Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1895-03-26
THEY WERE TERRORS.
Outlaws Of the Southwest Who
Committed Dark Deeds.
An Old-Timer Who Killed Over Seventy
Men, Some of Them with His Mighty
Fist-Desperate Cherokee
Raiders.

The recent commitment OF BILL COOK
to the Albany penitentiary for a term
of forty-five years has called attention
anew to the depredations of the desper-
ADDE'S of Indian territory, and a few
"reminiscences of the old-time outlaws
of that section will be interesting,
writes a correspondent of the st. Louis
Globe-Democrat. These outlaws, like
the present marauders, were nearly all
of mixed Indian and white blood, but
SO much more daring were their eX-
ploits, So much more desperate their
character, that the exploits Of the Cook
gang appear as mere boys play when
compared to their deeds of outlawry.
The most notorious of these old-time
outlaws was Henry Starr, long since
dead. Much Of the story of his life is
shroudcd in obscurity and other parts
greatly magnifed by tradition, but it is
known positively that he alone killed
over seventy men, fully a dozen of his
victims having been felled with single
blow of his mighty fist. He was a
Cherokee, with a tinge of Seminole
blood, nearly seven feet tall, massively
sledge hammer.
He terrorized the whole Cherokee
nation for years, and so great became
his power that the Cherokee council
finally entered into a regular treaty of
peace with him. granting him amnesty
from all past deeds if he would cease
his outlawry-the only instance on
record of a nation entering into treaty
of peace with a singlc individual.
At one time ten thousand dollars re-
ward was offered for STAIRS head and
five Thousand dollars for the head OF
one of his lieutenants. One day the
lieutenant was killed by the accidental
discharge OF a gun at the outlaw camp,
and Starr cut off his head, and putting
it in sack went to Tahlequah, the
Cherokee capital, and walking boldly
into the Office OF the national treasurer
covered the officer with a revolver.
took the CORY head from the sack, and
laying it on the table compelled the
officer to pay over the five thousand
dollars offered for the head, then
walked out, mounted his horse, and
escaped.
After the treaty of peace the old man
lived quietly for number of years and
died natural death.
In later years one of the most cunning
of outlaws was Bill Starr, grand
nephew of Henry and father of the no
torlous Belle Starr. He did not turn
outlaw until well along in years, but il
a short time became the leader of one
of the most adroit gangs of thieves that
have ever infested the Indian country
He was not a common thief, and in one
sense was not actively in the business
being rather a superintendent or gen
eral manager. His gang was large IL
numbers and he had spies in every
town, trading post and community il
the territory and adjoining states. He
did not make a practice of stealing fol
fun or excitement, but was in it fol
business, and would take only the best
and when he was sure of a large re
turn for the work, but, once making VI
his mind to steal a thing, there wa:
nothing at which he would hesitate
There was not much ready cash in the
territory to steal in those days, ant
tley confined their work mostly t.
stealing horses A member OF the gang
in neighborhood would take fin
horse, ride it Il few miles and turn i
over to confederate, who would x
the same, which procedure would b,
repeated in turn by dozen differen
men, and as each enc would be at hons
the next mor1ing detection was alnos
impossible.
The gang had cipher Language
whereby they could converse intel
ligently among themselves about thei
work, and an outsider listening woult
think them conversing about SOM
ordinary topic.
Occasionally, when there was som,
particularly valuable horse to be stolel