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The legend of Charles Kennedy continues, which states, in most documents, that Clay Allison decapitated Kennedy, placed his head in a sack, and carried it twenty-nine miles to Cimarron. When he arrived at Cimarron, he demanded that the head be staked on a fence at the front of the Lambert Inn (later the St. James Hotel,) where it stayed until it mummified and finally disappeared one night.

However, during the research for this article it was discovered that Lambert's Inn wasn't even built until 1872 and Fred Lambert was operating a saloon in Elizabethtown at the time of Kennedy's death and continued to do so until 1871. In a discussion with Beni-Jo Fulton, the curator of the E-Town Museum, she speculated that perhaps the story was true, but that the head was more likely staked in front of a saloon in E-Town, rather than Cimarron.

Clay Allison, 1871,

This image available for photographic prints HERE.

The money collected from liquor licenses was earmarked for schools. The school's baseball team arranged games with Catskill, Midnight and Trinidad, making their community proud by winning many of the games. Footraces and boxing matches were also common events in the community. Elizabethtown had finally found its share of respectability by becoming, not just a mining town, but a town with families and gentile social events.

The school's baseball team arranged games with Catskill, Midnight and Trinidad, making their community proud by winning many of the games. Footraces and boxing matches were also common events in the community. Elizabethtown had finally found its share of respectability by becoming, not just a mining town, but a town with families and gentile social events.

Saturday-night dances, complete with a fiddle band were so popular that people would travel several miles over mountain roads to attend. When snow covered the roads, sleds replaced wagons and folks danced their cares away. The dances were said to have been "nice" affairs; where participants dressed in their most elegant clothes and everyone was on their best behavior.

Several well-mannered young men, riding good horses, flashing plenty of money, and claiming to be cowboys, arrived at one dance; the floor manager introduced them so all might enjoy the evening. The single women of E-Town were enraptured by their manners. These young men became part of the social life in several of the surrounding towns. Not until later, when they were captured, did townspeople learn these young men were actually members of "Black Jack" Ketchum's outlaw gang. The notorious outlaw gang had terrorized the 4-corner states in the late 1890's, robbing trains, stores, and killing men during their crimes or shoot-outs when they were threatened. Black Jack Ketchum was hanged in Clayton, New Mexico on April 26, 1901 and is buried in the Clayton Cemetery.

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Black Jack Ketchum and his outlaw gang terrorized the 4 corner states in the late 1890's, robbing trains, stores and killing during their crimes. The outlaw gang often visited Elizabethtown's saloons and social functions.

This image available for photographic prints HERE.

Black Jack Tom Ketchum was hanged for his crimes in Clayton, New Mexico on April 26, 1901.

His grave is in the Clayton Cemetery

This image available for photographic prints HERE.

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