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IndexSam Sorrels & Ralph Scargil, D. U. S. Marshals
DETAILS OF FIGHT
Sorrells Killed and Scargil Wounded
A Bloody Fight Near Spiro
Scargil’s Pistol Failed Him and a Fusillade Followed on Railway Train—Special Deputy, a Bridegroom of a Week, Shot Through the Heart—One Desperado Killed and Other Escaped
January 8, 1903—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 Spiro, but no one was able to identify him.
The other desperado, the man who shot Scagril, escaped, and although a posse went out from Spiro in search of him Friday night and a second posse started early yesterday, no news has been received of 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 train 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 heard 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 adjoining 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 Fanninand 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.
IT WAS MORLEY
Bandit Killed at Spiro Much Wanted Man
Was Four Times A Murderer
Sheriff and District Attorney of Norman, Oklahoma, Dig up he Remains of the Bandit Killed At Spiro and Identify Them as Belonging to Samuel L. Morley , Who Killed Oklahoma Sheriff—Dead Man Had Murdered Four Men.
January 15, 1903 —The bandit, who, when mortally wounded, lifted himself up and killed Deputy Sorrells, in the desperate fight on a train near Spiro a few days ago, turns out to have been Samuel L. Morley , the Oklahoma desperado who, while making his escape from Sheriff Jacob Hartman last March, killed the officer. Sheriff George Smith and District Attorney B. F. Wolf, of Norman, Oklahoma, passed through here Monday night from Spiro, where they had been to look at the remains. The bandit had been buried but the corpse was exhumed. The identification was clear and without doubt. Before the body was exhumed Mr. Wolf who had prosecuted Morley, and who knew all about him, gave an accurate description. He told of the shape of the dead man’s fingernails, of his toes and described all the scars on him. One scar was on the man’s head, inflicted by the daughter of a man that Morely was robbing.
Mr. Wolf talked about Morley. He said:
“He was probably the most dangerous man in Oklahoma. I do not believe that anyone could have taken him alive. He would have refused to surrender had 25 men covered him with Winchesters. It was no surprise to me when I heard of the desperate manner of his death. I understand that when Scargil covered him with a revolver and with one hand on his shoulder told him to throw up his hands that he threw up his left hand and shot the officer under it with his right. It was lucky for him that the officer’s pistol snapped but he did not know that it would snap. He simply took his chances. After he had two mortal wounds in his chest he raised himself and fired the shot, which killed Sorrells.
“The man who was with him answers the description of Dick Mason, who was with him at El Reno, when he made his escape from the officers. He is only 24 years old, has sandy hair and light mustache, is of spare build. I presume that the government will offer a heavy reward for his capture.”
Morley murdered a man at Chickasha a few years ago but before his trial the chief witnesses against him disappeared or died. He killed a butcher at San Antonio, Texas, before that. When he lay in his blood after the fight at Spiro a bystander recognized him as the murderer of the Texas butcher. He told the crowd that if he was the man he bore across his chest a long mark made by a dagger. His shirt was opened and the long mark was discovered. Counting the Chickasha man, the Oklahoma sheriff and the unfortunate Sorrells Morley had killed four men. The reward is very large. It is not know whether it will go to Scargil, or whether it will be divided, half of it going to the widow of Sorrells.
SHOT THREE MARSHALS
Desperate Fight With Unknown Man Who Resisted Arrest
March 3, 1903—The Shawnee Herald—McCurtain, I. T.—Three United States deputy marshals, Sam Sorrels of Kintait, Ralph Scargill, of McCurtain, and another whose name has not been learned, were shot by an unknown man who resisted arrest, yester, at Coal Creek, a small town on the Kansas City Southern road. Deputy Sorrels was killed instantly, the other two deputies being seriously wounded.
While the deputies were attempting to arrest him, he suddenly drew two revolvers and opened fire. Freeing himself from arrest with the weapons he disappeared across the country and has not been apprehended.
HE WAS A KILLER
An Account of the Career of Sam Morley, Outlaw
Terrorized Three States
One of His Chief Pleasures Was Killing Texans—An All Around Bad man and Died in True Outlaw Style
March 23, 1903—The Shawnee Herald—Special to The Herald—Guthrie, March 23—Gov. Ferguson yesterday issued an order for the payment of he sum of $171.60 to Mrs. G. H. Coleman of Fort Smith , Ark., which closes a history of one of the most famous cases ever on record in Oklahoma. Mrs. Coleman is a sister of Sam Sorrells the United States marshal, who was killed in a fight to capture Sam Morley, the outlaw, whose deed once terrorized three states. Several years ago the territory of Oklahoma offered a reward of $500 for the capture of Morley, who was charged with the murder of Jacob Hartman of Cleveland County. Two hundred and fifty dollars was paid to Marshal Scargill who was with Sorrells when the attempt to capture Morley was made. Sorrells was killed and the object of this payment is to divide the remainder of the reward between Sorrells’ children and his wife and sister. The children are now in the custody of Mrs. Coleman at Fort Smith, Ark.
Morley was one of the most desperate, daredevil outlaws that the west has ever known. He was a very peculiar man. A lifetime spent as an outlaw it seems strange a man would ever do anything else; but at times he would leave the road and pursue the vocation of farming. He killed three men in Texas, one in Arkansas, and has killed several in Oklahoma. Having been imprisoned several times most of the prison officials and the marshal forces were acquainted with him. While in prison he was very vicious and always very much elated when he heard the news of the killing of an officer.
During his incarceration he once made out a list of officers that he intended to kill as soon as he was free. Chris Madden, a Deputy United States Marshal, and B. F. Wolf, county attorney of Cleveland County, were named as future objects of his vengeance. He was a dead shot and seemed to bear a charmed life. It was the delight of his life to kill a Texan. Once he broke jail at Chickasha and went to Enid. The officers were hot on his trail and while stopping at a small boarding house jumped from the second story window and escaped while the officers were in the lobby of the hotel. He once broke lose from his captors by using his Herculean strength and wrenching a pair of handcuffs off that encircled his wrists.
About two years ago two outlaws rode up to the house of Jacob Hartman, who was a wealthy Swede and was known to have money on his premises. Morley knew that Hartman had money derived from the sale of some cattle. The outlaws rode up to his place and attacked him. In the fight Hartman was shot and almost instantly killed by Morley. Morley then attacked by two women and two large dogs. Having emptied his revolvers trying to kill the dogs could not shoot the women. The women fought desperately and when Morley was killed there were scars still on is head where he had been beaten by a club and on his face were the imprints of women’s fingernails. He afterwards made the remark:
“I don’t see why the hell they don’t hire those women on the United States marshal’s force, as they are better fighters than any--- ---- marshal that I have ever run up against.”
Officers were on the lookout all over the country for Morley and his pal and one day Scargill received a telegram stating that they had been seen boarding a train in Indian Territory. They stopped the train at a small station and sure enough in one of the boxcars both of the outlaws were found. A desperate fight ensued. Morley sprung to the ground and was shot through the body with a 45 Colt’s revolver. He dropped but soon sprang to his feet only to receive another shot. He was stunned for some little time; but rose to his knees, hurriedly gabbed his revolver from the ground where it had fallen, and in an expiring condition steadied his nerves long enough to fire the shot that ended the life of Sam Sorrells and then dropped dead himself. His companion then ran after shooting Marshal Scargill who returned the fire and wounded the fleeing outlaw. He has never been found since. Scargill’s wounds came nearly being fatal but finally recovered. Marshal Scargill is about 22 years old.