January 5, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--A saloon was wrecked at Ingalls on Christmas by Tulsa Jack, side partner of the late Bill Dalton, and a gang of six men.
January 5, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Hennessey had a lover's elopement excitement on Christmas. Ranaky Bill McKinley ran away with Rattlesnake Bill's Wife formerly a daughter of a wealthy cattleman of Cheyenne county.
January 5, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--R. C. Speer got into a dispute with B. Cagle over a claim near Perry this week when the former took an ax and split the latter's head open.
January 5, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Bill Doolin and Bill Cook were in thirteen different places on Christmas day. Bill Cook was holding up a man with three cents in his pocket over in the Choctaw country, was dying near Muskogee, was battering down an express car door over on the Rock Island, was leading a raid at McAlester was robbing a bank at Hennessey, and attended a turkey shooting at Woodward.
HORSEHIEVES LYNCHED
Three Men Hanged and Their Bodies Riddled With Bullets
January 12, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Wichita, Kansas--News reaches here from Kingfisher, Oklahoma of a wholesale hanging of thieves in the Cheyenne and Arapaho country. The settlers there have ever since the opening been the victims of marauding bands of horse and cattle thieves and finding the authorities too slow in bringing the offenders to justice, several vigilance committees were organized in different parts of the country to take the law in their own hands. The vigilants a few days ago started on the trail of one band followed it into the Panhandle of Texas, back into the Cheyenne country overtaking it near Cantonment. Here a battle followed, resulting in the wounding of George Gaskell and Simeon Campbell, two of the vigilantes, and the capture of three of the thieves. The latter were hanged without delay. Their bodies were shot to pieces and left hanging as a warning to their kind.
January 12, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Jim Cook, who was serving an eight year sentence for the murder of Sequoyah Houston, broke out of prison on the 2nd.
January 12, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--George East and Bob Moore, two individuals who have been holding high hands in the territories for years and baffling all efforts to capture them were, at last, apprehended and made to bite the dust. They were surrounded in a desolate valley in the Wichita country on the 2nd by Deputy Marshal Bill Wilson and posse when both sides opened fire, resulting in the death of two of this country's most desperate men.
CHEROKEE BILL KILLED
January 26, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Guthrie--Report reaches here tonight from Tulsa that Cherokee Bill, one of the worst outlaws in the territory quarreled with his wife's cousin and the latter grabbed a shotgun and discharged both barrels at Bill's head, blowing his entire head off above his mouth
February 2 1895--Cleveland County Leader--The outlaws of the territory nearly all bear the euphonious title of "Bill." There is Bill Dalton, supposed to be deceased; Bill Cook, Bill Doolin Cherokee Bill, Wild Bill, Mustang Bill, Sketter Bill, and infinitum, while some of their pursuers are known as Caddo Bill, Stepback Bill and Skillety Bill.
CHEROKEE BILL CAUGHT
February 2 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Nowata, I. T.--Cherokee Bill, the notorious Negro Cherokee outlaw, was captured six miles west of this place early this morning. Deputy Marshal W. C. Smith of Fort Smith conceived and directed the capture, which occurred at the home of ex-marshal Ike Rogers. Rogers acting for Smith, yesterday evening invited Miss Lizzie Glass his cousin and Bill's sweetheart to spend the evening. The decoy worked Bill came also. In the morning after breakfast, while Cherokee Bill's attention was diverted, Rogers struck him on the back of the head with a heavy green club. The outlaw was felled, but soon recovered himself and a desperate struggle ensued. A colored ally of Rogers' rushed in and the outlaw was finally subdued. He was then placed in a wagon and brought to this place.
The name of Cherokee Bill is Crawford Crosby. He has a desperate record, having killed five men and participated in a score of robberies and holdups. It is he who more than any other outlaw has terrorized this country. Several weeks since he called one of our merchants out and agreed to not molest the citizens if they in turn would let him rob the depot. He completely broke down when captured. He was placed in charge of Marshal Smith and is now on the way to Fort Smith.
CHEROKEE BILL PLEADED GUILTY
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Fort Smith, Ark.--Cherokee Bill was arraigned this morning and pleaded guilty. He was charged with the Re Fork robbery, two counts. He had nerve enough to abuse his betrayers viciously when he saw them in the court room.
OUTLAWS CAUGHT
The Notorious Shelley Brothers Taken After a Hot Fight
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Checotah, I. T.--Sheriff W.F. Lake of Pawnee county, Oklahoma and posse, consisting of Deputy Sheriff F. M. Canton and Dr. Bland, of Pawnee, Deputy Marshal Dean Hogan of Muskogee, Deputy Marshal John McCane and Robert McCane, of Checotah made an important capture of Will and John Shelly, alias Pierce, and ten miles east of here yesterday. The Shelly brothers, who were held for grand larceny, broke jail at Shawnee September 5 last. When captured they had in the possession several saddles and harness which have been claimed by citizens of Checotah. They were apprehended in a house owned by Sterling Hood, who knew nothing of their reputation as criminals, and when ordered to surrender they opened fire, wounding Deputy McCane and Dr. Bland slightly. The officers returned the fire, shooting Will Shelly through the legs. Coal oil was procured and the house was set on fire. After about seventy five shots were fired and seeing that all hope of escape from the flames and the determined officials was gone, the two desperate men surrendered, and were brought to Checotah. Sheriff Lake and his posse will leave here today with his prisoners and will travel overland to Pawnee.
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--The Garfield jail is in fine condition. It is empty.
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader-Old Geronimo doesn't appear to be half as dangerous as some people tried to make out when he was first sent to Oklahoma.
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Gainesville, Texas--Sheriff Land of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, arrived in this city this morning with Bill and John Shelley, who were arrested in the Creek Nation. Bill Shelley was shot through both thighs and was brought in on a stretcher. The officers surrounded the house of John Shelley Sunday morning, but were stood off for several hours by the two brothers. They finally smoked them out by setting a wagon load of hay on fire and rolling it against the house. The officers took their prisoners on to Oklahoma this afternoon. They are charged with horse stealing and robbing.
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Jude Green was arrested the other day by Officer Basham, on the charge of keeping a disorderly house.
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Ex-Sheriff George Smith was in Lexington Monday and had in custody John Collins, whom he had captured in the swamps of Louisiana. Collins is wanted in this county for the murder of Nath Moser nearly one year ago. It is said that Mr. Smith will get $600 as a reward for the capture of Collins.
THE TWO BILLS
February 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Fort Smith, Ark.--In the federal court today Bill Cook and Crawford Goldsby, alias Cherokee Bill, were tried jointly for participating in the Red Fork train robbery on the Sapulpa a branch of the Frisco in July 1894. They were fully identified and the jury convicted them on the first ballot. They were then arraigned jointly for the robbery of Tom Scales' store at Wetumka, and the store of Fred Parkinson at Okmulgee.
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Bill Cook will be tried at Ft. Smith this month. He entered a plea of not guilty to three indictments of robbery.
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--A special from Claremore says: Thursday night Jim French and Slaughter Kid undertook to rob the general merchandize store of W. E. Patton, at Catoosa, twelve miles south of here. The bandits were recognized and a Texas cowboy opened fire on them instantly killing Slaughter Kid with his second shot. He fired his third shot at Jim French but missed. Having no more cartridges he secreted his revolver. French entered the store and accused the cowboy of killing his partner in crime, but the cowboy protested that he had no gun, hence he could not be the one, whereupon French turned and shot Manager Irvine through the body. Irvine drew his revolver and returned the fire, shooting French through the body and through the right eye. French managed to reach his horse and rode to a house a shot distance away. The owner of the house informed the people of French's whereabouts and a crowd assembled to capture the dying bandit, who hearing them approach went to the window and at that moment received a load of buckshot in the face almost tearing his head off. Irvine's death is expected hourly. The death of the outlaws entirely wipes out the Cook gang with the exception of Bill Doolin.
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Jim Price, who killed Marshal Beard, of Claremore, I. T., 3 months ago has surrendered and was taken to Fort Smith, Arkansas.
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--The jury in the case of Bill Cook and Cherokee Bill returned a verdict of guilty Wednesday afternoon. These convictions are for robbing the Well Fargo Express Company and the St. Louis & San Francisco read at Red Fork, I. T. on July 19. There are several other cases against them.
THWARTED TRAIN ROBBERS
Contemplated Holdup of the Santa Fe in the Territory
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Ardmore, I. T.--An unsuccessful attempt was made to hold up the north bound Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe passenger train about 1:30 o'clock this morning at a point on Hickory Creek, in a desolate region about two and a half miles south of the little town of Overbrook. The train was the fast Kansas City through passenger and express.
The railway company has established a new watering station near the point where the holdup was attempted, and the robbers evidently expected the grain to stop at the tank for water, as it customary. As the engineer was reversing his engine to take water, and the train commenced to slow up, the headlight revealed several suspicious looking characters on the track ahead and he decided not to stop the train, but to try and run here for water.
Throwing the lever forward and opening wide the throttle, the grain fairly flew by the water station and from the underbrush on either side of the rack, was fired upon. As near as can be ascertained from fifteen shots were fired in all into the passing train, most of the bullets taking effect in the sleeper. Fortunately no one was hit by the shower of bullets, although a passenger in the sleeper had almost a miraculous escape, his head being missed by a bullet by but a few inches.
A posse of deputy United States Marshals were dispatched to the spot where the holdup was attempted.
JIM FRENCH'S BODY
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Fort Smith, Ark.--The body of Jim 'French the Cherokee outlaw who was killed at Catoosa, Chickasaw Nation on the night of the 7th, was brought here this morning for identification. The bloody corpse, frozen still, was viewed by hundreds of people as it lay in a pine box in front of the United States jail during the day. This afternoon the remains were turned over to Tom French, brother to Jim, who took them by rail to Fort Gibson, where the boy was born and raised. French was 22 years of age and went into outlawry with the Cook gang last summer. For the past two or three months he and Sam McWilliams have been operating by themselves. They robbed Nash's store at Fort Gibson, shot old man Gald, his wife and daughter between Tahlequah and Fort Gibson, killed Scott Fisher in a fight near Texas about two weeks ago, and wound up his career at Catoosa. McWilliams was not with him at this place.
Shirley Wilkins of Abilene, who killed young Cochran, and Tom Tansley of Dresden, Tenn.,., who fired the wad of buckshot into French's head, are both in the city and will not return to Catoosa, as Tansley has been warned by friends that he would place his life in jeopardy by going back.
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Purcell--Joe Paul was brought up from the Valley Wednesday and tried before Commissioner Gates on a charge of assault with intent to murder, he having had a shooting scrape with Newt Williams, another Indian citizen of that vicinity, several shots being exchanged between them and Williams receiving two wounds that are to considered dangerous. Paul was bound over and gave bond in the sum of $750. Both parties being Indians there is some doubts being express as to the United States courts having jurisdiction
February 16, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Judge Amos Green has commenced a suit against Col. J. L. Thomas, the Sac and Fox agent, and Deputy marshal Hopkins, to prevent them from expelling one L. C. Grimes from the Kickapoo country. According to their petition, two Kickapoo have allotments in the Kickapoo country and leased them to Grimes, who proceeded to cultivate them. The Indian agent ordered Grimes out of the reservation, and when he refused to go threatened him with arrest and the burning of his improvements. An injunction is asked to prevent the threats from being carried out.
February 23, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Guthrie--Deputy United States Marshals Heck Thomas and Bill Tilghman and posse left the city last evening for Ingalls to arrest the four desperado, Bill Doolin and pals. The outlaws are now in hiding at that place and the officers propose to bring them in dead or alive.
February 23 1895--Cleveland County Leader--J. P. Atkinson, manager of the Shawnee state route, says the travel between this city and the "coming wonder" is something wonderful. Monday he counted sixty four teams between here and seven miles out, all found for Shawnee and all loaded with supplies; and last night there were sixty five in the same distance. Shawnee is evidently booming.
February 23, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Guthrie, OK--Deputy United States Marshals J. H. Clay, C. Madsen, W. E. Brown and E. Morris succeeded in capturing yesterday near Taloga, O. T., several members of the worst gang of outlaws that have terrorized the inhabitants of Oklahoma since the days of the notorious Starr and Daltons. Great credit is due the brave officers who followed the gang for over two week through the Gypsum hills and in the barren country northwest. They were out through the terrible blizzard that raged so fearfully through this portion of Oklahoma. During the storm the suspected outlaws separated and the marshals first captured two brothers named Petti-John, several miles west of Taloga. They brought them to the county seat and went back and surrounded "Tony Wassel, T. J. Moore and an unknown man. Wassel and Moore were captured, but the unknown man escaped. Large sums of money were found on their persons. Marshal Madsen contracted a severe cold while trailing the outlaws through the blizzard and is now under the doctor's care.
March 2, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Guthrie, OK--Mrs. M. C. Taylor, a dressmaker, blew off the head of William H. Harrison with a shot gun. She had applied for a divorce and the case was set for today. She claims that her husband hired Harrison to shadow her and get evidence against her. Harrison, she says, has dogged her for week and yesterday entered her house. When she ordered him out and he refused to go, she killed him.
March 2, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--A large force of Deputy United States Marshals left Guthrie Thursday morning for the town of Ingalls, on the border of the Indian country, fifty miles east, having information that Bill Doolin and half a dozen other outlaws were in hiding there. They went determined to have a battle and capture or kill the outlaws, and if successful the last remnant of all the notorious outlaw gangs will be exterminated from the two territories.
March 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--The movement to establish a Grand Army Post at Pond Creek took form on the evening of the 20th at a meeting of the old soldiers when a temporary organization was effected by the election of H. H. Carr president; F. E. Dunham, vice president; H. C. Magoon, secretary, and John Randall, assistant secretary. Application has been made for a dispensation making all who are members of other posts eligible to join as charter members without being liable for arrearages. It is expected and hoped that a permanent organization may be in effect at an early day.
March 9, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Deputy Sheriff Basham has recently been appointed deputy United States Marshal by marshal Nix.
RIOTOUS SOLONS
Oklahoma Legislature Winds Up In A Genera Free For All Fight
March 16, 18895--Cleveland County Leader--Guthrie, Ok.--The Oklahoma legislature managed to adjourn sine die at 1 o'clock Sunday morning. The session in both houses wound up with rioting and disgraceful scenes, and several personal encounters occurred. In the last hours the prize fighting bill was killed, a penitentiary was located at Round Pond, a Normal school at Alva and an insane asylum at Perry. An appropriation bill was passed giving $100,000 for keeping the insane one year. Political fusion was prohibited by a law which makes it a felony for an election board to place a candidate on, to allow his name to be placed on, or a printer to print on more than one ticket the name of any candidate. This is the first law passed in the United States against political fusion. All county seats and present territorial institutions are left where they are. The Daily State Capital of Guthrie was made the official paper of the territory and Frank H. Greer territorial public printer. A civil rights bill guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens was passed. The capital was relocated at Guthrie.
March 23, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--The supreme court of the nation refused to interfere with the sentence of Johnson Jacob, a full blood Choctaw, under sentence to be shot for the murder of his wife. He was shot Friday.
March 23, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Deputy United States Marshal M. A. Ianson came to Guthrie Monday from Lincoln County with Emma Briggs, who is charged with uttering and passing counterfeit money of the denominations of 41 and 5 cents. The culprit has been traveling and cooperating with a confederated named Frank Christy, alias Jones, alias Raymond. Christy was placed in the Pottawatomie country a few days since and is now in the Federal jail. miss Briggs is said to be a tender girl who has been led in bad company. The officers think they have made a valuable catch.
March 30, 1895--Cleveland County Leader--Post officers have been established at Gaze, Wood County, and at Land in the Osage nation.
March 30, 1895-- Cleveland County Leader--Wednesday morning Gene Hays shot Deputy Marshal Jim Doss in the rear of the Switzer saloon at El Reno, one ball entering Doss's right cheek and coming out on the left side of the neck, the other passing through the left leg. Doss was taken to Dr. Sombert's office and his wounds dressed and afterwards he was taken home.
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