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Ed Short, D. U.S. Marshal

MURDER MOST FOUL

Terrible Double Tragedy On The Rock Island

Ed Short Loses His Life

August 27, 1891—Kingfisher Free Press—For the past eight months there has been an organized band of desperadoes engaged in stealing horses, robbing trains and committing all manner of depredation.  Every effort of the officers to locate and capture them has been unsuccessful.  Until recently, this gang was satisfied to seal an occasional horse or run off a Texas steer, but in May the Daltons met at Mulhall, Charlie Bryant and a pal named Bailey.

The Wharton Robbery

A scheme was contracted to rob a passenger train on the Santa Fe road.  They selected as the scene of operations, a lonely spot near Wharton junction.  For several days they loitered in that vicinity and finally in the latter part of May they attacked the midnight express and secured several thousand dollars from the express companies.

            An old woman named Hanby tells that the day before the robbery four men at dinner at her house.  She describes them accurately and there is no question of the identity of Bryant in the gang.  Another thing which the officers believe strongly connects the Daltons with the affair is the fact that at the time of the Wharton robbery, two brothers were in jail in California for train robbery and considerable money was needed to push their defense.  It is further known that before the robbery, the gang was very hard up and that afterwards they had plenty of money.  After the Wharton affair, and about the first of June, the Daltons were heard of at Kiowa, Kansas, where they ventured in to purchase supplies.  Here one of the men stood guard at the back door with his Winchester, while another kept constant grip on his revolver.  This clue set the officer on their track.  United States Marshal Grimes decided that they were hiding in the Strip probably west of the Rock Island railroad.

Deputy Short Set At Work

            A few weeks ago he detailed Deputy Marshal Short to work up the case.  Short was in Kingfisher last Thursday and Friday in consolation with Marshal Grimes and returned to Hennessey Friday afternoon.  He was very confident that he had the crowd located.  He learned Saturday morning that Charles Bryant was in town.

The Capture

            He shadowed him during the day and when he went to bed at about four p.m. in the hotel, Short removed his shoes and slipped up to the door with a companion.  When he opened the door, Bryant was watching.  He was evidently expecting trouble for his revolver lay on one side and his trusty Winchester on the other.  Short covered him with his gun and then called him by name.  Bryant reached for his revolver.  Short told him that he had a bead on him and if he moved he was a goner.  That settled it.  With death staring him in the face he submitted to being handcuffed.  Several times during Sunday morning, attempts were made to release the prisoner.  About noon the parties attempting the rescue disappeared and were reported to have rode horseback north to the Strip.  Short fearing trouble, determined to take his prisoner at once to Wichita without waiting to notify Marshal Grimes of the capture.

Short Starts For Wichita

            Accordingly when the passenger train started north about five o’clock Sunday evening he was on board with his prisoner.  Although his friends warned him that attempts would be made by the Daltons to rescue Bryant on the way through the Strip, he persisted in taking his man.  Help was offered, but refused.  After the train started fro Hennessey Short obtained permission to take his prisoner into the baggage car, assigning as his reason that he expected trouble and wanted to protect the passengers from a fight in their midst.  He placed Bryant in the baggage car and gave the baggage man his revolver to guard the prisoner while he would stand on the platform on the trip through the Strip.  Accordingly he took his stand on the front platform of the smoking car leaving Conductor James Collins and the passenger in the forward car.  The baggage man got thirsty and laying the revolver in a pigeon hole, he went into the section occupied by the mail clerk to get a drink.

The Melee Begins

            Almost as soon as he left the desperate man sprang forward seized the revolver in his manacled hands and cocking it commanded Collins to jump.  Bryant then returned to his place behind the door.  He opened it and saw Short watching.  He closed the door, cocked his revolver again and opened the door, fired at Short.  This ball began the ball and before it closed Short had sent three bullets toward Bryant, and the latter had fired five shots.  Short received a mortal wound in the left breast.  Realizing that his end was near and desiring to do his full duty, he lunged forward and grabbed Bryant by the foot.  Bryant had by this time also fallen and hung grasping the handle on the end of the car.  Short, thinking that his man was escaping tightened his grip and called for help.  Collins came to him, and just as he was dying he said, “I got my man, but he got me too.  I would like to see my mother.”  Then the brave man passed away.  The bodies were taken to Caldwell.  Marshal Grimes telegraphed as soon as he heard of the affair, t the Mayor of Caldwell to take good care of the bodies.  He went up Monday and saw the remains of Short shipped to his mother in Indiana.  Marshal Grimes deserves great praises for the way in which he has acted.  All the bills, for embalming, casket, etc., he paid for, although there is not the least likelihood of his ever being compensated.

The Dead Bandit

            Charles Bryant was born and grew up in Texas.  His parents were respectable and well to do people.  Prior to the opening of Oklahoma, he was engaged as a cattle herder and for a number of years has been considered a bad man.  He took a claim in Payne County, but only remained on it a few weeks, when he sold it.  Among his other accomplishments he was considered a veteran horse thief.   Bryant was suspected of participation in a train robbery in Arizona in 1888.  In fact he was an all round tough citizen.  It is supposed that he joined the Dalton gang at Mulhall, Oklahoma some time in May.  Another person who it is claimed belongs to the Daltons is Charles Bailey, who is now in jail at Guthrie for selling whiskey to the Creek Indians.  About the first of May, the ‘Daltons were in Kingfisher and went from here to Mulhall where they met Bailey and Bryant, soon after the Wharton junction robbery occurred.  The mother of the Dalton boys lives about two miles and a half north of Kingfisher on a school section, which she has leased.

Ed Short’s Career

            Ed Short was born in Indiana.  He lived in that state until he was about seventeen years of age, when he came west and settled for a short time at Emporia, Kansas.  Then he secured a job as herder near Hunnewell and from than time soon developed the tastes and daring reckless traits of cowboy life.

            When the Stevens County troubles arose in western Kansas, Short became interested in the town of Woodsdale and was an able ally of Sam Wood.  During all that period of hot excitement he was foremost in the defense of his own town and in doing everything to advance its interests.  When the Oklahoma country opened Ed settled at Hennessey and has claimed that as his home ever since