The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-21
BORDER OUTLAWRY.
TIMES WERE LIVELY AT TIE EDGE
OF The NEUTRAL STRIP.

How the Outlaws That Lived by Levying
Tribute on Peaceful Citizens We're at
Last Subdued by the Indignant and
Desperate Inhabitants.
| 1t has always been a fact that the Tor
ders Of a country were the last TO come I'M
der the influence of civilization, and since
the days OF the Red Gauntlet the border
| riders have been feared and respected by
the more eonsiderate and law abiding class
of people, In the later days, of course, the
wild riders have ceased 70 levy tribute on
property in neutral territory, but in the
same way that the highland pirates of the
olden sime exacted money from the border
settlers, the desperadoes of today exact the
allegiance of these subjects, and in return
for their protection of property against the
| ''clans" they expect no settler to know any
thing about them when inquiry Is made,
unless they know to whom the secret is
being divulged
The little town of Dexter, once with a
population of 1,e00 but now almost in
ruins, has been for thirty years situated on
the border OF one Of these neutral strips,
where the law has been suspended, and has
| perhaps been the arena of more tloodshed
in the way of clannish and single handed
encounters than any other town or village
on the borders of Texas.
! Two years ago in the cenSssTy of thet
town there were seventx-ssz graves of Eiss
who had fallen in CONTEST wifi tLe knife.
pistol or deadly Winchsstes. eEe It is safe
to say that half the vscife1s reser found
resting place under the sod. This place is
one beautifully situsted and is SIX miles
from the southern boundary of the Indian
| lot int no cd riI
mskes an enormous bend, running in
about fiftean miles.
HOW THE PEOPLE ROSE UP.
Acsess she mack of this bend, called the
Delaware, is a distance of about eight
miles,, and in that neck is situated the
| sewn of which | speak. 1t is now fifteen
miles off the railroad, and has always been
| Che pl4ce where the desperadoes bought
tneir whisky and supplies and went for a
''fracas" when their blood became worked
up to the point that they had to hunt
row, which it frequently did. The inhab
| itants of this village, as the expression is,
| did not stand in" with the riders, as one
would suppose, and there was always a
feeling of distrust between them, which
| often terminated in fight and one or
more deaths.
The people of the town, after time, de-
cided that the wild riding and shooting of
their visitors must stop, it having come to
! the point that an outsider would not go to
the town and a woman would not go on
the street for the fear of being killed by
some stray bullet. Still, when the border
ers came IT, ran things their own way,
and the citizens would not work in con-
cert. One man might resent their insults
with the result that he would be killed
and maybe one or two of the riders.
The most noted OF the gangs were those
of jim Lee, Ed Stein and Sears, besides
others with headquarters far UP, in the
wilds of the territory. Finally a herd of
cattle was stolen from the neighborhood,
and every body knew that Sears clan did it.
VigilanteS were organized and they pre-
pared to give them a warm reception on
their return.
TERRIBLE FIGHT.
A few weeks after Sears came in alone,
no doubt to see how the land lay, and
while in crowd some one put pistol to
his neck and shot him, though it failed to
kill him. That night he was spirited out
of the place, and the following day was
one OF regular siege. The citizens threw
out guards and pickets on all the roads,
and all went heavily armed. At night the
clan attacked the village, and for three
hours the battle ragged from behind fences,
houses and wood piles until the desperadoes
were beaten back. having lost several OF
their men.
From that time on the citizens fought to
kill them out, though heir rendezvous
was on the river in the bend, only eight
miles distant. On Dec. 81, 1886, Bill Oracle,
q noted character, and several toughs came
/ 4 .sol 70 kolr h.
All the people living in the country were
in town that day, and everybody went
armed.
One of the riders started to ride his horse
into a saloon, but as his feet hit the floor
some one struck him with a billiard cue
and knocked him down. This was the sig
nal for the shooting to begin. The deputy
sheriff fred shotgun at Oracle, but missed |
his aim, and the riders went down the
street shooting right and left.
Everybody took a hand. and about 500 /
shots were fired. At the first volley Ed |
Long, one of the riders, had his horse /
killed. Ee at once jumped behind Oracle /
on bis horse, but pistol ball struck him /
in the neck, mortally wounding him. !
Oracle held him on behind him. and they /
rode out of town. The result of the row
was three dead men, several wounded and /
3 number of horses killed, but this was the /
last time they came in force to take the |
town.
PEACE AT LAST.
7 Soon after this Oracle killsd Henry Pus-
niger, sheriff of Pickens county, l. T.. by /
striking bsna over the head Hfth his pistol. /
He bad the blosd of about dozen of tas /
clan on his hands, so he seat to the nearest /
rAsazSsd and ls{t the aeunlxY. He vas
fine spesinen of F4ysi<sl maEsoed. stand
ing feet inctes in hSghs and vHgafss |
220 pounds. Besides being very h@sdssBe /
IN appearEnee he vas well educated ard /
always wore costly dsess of the fsoRtjer
style.
Like many other border charssts,s. 20
one knew where he came from or wsare he
went. His followers joined other bsads.
and most of them were finally rlsd. jim
Lee and his two brothers, Pink and Te<
took refuge from the marshals in a ssAsn
In the Indian Territory.
When they were attacked they killed ell
the marshals, five in number. and fea theSr
bodies to the hogs. a large reward wss
offered for them, dead or alive, and fzs>sy
jim and Pink were killed on the Texas
side Of the bend, in The summer Of 1887.
Tom left the couatry aad has never bean
heard Of siHoe Ose By oae the othsr Sans
fek OF asd were kitlsd out unol esr tssfe