TOBIN - KILLER OR HERO ???

SUBJECT: TOBIN - KILLER OR HERO ???


A father of Irish background and a mother from the Delaware tribe, born May 1, 1823. Thomas Tate Tobin was to lead an adventurer's life style.

At 5'7" tall, considered average for the time, his swarthy complexion and facial features always puzzled those who attempted to guess his nationally.

Know for his short temper, ready to fight at the drop of a hat and was a deadly shot with either rifle or pistol, but not a kinder man when talking to friends -"a person never left his camp hungry or penniless, a man of his word".

Tobin and a half brother, Charles Autobees, came west to Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River in 1837 or 1838 with Ceran St.Vrain, the partner of the Bent brothers. He spent several of his early western years as a trapper and scout at Bent's Fort and in Taos, New Mexico. However many of Tobin's early activities as a hunter, trapper and Indian fighter remain obscure.

Tobin was famous for his uncanny ability to detect and follow sign; in regard to this his old trapper friends would say "he could track a grasshopper through the sagebrush". Known as a crack rifle and pistol shot, and one that knew which end of a knife to use. He was a close friend of men like Kit Carson, "Uncle Dick" Wooten, Ceran St. Vrain, Charley Bent and others that would fill a page alone.

A trapper, a scout and most famous for his tracking ability working for different parties and men like Colonel's Inman, Price and Tappan, Major Grier in gaining knowledge of this new land. The stories of Tobin, Carson and Wooten are many, they where ones that could be counted on in a fight or having the ability to follow and report back on any problems in the area, according to General Kearney and Governor Charles Bent.

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Tobin was a man of few words, a trait well expressed by Edgar L. Hewitt in "CAMPFIRE & TRAIL" a western publication.

Tobin was interviewed while on a hunting trip with Mr. Hewitt in the Rockies, asked about Kit Carson, with which the answers, were as follows:

"Did you know Kit Carson?"
"I et many a beaver tail with him."
"Was Kit as fearless as reported ?"
"Wasn't afraid of hell or high water."
"How was Kit in his private life ?"
"Clean as a hound's tooth."
"Was Kit's word as good as it was said?"
"Kit's word was as sure as the sun's coming up."

At the end of the interview Tom asked if Hewitt was going to get paid for the interview.

"Why yes Mr. Tobin, I will be reinvested for my expenses."
"What about mine ?”
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An interview taken on October 10, 1946 at Sanford Colorado, Kit Carson III, proprietor of the "Kit Carson's Trading Post" located in that same town in the San Luis Valley, told of his noted grandfathers.

His paternal grandfather was the famous scout and Indian fighter, Kit Carson, guide for two of John C. Fremont's exploring expeditions. His maternal grandfather was the famous early bounty hunter Tom Tobin, who won a place in western history by exterminating the Espinosa outlaws, wholesale murderers that ran wildly through the southwest.

As background for Mr. Carson's story of the killing of the Espinosa as related to him by his Grandfather Tobin, told many times in his years of living with him in the old southwest.

The following brief outline of the travels of the notorious outlaws is shown at this time. Felipe Nerio Espinosa and Vivian Espinosa moved to the San Luis Valley from New Mexico in the early 1860's. In 1863 they started the illegal activities in the area, as they had done in New Mexico, by robbing a teamster, tied him to the back of his wagon and whipped his horses, he barely escaped being dragged to death. A detachment of soldiers was sent from Ft. Garland to arrest the Espinosas. They where cornered in a small cabin, but escaped after wounding several soldiers and killing one.

The brothers declared war against all anglos and in less than a year they had ambushed and killed twenty-two persons, mostly miners in the California Gulch region. One of the Espinosa’s was killed, but his place was taken by a cousin and their "private war" continued as eight more victims fell before their guns. A posse of miners set out to kill or capture them, but failed in the several attempts.

Following the ambushing of a man and his wife on La Veta Pass, Colonel Sam Tappen, commanding officer at Ft. Garland, called on Tom Tobin to ask for help in stopping the Espinosa’s terror. The colonel insisted on providing a detachment of fifteen soldiers for additional support in the capture of the brothers and their band, Tom left them in camp and went ahead, accompanied only by a young Mexican boy, whom he left behind when he actually located the band of killers.

At this point historical accounts differ in some respects from Grandpa Tobin's story and what was recorded of the event by records from Ft. Garland. Official records state the teamster ambushed on La Veta Pass escaped with his life and reached Ft. Garland to report the event.

Governor Evans offered a reward of $2,500 for the Espinosa’s, dead or alive; that $500 subsequently was paid to Tom Tobin by the Colorado territorial government, and $1,000 by the Colorado State government. [This only adds up to $1,500 - shorting Mr. Tobin of $1,000 of the reward].
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This is the story told by Tom Tobin to his grandson Kit Carson III, and some inserts by his other grandfather Kit Carson. One day while gathering cattle with Grandfather Tobin near La Veta Pass, he pointed out the place where he had caught up with the Espinosa’s, I ask him to tell me about it again and he did. I was just a young kid at the time and lived on every word.

He said the actual spot was not in the draw where most people said it was, but in another draw five to six miles away. He felt the actual spot, which he showed me, should not be shown to anyone being the resting place for these killers, he also felt that with missing body parts would "float in limbo" and never settle forever. Tobin's Indian belief's according to Kit Carson.

The Espinosa’s had been working their way from Colorado Springs going south killing anyone they came in contact with, they met the teamster and his wife on La Veta Pass and killed the man from ambush, tied up the woman but she escaped and made her way to Ft. Garland.

Colonel Tappin considered Grandpa Tobin the best tracker in the country, had him brought in and asked to catch the Espinosa’s, the reward was not mentioned. Grandpa was told "kill them for humanity's sake", nothing said about any reward.

Upon leaving Ft. Garland the trail was found within a day, he left the soldiers in camp, as they made to many mistakes and where noisy. The Espinosa’s doubled back on their trail when realizing they where being followed, my grandpa was not fooled. He found a bunch of crows circling around a small area and knew the Espinosa’s where camped at that spot, and moved in very slowly not to spook the birds, horses or men.

He found them busy preparing a meal; the older Espinosa’s was squatting in front of the fire, while a younger one was hobbling horses. Grandpa waited till the younger one came near the campfire, not wanting anyone to get away in the heat of battle. Hiding behind a rock Grandpa sighted in on the older man and shot him, he fell face first into the fire, grandpa loaded a charge and spit a bare ball into the old Hawken rifle and killed the younger Espinosa’s.

The older Espinosa’s had rolled out of the fire and had pulled his pistol, but his eyes had been burned in the fire and he couldn't see when grandpa walked up on him. His face looked horrible, being burned in the fire, even his hands had suffered - now looking more like animal claws according to Mr. Carson.

Being blind from the fire he didn't see grandpa take his knife and end his life by cutting his head off. He retrieved the other Espinosa’s head, putting them both in a gunnysack for proof that they where really dead. At this point the soldiers hearing the shots appeared at the scene in time to bury the bodies. (Some accounts claim Tobin made the older brother dig the holes before killing him).

When arriving at Ft. Garland the Colonel, some of his officers and their wives had been out riding, an announcement was made that grandpa was there to see the Colonel, he was brought into a large room, where the officers and wives relaxing after their ride. The Colonel asked "Any Luck, Tom ?" Grandpa said, "So-so," and he held the gunnysack upside down rolling the heads out on the floor, ladies where screaming, the officers and the Colonel even looked a little green.

When I was very young we lived at Ft. Garland in that room, grandpa said that was the Colonel's way of getting even for him rolling those heads out on that floor.

Grandpa finally got $400 reward and never saw the remaining amount of the original reward of $2,500. The Governor gave him a buckskin coat that was lined with a red blanket, like one given to my Grandfather Carson, and the Army gave him a Henry rifle, a cousin has the coat and rifle in Durango Colorado last time I heard of them.

Grandpa told me that when he buried the Espinosa’s he found a little money and a small journal that had a list of the people killed in Colorado, He thought it listed twenty-five names, I don't know whatever happened of the little book. I think he turned it over to the people at Ft. Garland.

Grandpa Tobin had known Grandpa Carson a long time, they both came from the same town in what is now Missouri, Grandpa Tobin was a lot younger than Grandpa Carson, he looked on him as a sort of hero. Both of my Grandfathers would joke about a newspaper clipping from St. Louis, which showed Grandpa Carson's name as a runaway and a reward of ONE CENT for his return. Evidently the man did not value grandpa very highly, or maybe it was illegal to offer a reward.
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Years later it was reported that Tom had a run-in with the law after trying to stab his son-in-law for hitting his daughter, Bill Carson shot Tom in the side after hitting him in the head with a 4-pound hammer, both where drunk at the time. A few days later Bill and Tom talked about it, ironed out their problems and stayed friends until Bill's death.

Tom never received all of the $5,000 reward, but Governor Shoup of Idaho gave him $1,000 and in 1893, thirty years later after the killing of the Espinosa’s, Senator Smith an old friend got Colorado to pay Tom another $1,000.

Tom Tobin is buried in a small cemetery north of Ft. Garland, visited by many yearly and the story still lives on of a brave man of the mountain and his adventures.

References:

Alamosa Independent Journal, May 3, 1888-April 14, 1890. Colorado Magazine, March 1932.
Uncle Dick Wooten, Conrad, H.L., 1890.
Denver Post Empire Magazine, 1900.
Denver Republican, May 1888.
Campfire & Trail, Hewitt, E.L., New Mexico Press, 1913.

FOOTNOTE:

Years ago several of us where down in Durango CO at a small museum on the west side of town, a small block building with lots of old farm equipment sitting around the outside. From the appearance we figured there was nothing of interest to us "mountain men" on a mission to find and gather historical information. Well that turned out to be the dumbest thought we had that day and as this story continues you'll probably agree. Don't pass on outward appearance of a place; it's surprising what you will find with further investigation. Anyway, we venture inside, pay our dollar a piece admission and start wondering around looking at the displays. After a half hour or so I spot a leather coat hanging on a back wall behind a counter.

There's an old man that works there showing some kids how an apple peeler works at another counter near by. I call a friend over, "Trapper look at this, its Tom Tobin's coat." The old man stops and comes over, "How do you know about Tom Tobin"? I tell him I saw a sketch of that coat in Hanson's Mountain Man Sketch Book, he doesn't know what I'm talking about, and I try to explain. He excuses himself to finish with the apple peeler demo, but tells us to stay put.

He returns in about 5 minutes, and explains that he's Tom Tobin's youngest grandson (probably in his mid seventies), and is really surprised about anyone even knowing about him.
We ask if we can see the coat (you know - the one with the cut-out diamonds and the red wool blanket showing through), it's in excellent condition when you consider the age of it. Mr. Tobin (never got our host's first name) is pleased with our remarks and offers to show us more. "Would you like to see the Henry rifle the army gave him”? "How about the war shirt the Indians presented him”? "Have the papers granting him the $1000 reward, signed with an "X" by his friend Kit Carson, and co-signed by a Captain from Ft. Garland". We partake in the viewing of these items with remarks and showing our excitement, he's very pleased.

He tells us he doesn't remember much as a young lad about his grandfather, other than he was real ruff on the kids, didn't like them under foot.

After we are finished looking at the above mentioned items, he tells us that the reward was never paid to Tom or his family as far as he knew. "It's been in a federal court somewhere in Washington", was his comment on that.

Can remember if we finished looking around or just thanked him and left, we couldn't wait to get to a phone and call Chadron NE. It took several tries to get through to Charley, I told him what we found, and he told me I was pulling his leg. Trapper tells him the same story, Charley can't believe we got that lucky - historians have researched these items for years and we stumble into them.

To make a long story short, the following spring Charley calls and wants to go from Chadron NE to Durango CO, in search of the Tobin coat. I agree to call the museum and make sure that the coat and the grandson are going to be available. Call Charley, he's disappointed, Marie wants to visit friends in Ft. Collins CO and doesn't want to drive all the way to Durango another 8 hours from Collins or my place. I tell Charley to have Marie drop him at my place and we'll make the trip, which is what happens.

In Durango and at the museum I put the two gentlemen together, they talk and look at different items for hours, long enough that I go get lunch for both of them, come to think of it we all go to dinner and I got stuck for that tab also. Mr. Hanson owes me big time, just kidding - he has been so good to me, I could never repay his kindness.

Mr. Tobin and Charley spend the weekend talking about mountain men, they have probably had the best time, they each have had for years talking about something they both seem to love.

This made the whole trip (16 hours driving) worth while to watch these two and see their excitement telling each other old war stories.

Now that you have the story after the story as someone use to say in resent years, let be tell you about the man behind the story again - Tom Tobin.


Published “Tomahawk & Long Rifles“
American Mountain Men's  Journal 1982


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Barry "Buck" Conner is a researcher writing period articles of his findings. Some of those articles have appeared in publications related to living history and those of survival issues.

"Man, does time march on, we still feel like we're twenty years younger in our mind. Hard to come to the fact that we can't do what we use too or find it takes longer to get things done than when in an earlier time".

Buck Conner  
AMM #1641 Hiverano Degree
NAF #3 Mountaineer Degree
"Muzzle Blasts" NMLRA
"Buckskin Report"
"Buckskinner"
"Poke & Stroke" CSMLA
"On the Trail" COHT
"American Rendezvous"
"Tomahawk & Long Rifle" American Mountain Men Journal
"Front Stuffer Journal" PLRA
"Backwoodsman"
"Smoke & Fire News"
"Black Powder Report"
"The Colonial Society Journal"
"Colorado Collectors" journal.
"Smoke Signals" North American Frontiersmen Journal
"Amish Recipes" cookbooks
Short articles for these magazines: "Sports Afield", "American Hunter", "Outdoor Life".



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Good article Buck, Tobin was one mean SOB from everything I have read...