In the annals of the American Wild West, few figures evoke as much intrigue and mystery as Tom Nixon, also known by the alias Tom Barnes. A key member of the infamous Black Hills Bandits, Nixon played a pivotal role in one of the era’s most audacious heists: the Big Springs train robbery in Nebraska. Unlike many of his notorious contemporaries, Tom Nixon achieved a rare feat, disappearing into legend and effectively evading justice, leaving behind a captivating, unsolved mystery.
His story begins not with a bang, but with the clatter of a blacksmith’s hammer in the bustling, gold-fevered town of Deadwood, South Dakota. This Canadian-born artisan found himself amidst a vibrant and often lawless frontier, a melting pot for fortune seekers, opportunists, and hardened criminals alike. It was in this environment that he crossed paths with a group of cowboys recently arrived from Texas, including the charismatic Sam Bass, Joel Collins, and Jack Davis, who had driven a herd of cattle north hoping to strike it rich.
The Black Hills Bandits: From Cattlemen to Criminals
The initial ventures of Bass and his compatriots in Deadwood quickly proved less lucrative than anticipated. The profits from their cattle sale rapidly dwindled, prompting a desperate turn towards illicit activities. This shift marked the genesis of the notorious Black Hills Bandits. What started with stagecoach robberies soon escalated, as the gang, including Tom Nixon, Jim Berry, and Bill Heffridge, began to target the lucrative routes traversing the rugged landscape. Within a mere couple of months, they successfully held up seven stagecoaches, a testament to their audacity and growing proficiency in frontier banditry.
However, the spoils from stagecoach robberies, when divided among six members, proved less substantial than their ambitions demanded. The risk-reward ratio began to tilt unfavorably, pushing the gang to contemplate a grander scheme. They set their sights on a target that promised immense wealth and notoriety: a Union Pacific Railroad train, known to carry valuable shipments across the sprawling plains.
The Audacious Big Springs Train Robbery of 1877
The Plan and Execution
The fateful day arrived on September 18, 1877. The Black Hills Bandits, with Tom Nixon among them, executed their meticulously planned assault on the Union Pacific Railroad near Big Springs, Nebraska. This was no ordinary heist; it was a brazen attack on one of America’s burgeoning symbols of progress and wealth. The gang successfully stopped the train, quickly overpowering the crew and making their way to the express car, where the riches were secured.
Their efforts yielded an astonishing haul: more than $60,000, a colossal sum for the late 19th century. This loot included a significant amount of gold coin, much of it newly minted $20 gold pieces, which would later prove to be a crucial identifier. After the successful robbery, the outlaws, flush with their ill-gotten gains, decided to split into pairs, believing that smaller groups would be harder to track. Each duo embarked on a different path, hoping to melt away into the vast American frontier.
The Aftermath and Dispersal
The immediate aftermath saw the outlaws scatter. Tom Nixon partnered with Jim Berry, heading eastward towards Missouri. However, the unique gold coins they carried would soon become their undoing, at least for some. Berry, perhaps less cautious than Nixon, made the critical error of attempting to exchange a significant portion of his gold coins for local currency, instantly alerting authorities who had been notified of the distinctive loot from the Big Springs robbery. Detectives, already on high alert, quickly descended upon him. Berry was captured after a struggle, sustaining wounds that would prove fatal a few days later.
The Hunt for the Bandits: Fates of the Others
Before succumbing to his injuries, Jim Berry provided valuable information to the authorities. He confirmed that Tom Nixon had been his companion and had departed with his share of the loot, approximately $10,000, after their arrival in Missouri. This confession put a name and a face to one of the Big Springs robbers, intensifying the manhunt for Nixon. While other members of the Black Hills Bandits, such as Joel Collins and Sam Bass, would eventually meet violent ends at the hands of law enforcement or vigilantes, Nixon’s fate took a dramatically different turn.
The authorities issued a wanted poster for Tom Nixon, offering a substantial $1,000 reward for his capture. The description circulated was precise: approximately 5 feet 7 or 8 inches tall, weighing around 150 pounds, about 25 years old at the time of the robbery, with distinctive blue-gray eyes, light hair, and whiskers. This detailed description, however, proved insufficient to bring him to justice.
The Enduring Enigma of Tom Nixon’s Disappearance
Despite the relentless pursuit and the significant reward, Tom Nixon was never officially apprehended. The prevailing theory, long held by law enforcement and historians alike, is that he successfully returned to his native Canada, effectively vanishing from the American legal system and public eye. His escape remains one of the great mysteries of the Wild West, a testament to his cunning or perhaps sheer luck. While other infamous outlaws of the era, from Jesse James to Billy the Kid, met their demise or capture, Nixon simply disappeared, leaving behind a void in the historical record.
The story of Tom Nixon stands as a fascinating counterpoint to the often-bloody narratives of frontier justice. He remains a symbol of the elusive outlaw, a man who, after participating in one of the most significant train robberies of his time, managed to slip away into obscurity. His successful evasion of capture, unlike many of his contemporaries, cements his place as an enigmatic figure in the folklore of the American West, a ghost of the Big Springs robbery whose ultimate fate continues to spark curiosity and speculation.
