El Reno American

DALTON ON PAROLE

Notorious Bandit Been in Prison Fifteen Years

Last Survivor of Robber Gang

Desperate Outlaws Committed Reckless and Foul Murders for Years

July 18, 1907—El Reno American—Kansas City, Mo., July 15—Bewildered by the busy scenes And new sights confronting his eyes, Emmett Dalton, the ex-train robber, is enjoying the first bit of freedom he has spent outside of prison walls in nearly fifteen years. A week ago he was granted a four months’ parole by Governor Hoch and released from the Kansas Penitentiary at Lansing in order that he might come to the city to receive treatment for a would in the shoulder, received I the famous skirmish at Coffeyville, Kansas. It is believed that a pardon is in sight for the ex-bandit and it is probably that he will not be obliged to stay in prison long after the expiration of his present parole. His aged mother, who is now with him, has been working for his freedom for years and recently her efforts have received the endorsement of many prominent Kansans.

Emmett Dalton is the last surviving member of the Dalton gang of outlaws, which included the three brothers, Bob, Gratton and Emmett, who first sprang into public notice in 1899 and were wiped out in 1892 at Coffeyville, Kansas, where they attempted to rob the Coffeyville National Bank. Bob Dalton had been a deputy marshal in the Indian Territory, where he acquired a reputation for nerve and daring. In 1889 he was discharged from the service for accepting bribes from criminals. Accompanied by his brothers, Gratton and Emmett, he proceeded to California. They had not been there long before there was a train robbery near Attila, in which the fireman of the train was killed. The Daltons were accused and indicted. They left the sate and for the next eighteen months they made criminal history faster than it had been made since the days of the Younger and James boys.

The Santa Fe train robberies at Wharton and Red Rock, the Missouri Pacific robbery at Adair and the San Francisco robbery near Vinita all followed in rapid succession,. Between jobs the gang hid in the Indian Territory, Arkansas and Kansas. The railroad and express companies heaped up rewards until they amounted to $25,000, but there were no captures. The Coffeyville raid was the pet scheme of Bob Dalton. He had lived there, knew the banks, and was anxious to outdo the James and Younger exploits by riding boldly into the town in broad daylight and plundering both banks at one haul. The raid occurred in October 1892. The gang rode into the town and hitched its horses in an alley and started for the banks, each man carrying a Winchester in the hollow of his arm.

But the purpose of the gang was quickly realized and a cry of “Robbers in the bank!” brought the citizens out in force. The defendants of the town rushed into hardware stores and armed themselves with rifles and guns. They stole out on the tops of buildings, in alleys and back lots, while some few stood boldly out in the street. In the National Bank Bob and Emmett Dalton had compelled the bank force to hold up its hands and had dumped $20,000 in cash into a sack. Coming to the bank window, Bob engaged in battle with the townspeople, killing one man and wounding three others.,

Meanwhile there was more serious trouble for Grat Dalton at the Condon bank. The bank had a time lock, which frustrated the efforts of the gang to open it. Grat swept up the cash he found lying around, exchanging a few shot with the citizens until he was forced to flee. The gang hurried to the alley where their horses were tied, and where they wee hemmed in by the citizens to such an extent that the Dalton boys, only Emmett, swifter of foot than the others, gained his horse. Emmett rode but a short distance, when to the astonishment of the citizens he turned back to help his brother Bob, who had been mortally wounded.

When the smoke of battle cleared away there were eight dead men. The robbers had lost bob and Grat Dalton, Joe Evans and John Moore, and their fifth man, Emmett Dalton, had been shot until it was thought he could not live. The citizens had lost the city marshal, a bank clerk and tow merchants of the town. Several others had been severely wounded. After Emmett recovered fro his wounds he was tried and sentenced to be hanged, which in Kansas means a life sentence in the penitentiary. He was but 18 years old when captured and has been confined in the penitentiary nearly 15 years. He has been spoken of at all times as a model prisoner.

THE LAIR OF OUTLAWS

Bold Mountain Moonshiners’ Still Raided by Officers

Horse Thieving Gang Broken Up

Outlaws Run Booze Mill Successfully for Three Years in the Hills

July 25, 1907—The El Reno American—Muskogee, I. T., July 22—After stealing horses and making moonshine liquor for three years undisturbed in the heart of the Choctaw nation, the lair of the outlaws has at last been discovered, their still broken up and the place razed to the ground.

The still was in the security of Bald mountain, a place almost impossible to reach, as is attested by the fact that while the still has been suspected by the officers for two years, they had never been able to locate it.

Bald Mountain is twenty miles east of Limestone Gap, a way station on the “Katy” railroad. The country there is a rough and broken wilderness where Indians hunt big game and few white settlers live. One may travel for miles there and not see a human habitation, though one sees here and here an Indian on the grail or a hunter.

Set back in these hills and the trails to it constantly guarded, the still has been successfully operated for three years. In addition to making moonshine liquor the owners of the still were evidently either engaged in stealing horses or were the “fence” for horse thieves, for there had been about thirty horses held at the point near the still. These horses are believed to be stolen from different parts of the Choctaw nation and collected near the still from which place they were run out of the country and sold.

The officers arrested a man who lived in the country near the still on suspicion. For many days he maintained stoutly complete ignorance but from time to time he let drop admissions that finally wound around him so completely that he made a complete confession about the still but denies that he is connected with it further than to buy liquor.

With this man acting as a guide two officers with a posse entered the mountain recesses and found a secret train which led to the still without difficulty. When the still was located there was no one in sight, but four men were picked up who are believed to be the men who were operating the illicit plant.

They have been placed in jail at Atoka. Near the still was a large stable in which there had been almost thirty horses. The officers learned enough about these horses to convince them that they had all been stolen and that they

There have been lots of hoses stolen in this were just about to be run out of the country and disposed of. The horses had been taken out of the corral and scattered before the officers got there.

There have been lots of horses stolen in this section of the Choctaw nation for a long time and when a horse was stolen it could never be located again. The post office nearest the still location is Wesley, a crossroads store in the mountains and the officers who located the still are Deputy Marshals York and Blackburn.

INDIANS DANCE NEAR CALUMET

Hundreds of White People Witness the Spectacle

Supposed to be the Sun Dance

Indian Agent Places Restrictions Upon the Festivities and Lessens Excitement Somewhat

September 12, 1907—The El Reno American--Some Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians are dancing what they are pleased to term the sun dance, about six miles northwest of the town of Calumet, west of El Reno. The exhibition is not so exciting as was expected, because of the restrictions placed upon the terpsichorean antics by the Indian agent, Mr. Shell of Darlington.

The aborigines seem still to delight in the customs of their ancestors and the Indians, many of whom are graduates of the best colleges of the world, still indulge in or are attracted by this remnant of past ages and the scene of this weird spectacle was yesterday visited by many hundreds of whites, anxious to witness the practice of physical exhaustion.

Among the white visitors were Peter Kipley, president of the llino’s Firemen’s Association, who live at Riverdale, a suburb of Chicago,; E. S. Kennedy, chief of the fire department, was also present.

Many will go to see the dance because it is thought to be the last the Indians will be permitted to give on this reservation.

In the early days following the opening of Oklahoma proper, the Indians held dances galore sun, moon, rain and corn dances and scalp dances, and many other kinds both social” and religious, but the ghost dance was the greatest spectacle of them all. These the Indians would not permit the white people to witness if they could help it and all sorts of schemes where resorted to in order to evade intrusion by the whites.

This was a religious dance in which the medicine men of the tribes introduced hypnotism and after one of these dances was in fully sway with probably three hundred participants the sight was one long to be remembered. It finally became necessary for the government to prohibit them and there has not been one of that character for more than ten years on this reservation.

It was the custom in the early days for El Reno people to give the Indians beef on the hoof to come to town and give some of their dances, whenever it was necessary to give a celebration. These dances were never those of a religious character and it was but seldom that they could be prevailed upon to give an imitation of a war or scalp dance.

In addition to the two or three beeves donated to the Indians, they would be given other articles, such as musty crackers, reminiscent prunes and chuckaway of that nature. The variety of dances and the number of participants depended upon the quantity of wo-hah and for a big celebration six or eight beeves would be needed.

The dance now going on near Calumet is but a shadow of the ones witnessed here in the early days.

GOV. HOCH TO GIVE DALTON’S PARDON

November 7, 1907—The El Reno American—Topeka, Kas., Nov 4—Governor Hoch Saturday issued a pardon to Emmet Dalton, former member of the Dalton gang that ended its career at Coffeyville, Kans., in 1892, under circumstances that attended the capture of the greater part of Younger band of bandits at Northfield, Minn., in 1876.

Dalton was a model prisoner and for several years a trusty at the Kansas penitentiary in Lansing.

Fifteen years ago, with his brothers and three other companions, he tried to rob two banks at Coffeyville. He and Bob got $22,000 from one bank and started to ride away, but his companions engaged in a pitched battle in the other bank and lost their opportunity to escape.

Bob Dalton was killed and Emmett captured. Emmet was then only 20 years old. He was sentenced to death but the decree was commuted to life imprisonment.

Emmet was wounded in the arm in the Coffeyville fight.

The injury never healed and three months ago he was granted a parole in order that the might go to Kansas City and have the wound treated. He returned to Coffeyville a few days ago to serve out his sentence.

The Governor had requested Alton to come to Topeka and the prisoner made the trip from Lansing alone. After a conference with Dalton, Governor Hoch handed him the parchment that made him a free man. Then he shook hands with Dalton and declared his belief that he would become a useful citizen.

Dalton tanked the governor and added: “There is someone in Kingfisher who will be glad to hear of this.”

He referred to his mother, who lives in Oklahoma. She is 92 years old and has been working for her son’s pardon for several years.

ADVISES WOMEN TO RIDE ASTRIDE

November 7, 1907—The El Reno American--Chicago, Nov. 6—Women should wear bloomers and ride astride, says Miss Ellen Rasmussen Tuttle, Chicago’s most noted society horse-woman who had adopted that kind of costume for her wear. Each day Miss Tuttle can been seen riding about the fashionable boulevards of the North-side attired in divided shirts, a jockey’s suit or white bloomers, with a short overskirt.

“If women intend to ride for the real pleasure there is in the exercise and feel safe she should war some costume that will enable her to ride astride,” said Miss Tuttle.

“The danger in taking the hurdles in a ride to hounds I minimized if the rider sits balanced in her saddle. No sidesaddle can be called absolutely save. There is always danger of its slipping or turning at a critical moment.

“I have ridden horseback all my life, ever since I was able to climb on a horse and hold the reins. I love a horse, but I wouldn’t trust the best of them. You can’t tell when you animal is going to shy suddenly and the long skirts of the conventional habit are quite as likely to scare him as anything else. Then it’s always in the way and sure to get angled up and caught on something when you try to dismount hurriedly.

“For myself I prefer the jockey suit. It gives absolute freedoms to every notion. It does not catch the wind. I know many women are shocked at it and for that reason I cannot wear one as much as I would like. But it is really a much better costume than any other.

GERONIMO WANTS COIN

November 7, 1907-- The El Reno American--—Lawton, Okla., Nov 6—Declaring that his people are hungry and suffering from want of clothing and shelter, Geronimo, the Apache warrior, whose tribesmen are prisoners of war on the Fort Sill Military Reservation near here, has written to President Roosevelt, asking that the situation be relieved and threatening to summarily take his tribe from the reservation, through bloodshed if necessary, if money due the Apache Indians is not forthcoming.

Geronino’s action is based upon the inability of Lieutenant Purington, Quartermaster in charge of Apache Indian affairs to supply the tribe with its weekly cash allowance.

BEN CRAVEN MUST COME BACK TO OKLAHOMA

Noted Outlaw Will Be Returned To This State

May 12, 1911—El Reno American—St. Louis, Mo., May 6—Ben Craven, the Oklahoma outlaw, now serving a sentence for horse stealing in the penitentiary, under an assumed name, is to be returned to Oklahoma to stand trial on a charge of murder committed ten years ago. The governor of Oklahoma will request Governor Hadley to pardon the former desperado, and when Craven steps from the penitentiary he will be re-arrested and taken to Oklahoma.

Rewards aggregating to $10,000 are hanging over the head of Craven, and the authorities of every state in the union have been searching for him since he led a successful jailbreak at the Kansas state penitentiary in Lansing 11 years ago. The rewards are offered by the Oklahoma Horse-thief Association and the state of Kansas. The Oklahoma organization offered $6000 for his capture, dead or alive.

Gov. Hadley announced Thursday he had not received requisition from the governor of Oklahoma, and he said he couldn’t say whether he will pardon the convict until after he had received positive information that the Oklahoma authorities have sufficient evidence to convict him of the murder charge. The convict neither denies nor affirms his identity, nor will he tell anything of his past career.

Four of the five murders charged against Craven were committed in Oklahoma, and it is probably that Bert Welty, former partner in crime of the desperado will be used to convict him. Welty is now serving a life’s sentence in the penitentiary at McAlester, for murder, grow8ing out of a holdup in which he and Craven participated

The authorities of Kansas rely upon Welty’s testimony to prove that Craven shot and killed E. F. Estelle, who was one of the two men to escape with him from the federal penitentiary. After his arrest Welty made a complete confession in which he said that Crave killed Estelle to prevent him from being capture, after Estelle had been wounded.

KILLED THE HORSE

Exciting Steer-Roping Contest At a Florida Picnic

Capt. Thomas Lindsay, the State’s Cowboy King, Became A Hero, but Lost His Famous Horse

November 12, 1919—El Reno Daily American—Trenton, Fla.—A picnic was given at Fort Fannin on the Suwannee River the other day and a steer-roping contest was advertised as part of the day’s entertainment. Capt. Thomas J. Lindsay, who is known as the cowboy king, and is the champion of West Florida, was to contest with Bill Sykes, the champion of Levy County.

Captain Lindsay arrived promptly at ten a.m., mounted on his famous pony, Greasy Streak, but Sykes had not yet arrived. Many cheers were given for Captain Lindsay, and hisses given for Sykes, but Lindsay pointed out that something might have happened to prevent Sykes’ attendance, and proposed to wait 30 minutes for his arrival. After waiting 20 minutes, a messenger arrived and reported Sykes was too sick to attend. This was a great disappointment to the crowd, but Captain Lindsay determined to give an exhibition of his own.

He went to the corral where a large herd of fierce bulls had been penned, and turning them out, headed them for the river. Captain Lindsay thought that when they reached the bluff that they would turn and circle the closed side of the picnic grounds, but the day being warm and the bulls fretted by their confinement in the corral, the plunged over the bluff into the river. Captain Lindsay was just in the rear of a large bull when the leaders went over, and threw his lariat with unerring aim around the big animals’ horns.

All would have been well, but when the captain stopped his pony, he was going so fast that the animal skidded on his haunches to within three feet of the edge of the bluff and when the bull struck the water the treacherous bank gave way, throwing both horse and rider into the river. Captain Lindsay is an expert swimmer, and would not have been in any danger if his spurs had not become entangled, and he was carried under with his struggling pony. Two men were in a boat fishing near by, and went to his assistance. Lindsay succeeded in cutting loose just in time to escape drowning. His friends were uneasy about his condition for quite awhile, but he came around al right in an hour or so, and is in as good shape as ever. The people however regret the loss of the captain’s fine and famous pony.

JAMES BOYS MOTHER PASSES AWAY

February 12, 1922—El Reno American—Oklahoma City, Feb. 11—Mrs. Zerelda Samuel, 86 years old, mother of Jesse and Frank James, died Friday afternoon on a Frisco train while en route to Oklahoma City after a visit with her son Frank, at his home near Fletcher, Okla. Mr. Frank James was with Mrs. Samuel at the time of her death. Mrs. Samuel died at 3 o’clock about 20 miles west of Oklahoma City. The body was brought here, and immediately prepared for burial and shipped on the7 o’clock train for Kansas City. Mrs. Samuel and her daughter-in-law were going to Kansas City to visit Jesse James, Jr., a grandson. They were in the sleeping car when Mrs. Samuel became suddenly ill, and died before medial aid cold be given.

She was born in Kentucky, and for several years has been living with John Samuel, a half brother of Jesse and Frank James, in Excelsior Springs, Mo. She is survived by Frank James, a son, of Fletcher, Okla.,: Jesse James, Jr., a grandson, of Kansas City; John Samuel, a son of Excelsior Springs, Mo., Mrs. Sallie Nicholson, a daughter of Kearney, Mol, and Mrs. Fannie Hall, a daughter of Kearney, Mo.

Mrs. Samuel has been visiting her son Frank at his home near Fletcher, Oklahoma for the last two months.

Mrs. Zerelda Samuel was one of the prominent figures of this section of the country during the latter part of the Civil war. As mother of he James boys, she later acquired notoriety, but through it al she remained true to her sons.

Mrs. Samuel was born in Kentucky in1824 and was educated in a convent in Lexington, Kentuckyy. Her father was a soldier in the revolutionary war and her mother was a daughter of a prominent Kentucky family.

In 1841 Zerelda Cole was married to the Rev. Robert James, a Baptist minister, and a short time later they moved to Clay County Missouri.

The Rev. Mr. James went to California during the gold rush, and soon after arriving there died. In 1855 his widow was married to Dr. Reuben Samuel and until the opening of the Civil war they continue to live on the James farm. During the war, what was known as the “home guard” visited the home and their treatment of Dr. Samuel later caused him to become insane. A visit from detectives of a private agency caused the loss of one of Mrs. Samuel’s arms when the men in their anxiety to capture Jesse James threw a bomb into the house.

BEN CRAVEN MUST COME BACK TO OKLAHOMA

Noted Outlaw Will Be Returned To This State

May 12, 1922—El Reno American—St. Louis, Mo., May 6—Ben Craven, the Oklahoma outlaw, now serving a sentence for horse stealing in the penitentiary, under an assumed name, is to be returned to Oklahoma to stand trial on a charge of murder committed ten years ago. The governor of Oklahoma will request Governor Hadley to pardon the former desperado, and when Craven steps from the penitentiary he will be re-arrested and taken to Oklahoma.

Four of the five murders charged against Craven were committed in Oklahoma, and it is probably that Bert Welty, former partner in crime of the desperado will be used to convict him. Welty is now serving a life’s sentence in the penitentiary at McAlester, for murder, growing out of a holdup in which he and Craven participated