Blackie Thompson (born Irvin Thompson; 1893 ā December 6, 1934) was an American outlaw and murderer active primarily in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
and
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Tommy Schultz portrayed Thompson in the 2023 film
Killers of the Flower Moon.
Early life and Osage Indian murders
"Blackie" Thompson was born Irvin Thompson in either
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
or
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
in 1893. In 1920, he was sentenced to five years for
automobile theft, but was
paroled
Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole of ...
in 1922. He was arrested again on December 22, 1923, for a bank robbery in
Grady County.
However, in 1924, he was released to serve as an informant in the
Osage Indian murders
The Osage Indian murders was a serial killing event that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States, during the 1910sā1930s. Newspapers described the increasing number of unsolved murders and deaths among young adults of the Osage Nat ...
.
While Blackie did provide testimony against
William King Hale
William King Hale (December 24, 1874 ā August 15, 1962) was an American murderer and political and crime boss in Osage County, Oklahoma, who was responsible for the most infamous of the Osage Indian murders. He made a fortune through cattle ...
and
Ernest Burkhart
Ernest George Burkhart (September 11, 1892 ā December 1, 1986) was an American murderer who participated in the Osage Indian murders as a hitman for his uncle William King Hale's organized crime, crime ring. He was convicted for the killing o ...
, he quickly ran off and formed the "Thompson gang."
Thompson gang, later life, and death
Thompson went on to kill police officer Ulysses Sterling Lenox in
Drumright, Oklahoma
Drumright is a city in Creek and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It began as an oil boom town. However, the population has declined as oil production has waned in the area. The population was 2,907 at the 2010 census, a figure al ...
on July 2, 1924, after robbing the First State Bank of Avery (2 other officers were injured). On December 19, 1924, his gang robbed the Security State Bank by loading the bank's entire safe into a truck. He was captured on December 25, 1924. Thompson was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. On August 30, 1933, he escaped from the
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary, nicknamed "Big Mac", is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 750 male o ...
.
He was recaptured in 1934 after robbing several banks in Texas, and sentenced to death on charges of robbery. However, he escaped from
Huntsville Prison
Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...
on July 22, 1934.
Blackie was killed in a stolen car on
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...
in
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...
on December 6, 1934.
References
External links
Gangbusters Radio Show 1945episode on Thompson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Blackie
1893 births
1934 deaths
20th-century American murderers
American bank robbers
American people convicted of robbery
American people convicted of murdering police officers
American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
American prisoners sentenced to death
Criminals from Arkansas
Criminals from Oklahoma
Road incident deaths in Texas
People convicted of murder by Oklahoma
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oklahoma
Prisoners sentenced to death by Texas
Escapees from Oklahoma detention
Escapees from Texas detention
Osage Indian murders
People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Oklahoma