was printed when he was “almost 29 years old”

1898 – Living in O’Neill, Nebraska (newspapers in Ancestry)

January 1899 – “In the banking business” in Newport, Rock County, Nebraska (newspapers in Ancestry)

1900 – Enumerated in U. S. Census in Newport, Rock County, Nebraska with wife Bertha, daughter Gayl, and extended family (his parents, his sister, Bertha’s sister, his brother, a boarder, and a servant).

1900 – His father Jacob Thompson moved to Rock County, Nebraska

1910 – Enumerated in U. S. Census in Newport, Rock County, Nebraska with wife Bertha, daughters Gayl and Lois, and servant Nellie Herrington (or Sterrington?)

1916 – C.M. Thompson convicted in the “horse trading” case. Sentenced to 2 years in Federal prison in Leavenworth.

1920 – Enumerated in U. S. Census in Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebraska with wife Bertha and daughter Lois

1930 – Enumerated in U. S. Census in Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebraska with wife Bertha and John H. Berry, Bertha’s father

1940 – Enumerated in U. S. Census in Columbus, Platte Co., Nebraska with wife Bertha

July 20, 1948 – Died in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska / Buried in Columbus Cemetery. Find A Grave Memorial #6045322

 

That's fantastic, What a lovely thing to receive.

 

Yes, I'm very grateful to my Secret Santa for this!

I've done a little research on the case that sent him to prison but mostly what I've found are newspaper articles. I would love to find the transcript of the case, or the text of the original decision.

 

That would be amazing, We all have old photos but more often than not we have no idea who they are, How great to be able to research someone's life.

 

I found a Morning Oregonian article reporting his sentencing. The charge was "misuse of the mails to defraud." Which is why he ended up in Federal prison.

 

Not like this (gleaned from online and old, old, old):

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California , was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Congressman Harry Reid's great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.

[She found a photo of Remus standing on the gallows] On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: 'Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

So Judy recently e-mailed Congressman Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Believe it or not, Harry Reid's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

 

Oh my!

 

Funny! Apparently this story has been adapted to several different politicians through the years, according to Snopes.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/humor/horsethief.asp

Factcheck dot org also mentions it:
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/01/harry-reids-outlaw-ancestor/

 

I think it is remarkable to have a photo like fig's with that amount of info inscribed on the back. It does read like a resume and I wonder if he distributed them as such.

 

Have you seen this article from the day he was found guilty? Unfortunately the OCR process messed up some words, but I think you'll be able to figure it out.


Morning Oregonian, Dec 29, 1916

Between Morrison and Alder County. Arizona, late today returned a verdict of guilty against eight defendants and found two not guilty. One defendant was dismissed by the Judge. The following were found guilty: Albert Hastings. Sliver Creek. Neb.: C. W. West. Lincoln. Neb.; William Hlnkley, Bray ton. Neb.; Jack Shercllff. Minneapolis; J. S. Smith. C. A. Smith. C. M. Thompson and John Bolecy, Omaha. Clemency was recommended for Thompson and Bolecy. F. V. Guidinger, Minneapolis, and B. F. Berwinkle, of Des Moines, were found not guilty. L. R. West, of Des Moines, was dismissed yesterday by the Judge, who said the prosecution had failed to make a charge against him. Forty-two persons originally were Indicted by a Federal grand jury for selling mustangs alleged to be on the Government reservation in Coconino County. Arizona. Bills of sale for six times the number of horses on the range were filed at Flagstaff, witnesses for the Government testified. The prosecution alleged $1,000,000 was secured by the defendants through the fraudulent sales. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated the United States Livestock Company, of which J. S. Smith was president, and the Omaha Land & In vestment Company, a subsidiary concern, organized to "buy and sell wild horses." had operated In nearly all of the Western and Middle Western states. One hundred and twenty-five witnesses were subpenaed by the Government. A majority of them said they lost sums ranging 'from $1000 to $30,000 on wild horse.

 

Thanks! Yes, I had seen it when I originally did some research on it, but had not saved it. I also found some articles from Iowa newspapers in the area where he worked in the schools (Corning, Iowa). I need to get copies of those again.

 

It does seem like a good possibility. He seems to be promoting himself a bit.

 

His "resume" reads like self-recommendation for a "mail-order bride" or a dating site.................

Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to like long walks in the rain, so he may have wound up single...................

 

Figtree,

Wow, you managed to get quite a bit of information on Mr. Thompson. It sounds like he had an "interesting life" I imagine back then 2 years in Leavenworth was no picnic.

I'm so glad you are enjoying it.

 

Fig - I just realized that your research said he was sentenced to 2 years in prison. But the article I found about his sentencing said his term was 1 year and 1 day.

 

Not to mention the fact he was darn good looking!

 

That is really neat. I love old photographs, but with most there is very little if any information about the sitter. You have this man's life story and all it took was for him to care enough to"self promote" .. I say good on him.

 

Thanks -- I'll check into that. I was not looking at anything official when I wrote it up.

 

He did get married, and stayed married for a long time... But I know you were joking.