The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-10
OUTLAW WAITS FIRST TROUBLE

1Oung DOyS OF rOmantlc dispositions
| should be instructed in the history Of
Zip Wyatt, the outlaw now lying
wounded in the Jail at Enid. The long
pursuit of Wyatt. his twelve days run
/ and his statement that he went TO
sleep while still running and fell COM
pletely exhausted just before his cap
ture have been recounted in the Eagles
telegraphic dispatches.
What is the more important is the
story of how Wyatt became an outlaw
1t is nearly the story of Bill Cook over
again. Bill Cook. it will be remember
ed, was suspected of being a horse
thief, which he was not. But rather
than stand trial and prove his inno-
cence Cook joined in fight against
the authorities, and after that his
wicked career was fixed.
The story of WAITS first mistake,
which shows that he did not intend to
become an outlaw, as told by the Enid
Wave, is interesting:
lips first trouble occurred at a Fourth
OF July celebration in Edwards county,
Kansas, over plug horse race. Balfour.
who claimed to be officer attempted
TO arrest Zip over some trifling matter and
he resisted. Balfour shot Wyatt twice,
once in the hand and in the left side of
the body, both flesh wounds, the marks
or which can be found on his body. Zip
pulled gun out of his bosom and shot
Balfour dead, then mounted a horse and
fled, shooting as he went.
After this he went back to Indianapolis
and stayed with his uncle awhile, and
afterwards went to visit an aunt in Corea,
Ind, where he was arrested, and after
long habeaus corpus trial was taken
to the Jail at Guthrie on the strength Of
fighting case against him at Mulhall
On of first day of Janury, 1892. Zip es-
capped from the Guthrie Jail in very
mysterious manner, as it has never been
clearly developed how he got out; it is
claimed that he was assistd by the Saliva
ton Army; others think some of the Of
ficerS were bribed to let him out. He hid
around his fathers home until he pro-
cured horse and saddle and left for
parts unknown to his father for quite
awhile.
The story in regard to his taking the
name of Yeager in honor Of his mother
is not true. Mrs. John T. WyattS maiden
name was Rachael Jane Quick, and she
was married to Mr.. Wyatt in Clay county,
Indiana, at the age Of 16, in the year 1850.
Eight children were born from the
Wyatt union, seven boys and one girl.
Nelson Ellsworth was the second born
of the family and is the one now lying
wounded in Jail under the name Of Zip.
a cognomen given to him by a man by the
name of Meyers, living near Fort Smith,
Ark. The older brother was known
throughout the west as "Six-Shooter
jack and was an expert gambler. He
was killed over a gambling table at Tex
line, Tex, in 1891.
The father of the bandit Is uncertain as
to the age OF Zip without consulting the
record, but thought he was between "a and
% years old.
While the father admits that Zip has
always been inclined to be a little wild,
yet he thinks he would have been good
man had it not been for the killing in
Kansas, which he claims was done purely
in self-defense. Outside of the two oldest
boys, the family is above the average in
responsibility and general behavior. The
father has lived in seven different states
and says his record is clear wherever he
has lived. He is Ga years OF age and over
s feet tall, showing plainly that he has
been a powerful man IL his time. He
served through the war IN the Soth regi-
ment, Indiana Volunteers. Mrs. Wyatt
died Feb. 3, 1890, and is buried on the
farm il miles northeast OF Guthrie.
Zip Wyatt was married to Miss Annie
Bailey at his fathers home in 1881. He
never lived with her since he killed Bal
four in Kansas. They have little girl.