The News contained a brief account Saturday of a desperate battle near Spiro, I. T. The following detailed account of the said affair appeared in Sunday morning’s Ft. Smith News-Record:

The remains of Sam Sorrels, who was killed by a desperado at Coal Creek Friday afternoon, were brought to this city yesterday morning by his sister, Mrs. George H. Coleman, and interred in the city cemetery yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock.

The killing of Sorrels took place Friday afternoon while he and Deputy United States Marshal Ralph Scargil were attempting to arrest two men who are suspected of being the men who killed the city marshal of El Reno, O. T., a short time ago.

There was a desperate fight for a few minutes and when the shooting subsided, Sorrels and one of the desperadoes lay dead on the ground and Scargil lay near by with a bullet wound through both thighs.

The dead desperado is about 40 years of age, dark complexion, about 5 feet 10 inches in height, and weighs 180 pounds. He lay all day yesterday in the depot at Sprio, but no one was able to identify him.

The other desperado, the man who shot Scaril, escaped, and although a posse went out from Spiro in search of him Friday night and a second passé started early yesterday, no news has been received o him. It is thought he made a short detour through the woods and caught the first freight train that comes along. He is reported to be a cool and daring fellow and a man who will not be taken without a fight. Sorrells lived at Kinta and was married only a week ago. He has been riding as a posse for the deputies of the Central district. Friday he was in McCurtain and there met Scargil who had received information that the supposed murderers of the marshal at El Reno were working their way east on the Ft. Smith & Western to look out for them. They started to Spiro, where Scargil lives and at Coal Creek saw two men, who answered the description that had been given them and they started to arrest them, intending to hold them for identification. When they called on the men to surrender the firing began and before it had been ended about 15 shots had been fired.

“When Scargil called to the men to surrender, they both drew pistols and began firing at the officers,” said one of the trainmen. “We were switching cars and didn’t see all of the shooting, which didn’t last over a minute.”

John Coker, who lives at Coal Creek and came in on the Fort Smith & Western Friday night tells the following story of the shooting:

“When the grain pulled in the box cars were cut off from the coach, which was left standing next to the platform. The string of boxes was run in on a siding and two men got out of a car opposite the coach. Sorrels jumped off the rear platform of the coach and Scargil off the front end and had the men between them. I head some one say, “We want you,’ and almost immediately two shots were fired. I stooped down and looked under the car and saw all the shooting. The desperadoes fired first and the shots were all fired almost together. Sorrels hit his man the first shot, that is, at Sorrells’ first shot, I saw the man facing him fall forward on his face. He partially raised himself and tried two more shots, and Sorrells fell backward. The man that was shooting at Scargil didn’t look to me like he was trying to kill him, for he seemed to be shooting at his legs. When Scargil fell he snapped his pistol a couple of times, but I guess it was empty. The man who shot him ran up , and poking his pistol in Scargil’s face, made him give up his pistol. Then he took Scargil’s cartridge belt, loaded the pistol and backed off, with a pistol in each hand, covering the crowd until he passed over the top of the rise, then he turned and disappeared in the woods on a run. When the shooting came to an end the passengers started to run around the end of the car, and found themselves face to face with the desperado, who commanded

“’Stand back, gentlemen!’

“And they stopped short, I helped put the men in the baggage car to bring them to Spiro. Sorrells was dead when we got to him. We thought the other fellow was dead, too, but when I was fixing his hat under his head in the baggage car, he opened his eyes, gave a groan and fell back dead.”

Sam Sorrells was raised on the farm adjoing August Harder’s place on Texas road, a short distance from this city. He was 34 years of age, and leaves four little children by his wife, in addition to a bride of a week. His wife could not be heard from prior to the funeral. George H. Coleman and wife went out to Spiro yesterday and took charge of the body.

Both Sorrells and the unknown man were shot through the breast very close to the heart.

The shooting caused a sensation among the passengers and there was a stampede to get out of the coach.

There was a general wish expressed on the streets yesterday that the dead man should prove to be the man wanted as there is a reward of $3,000 for the murderer of the marshal of El Reno, and that sum would go a long way toward the support of the children made orphans by his fatal shot. ‘The dead mad had fired five shots from his revolver and the revolver was partly cocked when it was picked up.

Deputy Henry Fannin and Posse McBride were here Friday night after the bloodhounds and asked the officers to keep a lookout for the escaped desperado. The best description the local officers have of the man is that he is a tall, spare made man, wearing a white hat and a long, light brown overcoat.

The dog was not used and was sent back last night.

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