I heard today from a distant relative the story of our lost relative, Thomas Mulligan, who was born in Bellanacurra, Killasser Parish, County Mayo, Ireland in August 1892. Thomas came to Montana with his brother John about the 1910s. Eventually John settled and married in Oakland, CA, but Thomas continued on his way, possibly working as a rancher or cowboy, and may have ended up in Arizona or New Mexico. We have a photo of Thomas all decked out in Western gear - chaps, hat, you name it, circa 1925.

Apparently a bank wrote to Thomas' niece, Rita Hassna, about thirty years ago to tell her of an abandoned bank account in Thomas' name. It only had a hundred or so dollars in it. (Rita just passed away last month, sadly.) Rita's son thinks it is the Bank of Arizona, but it could be the bank of Phoenix or the Bank of New Mexico - it was a place of southwestern origin.

Apparently there is a legend surrounding Thomas that he supplied guns or horses to Pancho Villa, and his disappearance hints at an untimely end. How would I go about looking into this odd new legend?

Thanks for your help!
Susan Daily