Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-22
Capt. VI. Couch Succumbs to
the Wound Inflicted by ].
G. Adams.
A Party Organized to Lynch Adams-He
is Taken to the Wichita, Kan,
Jail for Safe Keeping.
Biography of the Most Prominent Man in the
United States in Regard to the Great
Oklahoma Movement.
Special to the Gazette.

'clock. His death was the result of
wound inflicted by J. c. Adams with a
Winchester rifle on April 4.
When it became known that Capt.
Couch could not live twenty-fonr hours
party was organized to lynch Adams.
United States Marshal Walker was in
formed of this, and yesterday boarded a
train with the prisoner for Wichita. He
was placed in jail there. Couch was
widely respected.
CAPTAIN W. L. COUCH.
The most faithful friend Oklahoma
ever had was Captain W. L. Couch. He
was born in Wilkes county, North Caro-
lima, November 20, 1850. After the
war in 1866 ne moved with his father g
family to johnson county, Kansas where
he received a common school education
and was married in 1871. He COM
menced his battle with life on q farm
near Douglas Kansas where he remained
for six years. In 1876 he moved to
Wichita, Kansas, and engaged in the
livestock and real estate business. He
rapidly accumulated property and at one
time was the owner of several of the best
business lots in Wichita and 400 acres of
good farming lands in Sedgwick, Sumner
and Butler counties. He was warm
fFie6tfof David Payne, the celebrated
f54aa6oma boomer, and when the latter
sdied in 1884 his mantle fell upon Capt.
Couch. He greatly assisted Payne,
financially, in the organization of the
in ho
OF 49, 80. In 1883 the colony was re-
organized and in February of the same
year invaded-6OO strong-the Oklahoma
country. They located on the North
Canadian river, about 400 miles
southeast of this city. The wagon train
of this colony consisted of 119 teams, all
under the immediate supervision of
Capt. Couch. Capt. Carol of the Ninth
United States cavalry, arrested the COL
ouY, escorted them to the Kansas line,
.Mhere they were liberated. In August of
; 1883 the COLONY was called together again
at Arkansas City and reorgan1zed. Payne
was elected president and Capt. Couch
vice-president. These positions they
held until the death of Payne in the fol-
lowing year, when Couch was made
president. From the time of
his election as vice-president of
the colony in 1888. Capt. Couch
was the leader of every organized
invasion or attempted settlement of Ok
.lahoma. He directed the movement of
the settlers in the field and kept Payne
fully informed, who agitated the matter
in the newspapers. They believed that
they might establish the right to settle
in Oklahoma without legislation, and If
not, the general agitation Of the matter
would force congress to q consideration
of the question. G
Captain Couch devoted many weary
years IN the labor of leading colonists
into the new country. In August, 1888,
he lead two hundred people across the
border into Oklahoma. They were all ar
rested and led TO the Kansas line and
liberated. The next movement was that
of the invasion of the country by about
thirty men on horseback under the
leadership of Couch. They successfully
evaded the military for thirty days, but
were at last arrested, confined in the
guard house at Fort Reno for q time and
then sent to Texas, where they were re-
leased. In April. 1884, Couch brought
over 600 settlers into the country and
located them before the military dlscoy-
cred that they were in the Territory.
arrested and elected from the country,
and the remainder of the colonists
voluntarily departed a short time after.
In May of the same year Couch again
marched across the line at the head of
over 200 settlers. They located
on the Cimarron river, but were allowed
to remain only short time. Couch was
arrested, taken to Fort Reno, imprisoned
for few days and then turned over to
the civil authorities in Kansas, where he
was tried by a United States court and
released. In November, 1884, a few
days after the burial of Payne, Capt.
Couch, with 200 boomers, marched into
the promised land and laid out
the town of Saltwater. What
transpired there caused congress for
the first time to seriously consider the
question of opening Oklahoma to settle
ment.
The company at saltwater was at
tackled by the military, Capt. Couch re-
fused to surrender, claiming that he had
been tried by the courts and acquitted
for invading Oklahoma. The military,
being largely outnumbered, retreated
and waited for reinforcements. The COL
onists held out for over thirty days, or
until Gen. Hatch with eight companies
of United States troops, was sent out
against them. Capt. Couch still refused
to surrender. Hatch cut of his supplies
aud starvation compelled the colonists to
abandon their position, which they
did in an orderly manner, marching TO
Arkansas City where Couch was arrested
by the United States nlarshals. The case
was tried and again dismissed by the
courts.
excitement that congress, then in ses-
sion, passed the act, just before adjourn
ment, authorizing the president to enter
into negotiations with the Creek, Semi
mole and Cherokee Indians for their in
terest in the Oklahoma and Cherokee
Strip lands.
In March, 'S5, Couch went to Wash
ington in the interest OF the boomers,
but received no encouragement that