The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-17
STARKEY OF RED TAIL.
AN OKLAHOMA RANCHMAN WHO
DEFEEs DEATH.
Has Been Hanged Three Times and
Left for Dead, But Seems None the
Worse for Wear-A Career Full OF
Unusually Stirring Episodes.

pleases throughout the Indian country OF
Oklahoma. who has been strung up by the
neck and left for dead three times. who
has been shot seven times, who has killed
five men with records and lots OF I'M
knowns, who has been been married ac-
cording to Indian custom eight times, who
has figured in a dozen Opponents, who has
stolen enough cattle in his day to form two
herds, who has been tried in courts Of law
eleven times. who has shot a western
judge dead. who has been an outlaw as
we'll as a deputy marshal. who was tied
to a stump on a rocky blum to die and who
is to-day none the worse for the wear and
tear which has been his lot in his forty
years Of life.
The name of this man IS Lon Starkey.
Everyone out here calls him starkey of
Red Tail. Red Tail is the name Of his
rancho, situated far up in the ranges of the
Medicine Mountains. This ranch has
been the scene of numberless fights, and
1t is an open question whether Starkey is
identified by his ranch or whether the
ranch is notorious because of its owner.
Starkey's residence is a dugout dug in
as hard soil as can be found in the south
west. When he is at home he fastens
red steers tail TO pole stuck in the
ground beside the door of the dugout.
When he is away there is a single steers
horn on top of the pole. All settlers IN
derstand that when the steers horn is
displayed they must stay away. II the
red tail is up all are welcome, even to
blanket Indian.
Starkey disappears at times for four
and five months. His prOwess is so deep
| ly respected that none modest his pos
sessions. 1t is related that a Cheyenne
Indian plundered the dugout in Starkey's
absence, thinking Starkey would not re-
turn for some time. Starkey turned up
| just in time 10 catch the Indian redhand-
ed. He shot him dead, scalped him, and
for many months the scalp lock dangled
from the steers horn when Starkey was
away. Starkey threw it away when he
became a deputy marshal.
II No one knows where Starkey came
from. In 1886 a Switzer county COW punch
er got curious in Pender Browns saloon,
in Henrietta. He and Starkey were drink
| ing together.
Where did you come from?" he asked
starkey.
Lon was in the act Of raising glass
of whisky TO his lips.
Hell" he said slowly, putting his
glass on the bar untouched. Then draw
ing pistol he said. as he fired: 60
there and wait for me. 1t will save ask
ing questions"
He shot the puncher through the head
turned to the bar and emptied his glass,
nodded to Pender Brown, and went out
Serves the puncher right" was the
| Henrietta verdict. He had no right to
ask questions, especially of Lon Starkey."
! Starkey, in the opinion of peaceful
citizens, told the punchers the truth
/ about his home. They believe he brought
| many evidence of his home life with him.
/ He has been in the southwest for over
/ twenty years. He was hanged in 1876
/ in 1877 and in 1879. In 1876 he was in the
| Staked Plain, and shot Bob Coffin, who
ran hotel called Hells Griddle. Collins
! brother Joe got four friends and hunted
| Starkey down. They ran him to earth
in New Mexico. above Hacheta Gap. They
strung him to the branch of tree with a
lariat after tying his hands and feet.
| Joe Coffin wanted to shoot him to make
sure, but yielded to the protests of his
| companions. Six months later Starkey
turned up at Helrs Griddle, shot Joe
Coffin, and left his body dangling from
a rafter in the barroom of the hotel. No
one asked him how he got his neck out
of the moose.
After the Coffin killing Starkey went
north into the Indian country to the
| Cache Creek reservation of the Conan
| ches. There he married by Indian rites
a daughter of Chief Pahsita, a young
| girl scarcely 16 years of age. For six
months he lived quietly with the Conan
| ches Then he got mixed up in some
| cattle deals and wound up by killing his
father-in-law. He and his Indian wife
vamoosed. going south into Texas again.
They took the old Chisholm trail, and on
/ the way Starkey stole two ponies belong
| ing to Joe Goodwin, the marshal. Good
win gave chase and caught Lon just
across the Texas border. Goodwin had
/ heard Of Starkey's tough neck and de-
/ termined to test it. He took the prison.
/ er twenty miles to the old Raider tree,
! stiI standing, and enveloped him in a
web of lariats and strung him up with
! three ropes around his neck. After
I watching him for some minutes Goodwin
| rode away, convinced that Starkey was
| dead.
! Scarcely had he disappeared when Mrs.
| Starkey faithful still to her fathers
murderer, stole out of a gorge, climbed
! a tree and cut her husband down. 1t
took several hours to bring Starkey to.
| When he recovered consciousness he
! climbed the tree and carved on the branch
that was intended as his gallows:
Here Joe Goodwin was a fool.
The words are still dfmly traceable on
the tree.
A month later the Comanches broke out
and Starkey took the warpath with them.
When the Fourth cavalry drove the Co
| manches back to their reservation, Star
key, whose wife was killed in a fight with
the soldiers, set out alone on the warpath
He worked north to Fort Reno and Joined
the Cheyennes in their Kansas raid.
Major Vessels, of the Third cavalry, then
captain Of H troop of the regiment, cor
nered Starkey and band of the Che
yennes in the sand hills, and killed men,
women and followers. Starkey and Vito
sa. afterward the guide for the Twenty
fourth infantry, alone escaped. Starkey
went to Arizona to Lime Gulch Ounce
Perry was sheriff there in those days.
Barney Billonsar was judge, duly chosen
by the residents. Starkey's fame as a gal
lows baker had preceded him. He had not
been there a week when he got drunk,
cleaned out Sawyer's gambling house,
and tried to run the town. Dune Perry
and Starkey met in front of Peters feed
shed Both pulled their pistols and began
TO blaze away. AS had been the case with
other famous shots at times they both
shot wide. and gradually closing IN on
each other they dropped their reyolvers
and grappled.
Perry was considered the strongest man
g., A,igopo in fhoea daVas He OxraF-no vveTad