Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-10
= FIGHT WITH THIEVES.
officers and Horse Thieves Engage in
Hot Battle Near AtOka.
3ae OF the Desperadoes Killed, the Other Two
Captured, Also Lot of HOrses-A
Notorious Gang.
Special to the Gazette.


PARIS, Ten, Oct. 9.-Reports OF
pitched battle between horse-thieves and
officers in the mountains north OF Atoka,
/. T., vera brought here this evening by
deputy marshals and Indian police who
we're engaged In It. On Monday morn
ing citizens discovered three men near
Atoka having quite band of horses with
them and were satisfied from their actions
that they we're eudeavorIng to avoid no.
tice. The facts were at once reported to
Beat Cobb, a Choctaw officer, who took
Dixie Williams and started to investi-
gate the parties. Cobb was not
really expecting anything, and rode up
TO the men without taking any precau-
tlon for the drop, Of which fact they
we're prompt to avail themselves, and
throwing their Winchester down on
Cobb and Williams ordered them
to skip, and they did. Cobb at once ap-
piled TO Deputy NGrshals Sam Williams
and Joe Henderson of this court, who
were in Atcka, but they declined inter-
ferng unless they had proper warrants.
Cobb bad seen enough III his short inves-
tigatIon f. satisfy himself of their char
RCter, and going before Commissioner
Robb he swore out warrants for the
three men on the charge of horse steal
ing. Armed with the warrants and &C
companled by Cobb and Dixie Williams,
Deputy Marshal Jim Lee, who had also
joined them, sam Williams and Hender-
con, started Monday afternoon to search
for the parties. Arriving at their camp
it was found deserted except by ten head
of horses, which they had abandoned in
their night. The trail was taken up and
fpII Cd mt do rlF fp n
BY daylight Tuesday morning they were
in the saddle and following the game,
which il was now evident was heading
for the mountains.
About , o'clock Tuesday afternoon
the men were discovered in a Knot of
timber aud their horses grazing out in
the open. The officers made q dash,
hoping to get in before the fugtives
could reach their horses and mount, but
were foilod by the outlaws alertness.
Mountiug they started at full speed for
the foot hills, new only about six miles
away, with the officers crowding in pur-
suit. In a few moments the three be-
gan firing at the officers, and running
fight followed for the next seven or
eight miles. The outlaws at last reached
a pass between two small hills and
plunged into it, followed by Cobb,
Dixie Williams and Hender-
son, while Sam Williams circled
around the hill on the right and Lee did
the same on the left to head them off if
they should attempt to defec: either
way on emerging from the pass.
Instead of leaving the pass the men
dismouuted near the other end and got
into an old rock quarry, and the first in
tination Sam Williams had of the new
tiers as he came racing up on the lookout
for them, causing him to dismount and
get I'D the cover of q tree. Lee about
the same time came up from the other
side, and the three in the rear came up
and the fugitives were surrounded. A
pretty hot fight ensued, during which
some seveuty-five or 100 shots were
exchanged, when the outlaws called for
uunrter and two of them threw down
taeir guns, walked out and surrendered.
They reported their comrade badly
wounded, and he was found in the quarry
with one bullet wound across the breast
and through an arm, and another
through the body, passing through the
kidneys. He was armed with So cali
bre Winchester, and in trying to load it
after he was shot had damned a A.
cartridge into the chamber. The
wounded man was taken TO a house and !
died Wednesday morning about 8 |
o'clock. He gave the name of Jake
johnson, but refused to talk. He was |
about twenty-four years old, smooth
face, and the only piece of paper about |
him was law card of Wilson s. McMer-
chin, Wichita, Kan.
A short while ago an Indian officer
gave Sam Williams photograph on |
which was written: ''This is a pho
tograph of Sam Humphreys, who |
is wanted at Arcadia, KAN The |
picture was an exact likeness of
johnson, but he would say moth |
ing about it. In his dellrum before his |
death he spoke of the Wichita jail.
The other men were Ben Franklin, |
alias Jackson, thirty-four years old, |
sandy complexion, wears truss, has |
been shot in the body with small shot and |
in the back of the neck with ball.
The third man gave the name of Bill |
Thompson, twenty eight years old, dark |
complexion.
Ten head of the horses are branded |
JIM (connected). a fine gray mare and |
brown horse are unbranded. The officers
are satisfied they are part of large gang
who are known TO be running stolen
horses into Missouri, Kansas and Texas.
The Two unIDiured men are now in jail