Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-16
BANDITS RUN DOWN
Pursuit of Outlaws in the South
west.
THE DALTONS AND ROGERS EXPLOITS
Passenger Trains Held Up and
Banks Robbed.
STIRRING SCENES IN KANSAS

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
COFFEYNILLE, Kan, February ii. 1894.
When Governor Fishback of Arkansas APP
pealed to President Cleveland for federal
protection against the many bands of bank
robbers and thieves that rendezvous in the
Indian territory and commit depredations
in the states bordering that natural home
for bandits and train wreckers 1t touched
responsive chord in the hearts of the peo-
pie of southern Kansas and especially
among the citizens of Coffeyville who wit
messed the brazen charge by the Dalton
gang on this town on that fateful fifth day
Of October, 1899. While the leaders OF that
terrible gang were shot down in the streets
of Coffeyvil!e, IT seems not to have had the
desired effect on the numerous bands of
outlaws that are coming after them.
1t was only a few days ago that the tele-
graph wires licked the meager details of a
bloody battle between officers and bandits
on Big creek. in Indian territory. One out
law was killed instantly. another was NOR
tally wounded, and has since died, and two
others We're arrested, thus breaking up one
of the most dangerous of the small bands
that have spread terror to the law-abiding
citizens along the Kansas border.
The banks of Big creek are lined with
numerous small farms. Here and there
large stock ranch has for one of its bor
der lines the unpretentious stream, whose
size is a marked contradiction of it's name
during at least ten months in the year.
For more than twenty years the section
mas been the home of the organizer and
leader of one of the most troublesome and
daring gangs of thieves and highwaymen
that has ever infested the northern part of
the Cherokee nation.
The Rogers Place.
The farm or place" of Frank Rogers,
father of the boy bandit, is located on Big
creek, about twenty five miles southeast of
Coffeyvlle. The elder Rogers is an adopt
ed member of the Cherokee tribe. his wife
being half-blood Cherokee Indian. The
family consists of eleven members. Three
of the boys, only one of whom has attained
his majority, have achieved fame as dare
devils and thieves. One of these is in a
cell charged with highway robbery. The
other two are in the tolls of the law and
must soon answer for the crime of robbing
the mails in the United States court at
Fort Smith.
The Rogers boys dew round them a set
of boon companions. and last year the gang
started out with a regular organization. At
first Charley Wooten, a notorious charac-
short time previous, was the recognized
leader. BIt Bob Rogers was always the
leading spirit and 1t his brain that
connected the schemes of deviltry and his
nerve that held the boys down to their
work at the critical moment. Their first
raid, outside of DEMONSTRATING excursions in
the neighborhood of Big creek, was at
Mound Valley, Kan. where they rode into
town with cooked revolvers and deliberately
robbed the Citizens Bank. A determined
effort was made to take them by United
States deputy marshals, and In the summer
Heck Bruner and his posse met the gang
west of Ninita, when desperate fight oc
CURED. One of the outlaws was killed and
one of the Rogers boys was captured. At
ter this Charley Wooten dropped out of
sight. but ii was recently learned that he
took s. so, his share of the money secured
at Mound City, and went to the Panhandle
of Texas, where he has organized another
band of outlaws.
Among those who labored hard and faith
fully to capture this gang was Deputy
United States Marshal Ed. jackson of this
city. He made many excursions into the
territory occupied by the outlaws. close onto
their heels, but they had so many friends
in the locality and were SO well acquainted
with the roads and bypaths OF the country
that they managed to elude him. In the
meantime. they kept up. a system of horse
stealing and petty thieving.
In the latter part of the summer Rogers
took one or two of his best men and went
into the northeast corner of the Chero-
keo strip, where he joined Bill Dalton ana
his band. They were in the strip at the
opening in September, and were with the
Dalton gang in the fight at Ingalls,. where
several brave officers fell victims to the
bullets of the bandits. 1t is said that Fob
Rogers was the nerviest lad in the fight;
that he handled his Winchester like a vet
eran, and was cool and collected during The
entire engagement. 1t was he who picke
up one of the wounded robbers when all
the rest had fled, placed him on loose
horse and carried him away in safety.
After the bloody affair at ingalls, the
Dalton band took refuge in the Cherokee
country near Tulsa, at one of their numer-
Gus haunts in the inaccessible forests that
abound in that region. Here the wounded
member of the gang. who was no other
nursed back into health by his companions
and friendly doctor from an adjoining
neghborhood At this point an event
occurred that changed the course and
shaped the destiny of three of the men VINO
were with Dalton.
The Gang Broken IN.
The ingalls, affair gave the doughty leader
a more exaggera ted opinion of himself tn an
he had ever before entertained, If such an
J exaggeration was possible. and he begin
to lord 1t over his followers. He wanted
of a captain of brigands. He gave them to
/ understand that he was a bandit chief, and
therefore his commands must be obeyed or
somebody must die. Bob Rogers refused to
ride his errands, and ..kiowa" declined to
groom Bits horse The result was a dis
ruption. Bob. Rogers. James Turner Oyna-