Indian Territory will be set back several years more in the estimation of readers of Eastern papers through a bloody fight at Wewoka Friday between a posse and the survivors of the murderous Cravens gang. A Guthrie special to yesterday’s Kansas City Journal thus tells the story as brought out by a confession:

Two of the men, Joe Mobbley and Al Williams, who were captured at the Wewoka, Seminole nation, fight last Friday, and brought to the Federal jail here for safe keeping, have confessed the entire story of the murdering of Sheriff George Smith and his deputy, Beck, near Anadarko a few weeks ago. The confession was voluntary on the part of the prisoners and evidently made with a view of saving their necks and to throw the blame on Bert Casey, the only member of this gang of outlaws that escaped at the Wewoka fight.

The confession states that a party, composed of Casey, Mobbley, Williams, and Swafford, had gone into Caddo county with the intention of robbing some saloons, and to see what chance there would be to rob the bank at Mountain View. The gang took on a big drunk at Anadarko, and while going to the deserted hut where the killing took place held up a farmer and stole his saddle and ran his horse off. As is known, the farmer told Sheriff Smith and he and his deputies went to the hut to capture the robbers.

The result was a pitched battle in which Smith and Beck were killed and the outlaws escaped. The prisoners insist that Casey, who escaped and Swafford, who was killed at Wewoka Friday, shot the officers and Williams even insists that he was forced to do as he was bid. The prisoners state that after Casey had; mortally wounded Smith he kicked the dying officer in the face and stood on his hands while robbing him.

Shortly after the murder of Smith four other members of the gang, who were to join Casey, were arrested in Anadarko. City Marshal Morison, of Hobart, who was in the city at the time and was unknown to the prisoners, put up a job on the outlaws and told them he would assist them to escape. Sheriff Thompson, in accordance with a prearranged plan, caught Morrison in the act of passing a revolver into the jail, arrested him and threw him in with the outlaws. Morison soon had the entire confidence of the gang and they told him that Casey was their leader, that he and his three pals had killed Sheriff Smith and that as soon as they could escape they wee to join Casey near Wewoka. With this clew the officers closed in on their den Friday and in the battle that followed Swafford was killed, Casey escaped. Bill Watson, Williams, Mobbley and an unknown man were captured and one of the officers, Stone, was dangerously wounded.

There is no doubt as to the truth of the confession as the dead outlaw had on Sheriff Smith’s revolver and the horses of both of the dead officers have been found where Casey and his gang had left them. The younger of the two prisoners, Williams, is a new hand at the business and he not only told the officers of the fact enumerated, but told that the real leader of this, the worst gang of cutthroats in Oklahoma and Indian Territory, is none other than Ben Cravens, who is laying low to escape the officers for murdering Alvin Bateman at Red rock last fall.

The members of the gang now in custody are Mobbley and Williams, for murdering Sheriff Smith and Deputy Beck; Levi Reed and Dan Moran, for the murder of the Beamblossom boy: Bill Watson, horse thief, and wanted for a murder committed in Kentucky; Gus Conger and Ab Mobbley, in jail at El Reno for stealing horses; George Barclay, under sentence of death for a murder committed in the Osage country; Lee Stanley, serving time for stealing; Bert Weltey, serving a life sentence for murdering Alvin Bateman in the Red Rock hold up; Brown and Simmons and our unknown men in jail at Wewoka; Bob Hardin, horse thief, and Walter Swafford, killed in the Wewoka fight. Bert Casey, Ben Cravens, Bob McCune and Bob Sims, all murderers and desperate outlaws, are still at large.

Supplementary to this is the flowing dispatch from Shawnee to the same paper: Bert Case, who was captured by the officers near Wewoka, I. T., escaped and today was met by a posse in the southwest part of Pottawatomie County. In the engagement that followed he was shot through the left arm. He is now thought to be near Wewoka, at the scene of the first battle. Sheriff Schram and a posse left for that point tonight and his capture is almost certain. His left arm is broken, but it is though he will not be taken alive.

Nine thousand dollars is the aggregate reward that is on his dead, dead or alive. Arthur Swofford, the brother of the dead desperado, who was killed last Saturday, is here today and identified the dead man as his brother. Governor Ferguson telegraphed County Attorney Pittman to deliver the body of Walter Swofford to his relatives. They will take it tomorrow to Asher, in the south part of this county.

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