Dutch Henry Borne – Biggest Horse Thief in the American West
Henry Borne, frequently referred to as Dutch Henry, occupies a prominent, if dubious, position in the annals of the American West. He was an outlaw, yes, but more specifically, he was a master of equine appropriation, a cattle rustler of considerable skill, and arguably, the most prevalent horse thief of his time. His name became synonymous with stolen horses, a testament to his pervasive impact on the livestock landscape of the era. This is the story of Dutch Henry Borne, a man who walked the line between lawlessness and legend.
Born to German immigrant parents on July 2, 1849, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Henry Borne’s early life gave little indication of the path he would eventually tread. The family relocated to Montague, Michigan, during the 1860s, where young Henry labored as a lumberjack, a demanding occupation that instilled in him a certain ruggedness and self-reliance. Sometime later, he enlisted in the Seventh Cavalry, but his military service was short-lived, ending with his abrupt departure in the late 1860s. His brush with the law occurred soon after his abandonment of the military; Borne was arrested at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for the theft of twenty government mules, a crime that earned him a prison sentence. However, Borne’s incarceration was also brief, as he escaped from custody a mere three months into his sentence. This early brush with the law and subsequent escape set the stage for his later exploits as Dutch Henry Borne.
The years that followed were a period of transition and varied employment. Around 1868 or 1869, Borne served as a scout for the renowned General George Custer, a role that undoubtedly exposed him to the vastness and harsh realities of the Western frontier. By 1870, he was engaged in freighting for George Hoffman, his work taking him to Fort Harker, Kansas, in June of that year. Subsequent occupations included cooking for Mark Bedell and participating in buffalo hunts. A conflict involving Cheyenne Indians and the army at Fort Lyon, Colorado, marked a turning point in his life, leading him to the profession that would define his legacy: horse and mule theft.
Historian and author Roger Myers offers a compelling glimpse into Borne’s activities during this period: “By June 1874, Born was living on his homestead north of Ellsworth, Kansas. On June 15 of that year, he was wounded three times and captured by U.S. Deputy Marshal Alex Ramsey, taken to Topeka, Kansas, and then to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he spent approximately 15 months in jail awaiting trial for stealing government mules. Acquitted of the charge on April 23, 1875, he was taken back to Leavenworth and jailed for several months on a charge of jailbreak and theft of a shotgun during that escape attempt.” This account highlights the cat-and-mouse game that defined Borne’s relationship with the law, a cycle of capture, imprisonment, and escape that further cemented his reputation as a wily and elusive outlaw. Myers also debunks Borne’s own account of participating in the Second Battle of Adobe Walls in Texas, an impossibility given his incarceration in a Kansas jail at the time.
Following the conclusion of the Red River Indian War in Texas in 1875, Dutch Henry Borne emerged as the leader of a sprawling horse-stealing operation. His network extended across a vast territory encompassing Kansas, eastern Colorado, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. The precise number of Borne’s followers remains a matter of debate, with estimates ranging as high as 300 individuals. Borne specialized in acquiring Indian ponies and government mules, finding a ready market for these stolen goods. He once proclaimed that he never stole a horse from a white man, although this claim is perhaps more indicative of his pragmatism than his moral compass.
Despite Borne’s own claims, newspaper reports often painted a far more sinister picture, embellishing his reputation with accusations of being a "road agent and murderer." This created a complex and contradictory image of Dutch Henry Borne, a man who was simultaneously a horse thief and a figure of frontier intrigue.
In 1877, Charles Goodnight, a prominent cattle rancher, established the JA Ranch. He met with Dutch Henry and eighteen members of his band, who were camped on Commission Creek near Fort Elliott, Texas. The meeting resulted in a pact, sealed with a drink, in which Borne agreed not to raid below the Salt Fork of the Red River, the northern boundary of Goodnight’s range. Borne adhered to his word, and Goodnight reciprocated by leaving him unmolested. This alliance, however unlikely, speaks to the pragmatism and negotiation that sometimes existed between outlaws and law-abiding citizens in the sparsely populated West.
As demands for Borne’s apprehension intensified, he managed to evade law enforcement on multiple occasions, escaping from jails and outmaneuvering pursuing officers. However, his luck eventually ran out in December 1878, when Las Animas County Sheriff R. W. Wootton apprehended him in Trinidad, Colorado. Borne was tried for mule theft and ordered transferred to the Bent County Jail. Instead, Bat Masterson intervened, taking him to Dodge City, Kansas, under a warrant for grand larceny. Borne was acquitted in January 1879. He then drifted to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he allegedly became a member of the notorious Dodge City Gang. By this point, his reputation as a horse thief was so widespread that the term "Dutch Henry" became synonymous with a stolen horse, a lasting testament to his criminal notoriety.
Ultimately, the State of Arkansas caught up with him, incarcerating him for the Fort Smith robbery that had occurred years prior. His time behind bars, however, appears to have been relatively brief, as he resurfaced in the late 1880s as a prospector in Summitville, Colorado. He even achieved a degree of success, opening the Happy Thought Mine in Creede.
In the 1890s, he filed a claim on 160 acres on the West Fork of the San Juan River, located 20 miles from Pagosa Springs, Colorado. This land eventually became known as Borne’s Lake. In July 1900, Henry married Ida Dillabaugh and became a father to four children. In his later years, he spoke little about his past, and for seven years, he even abstained from keeping a gun in his home, claiming that he had "had all of the killing that he wanted." Dutch Henry Borne died of pneumonia on January 10, 1921, and was buried in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
The life of Dutch Henry Borne is a complex and multifaceted tale that defies easy categorization. He was a horse thief, an outlaw, and a fugitive from justice. Yet, he was also a scout, a freighter, a prospector, and, eventually, a family man. His story reflects the turbulent and often contradictory nature of the American West, a place where the lines between law and lawlessness were often blurred. Whether remembered as a notorious horse thief or a reformed frontiersman, Dutch Henry Borne remains a compelling figure in the legends of the American West.