Tom Threepersons July 22, 1889 – April 2, 1969 Tom Threepersons was a Cherokee Indian. He invented the “Tom Threepersons holster.” He was a lawman and gunfighter, and soldier. In 1916 he served in the U.S. Army and was with Gen. Pershing when he was chasing Poncho Villa in Mexico. At one time he worked for the Police in El Paso, TX. where this holster was made.