I was fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas. That’s the line. If you’ve read the book or seen the movies, those words probably ring in your head with the stern, Presbyterian authority of Mattie Ross herself.
But here’s the thing about Tom Chaney. Most folks treat him like a footnote in his own story. He’s the "inciting incident." The guy who dies at the end so Mattie can have her closure.
Honestly? That’s doing a disservice to how weird and pathetic of a villain he actually is. If you look at the 1969 John Wayne classic, the 2010 Coen Brothers masterpiece, or Charles Portis’s original 1968 novel, Chaney isn’t some criminal mastermind. He’s a "short devil." A drifter. A man so small-minded he killed a senator’s dog just because it barked at him.
The Man Behind the Powder Mark
Who was he, really? Before he was Tom Chaney, he was Theron Chelmsford. He had a black powder mark on his cheek—a permanent reminder of a gun misfire that made him easy to spot but apparently didn't make him any smarter.
Mattie’s father, Frank Ross, hired him out of pure pity. That’s the tragedy of it. Frank was "his brother's keeper," trying to help a man who was down on his luck. And how did Chaney repay that kindness? He got drunk, lost his money at cards, and when Frank tried to stop him from doing something stupid with a rifle, Chaney shot him in the chest.
He didn't just kill a man. He robbed him of $150 and two California gold pieces. Cowardly? Absolutely.
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Why Tom Chaney Still Matters in Western Lore
You’ve got your "cool" outlaws like Lucky Ned Pepper. Ned has style. Ned has a certain code, even if it's a crooked one. But Tom Chaney? He’s the kind of villain that actually exists in the real world. He’s the guy who blames everyone else for his problems.
In the 2010 movie, Josh Brolin plays him with this incredible, dim-witted stubbornness. He’s not a "boss" in the Ned Pepper gang; he’s a liability. Even the outlaws don’t really like him. They keep him around because he can cook or handle horses, but they know he’s trash.
There’s a specific nuance here that Portis captured perfectly: the banality of evil.
Chaney isn't trying to take over the world. He’s just a mean, slow-witted man who reacts with violence whenever he feels small. When Mattie finally confronts him by the creek, he doesn’t have a big monologue. He just tries to bully a child.
Book vs. Movie: The Fate of a Coward
If you’ve only seen the movies, you might be confused about how it all ends.
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In the 1969 film, things are a bit "Hollywood." It’s neat. But in the book and the 2010 version, the ending is much grittier. Mattie actually shoots him with her father’s old Dragoon pistol. The recoil is so massive it knocks her back into a pit of rattlesnakes.
Chaney doesn't die instantly.
In the novel, he’s still alive after Mattie shoots him. It’s Rooster Cogburn who has to finish the job, reportedly crushing Chaney's skull with a rifle butt. It’s messy. It’s not a clean "hero kills the bad guy" moment. It’s a reminder that violence, even "justified" violence, leaves a mark. Mattie loses her arm because of that encounter.
That’s the price of catching Tom Chaney.
A Quick Breakdown of the Chaney Facts:
- Real Name: Theron Chelmsford.
- The Mark: A blue-black powder burn on his face.
- The Weapon: A Henry rifle (stolen from Frank Ross).
- The Crimes: Killing Frank Ross in Arkansas and a State Senator in Texas.
- The Motivation: Pure, unadulterated pettiness and liquor.
What Most People Miss
People often ask if Tom Chaney was a real person. Short answer: No.
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Charles Portis was a genius at making things feel historical, though. He used the setting of Fort Smith and the "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker to ground the story in reality. While Chaney is fictional, he represents a very real type of frontier criminal—the "drifter" who was more dangerous because he had nothing to lose and no moral compass to guide him.
He’s the antithesis of "grit."
While Mattie, Rooster, and even LaBoeuf show courage by facing their fears, Chaney only acts when he has the upper hand or when someone’s back is turned. He strikes from behind. He kills dogs. He strangles girls.
Your Next Steps with True Grit
If you want to really understand the character, you’ve got to go back to the source.
- Read the 1968 novel. It’s short. You can finish it in a weekend. The way Mattie describes Chaney in the prose is way more biting than any movie dialogue.
- Watch the 2010 version back-to-back with the 1969 one. Notice how Jeff Corey (1969) plays him as a standard "thug," whereas Josh Brolin (2010) makes him feel like a pathetic, dangerous child.
- Visit Fort Smith, Arkansas. If you’re a history buff, the National Historic Site there covers the real marshals and the "Indian Territory" that Chaney fled into.
Understanding Tom Chaney isn't about sympathizing with him. It’s about recognizing that sometimes the most dangerous people aren't the ones with the big plans. They’re the ones who are too small to care about the lives they ruin.