Tom Horn: Hero, Hitman, or Hype? Historian Matthew Hulbert Digs In

On this edition of Beyond the Bushwhackers, Jimmy Mac and Lindsay Lawler are joined by Dr. Matthew Hulbert, Elliott Associate Professor of History at Hampden-Sydney College and Series Editor of American Wars and Popular Culture at LSU Press, to explore one of the most controversial—and misunderstood—figures of the American West: Tom Horn. Was Tom Horn a hired gun, a government scout, a misunderstood scapegoat—or all of the above? Dr. Hulbert brings expert insight to the story of this former Pinkerton detective and range enforcer, whose legend has been shaped as much by popular culture as by historical record. In This Segment: – The real Tom Horn vs. the Hollywood version – Horn’s role in the violent world of range wars and frontier justice – How Horn’s trial and execution cemented his myth – What his story tells us about the blurred line between lawmen and outlaws in the Old West Step beyond the myth and into the historical gray area of a man who became a symbol of a wilder America.