Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-08
NOTED DESPERADOES.
Bad Indians for Whom the United
States Government Offers Rewards.
Ned Christie and His Desperate Deeds-How
the officers Baya Failed to Capture Him
His Home a Fort.
Special TO the Gazette.

Special TO the Gazette.
FORT SMITH, ARK. Nov. THE In
dian country has produced some noted
desperadoes, in fact, q great many, but
little or nothing has ever been known oil
them outside the locality In which they
lived or operated Old Tom starr, the
Cherokee who died few days ago at the
ase of about ninety years. had his cay
and made record that has never yet
been eGualed for bloodshed ana despeT-
ate deeds. Yet. unlike the later-day
desperadoss, he spent his declining years
in peace and Quietude, and was never
punished for any of his misdeeds.
The Bankers, the Wesley Barnet gang,
John Barber, Jack Spaniard, Dick Yaun
and others all me: violent deaths. and,
as the saving goes, long since "passed
III their checks. But ora of the latest
converts to outlawery Is Ned Christie,
o Cherokee, who is perhaps as desperate
a man-white, red or bIack-as was ever
produced il any country. Nearly three
years ago q deputy United States mar
shall named Naples was deliberately
SHOT DOWN AND KILLED
the capital of the Cherokee Nation, by
unknown parties. Several arrests were
made, and the government offered re-
ward of $500 for the arrest and con-
viction of the murderer. This brought
to light the fact that Christie was the
man who fired the shot, and since that
time many frultiess efforts have been
made to capture him. He lives about
mill fro To
at home most of the time. A little over
year ago two deputy marshals, with
posse OF five men. surrounded his house
just before daylight one morning, and
found him ct home, to their sorrow,--
They demanded his surrender. and in
formed him that if he proposed TO resist
he had best send his family out, as they
intended to have him if they had to burn
down the house. He answered them
with defiant yell, and they heard him
ascending to the attic of the building,
which was one story and built OF logs,
the gable ends only being weather.
boarded. Getting into the loft ne
kicks off board and opened fire on the
party, which they returned from every
direction. each man having "taken
tree.' Firing was kept up at intervals
for some time without effect, but finally
one of the marshnls exposed his shoulder
and quick as fash Winchester ball
went crashing through it, intiicting
wound that will make cripple of the
victim for life. This enIaged the officers,
and thay set fire to an clubhouse, hoping
to scare out their game without burning
the main building. In the meantime
Christie wife and son came out of the
house and ran off the boy being fired
upon and wounded as he escaped into the
brush. The clubhouse burned rapidly and
lit up the scene, soon spreading to
the dwelling, but the desperate Indian
still held his fort, and answered the de-
mands of the officers with shots and yeils
of defiance. BY this time it was day
light, and the marshais fearing that
Christie g wife
HAD GONE FOR HELP,
and knowing that he had many relatives
In the neighborhoOd, and it being appar-
ent that no would die in the burning
house before he wonld surrender, if he
had not already been shot, took their
wounded comrade and retreated to where
they had left their horses tied in the
woods, making their wn7 to Tahlequah
the same day. They afterwards learned
that Christie was still in the burning
building when they left and was wounded
in the head, but made his escape. The
house and all it contained went up in
smoke. He kept shady for some tins
until the excitement died out and then
went to work and rebuilt his home. This
time he built a bullet-proof double log
house right in the middle of his field,
with port holes on every eide. Being
entirely open all around, it can not be
approached from any direction with
on; the approaching party being
seen in the day time, and he keeps
eight or ten dogs. which raise furious
alarm If anyous comes around in the
night. Being well armed and ammuni-
TONED he stays at home nearly all the
time,
DEFYING THE WORLD.
Two or three weeks age two deputy
marshals with posse concluded TO give
Ned round, ana rode boldly up 10
his little fort in broad daylight,
but quietly and peaceably with
drew when they sew the muzzles
of several Winchesters protruding from
the port holes.
One day last week, SO it is reliably re-
ported, Ned and two brothers named
SQUIRREL. both Cherokees, were engaged
in quiet game of "draw'' near
"Font'' Christie aud fell out over
the game. A tight ensued, in which
Ned was badly cut by the Squirrels, once
in the shoulder and to ice IN the head,
while one of the Squirrels was badly
wounded by shot from Ned's pistol.
At last accounts none of them were
dead.
rhe fact that Christie is wounded may
induce some venturesome deputy mar
shall to pay him another visit, but what
the result might be in such an event can
not now be told, though one thing is
certain, if Ned is able 10 pump cartridges
into his gun he
WILL NEVER SURRENDER,
but will fight to the bitter end. There
is!but one other Indian in the Territory for
whom the government offers $500 re-
ward, and that is Bill Pigeon, whose
range is not far from the Christie neigh
borhood, and he, too, killed a deputy
marshal, Jack Richardson by name,
some time previous TO the Naples MUIR
der. Pigeon has successfully eiuded ar
rest for about four years, never having
as yet came in contact with the officers of
the law. However, he is looked upon as
being equally as desperate an Indian as
Christie, and will never be taken alive.
M NOR hoa ovar "a 4ofar 1oes