The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-12
A FIEND'S GANG ROUNDED UP.
HEINOUS OUTRAGEs OF RUFUS
BUCKS OUTLAW INDIAN BAND.

Desperate Citizens Wen Nigh Go
Wild in the Effort To Lynch the
ScOundreIs After Their Capture.
But Their Lives Are Spared for the
Time Being-Thc Energetic and
Successful Pursuit by Omcers and
Citizens-Their Terrible Record OF
Grimes and Deeds of Unparalleled
DeviItry.
Wagner. !. T.. Aug. u.-With the ex-
eeption of one, the gang Of Indians VINO
have committed a series Of diaholical
crimes since July 80 in the territory were
captured near Okmulgee last Thursday.
after a desperate fight. and started for
the Fort Smith. Ark. jail to avoid being
lynched. News has been received here
that a mob of NIuscogee citizens has gone
across the country to Fort Gibson to in
tercept the Missouri Pacific train carrying
the fiends and their captors, for the pu.-
pose Of dealing out summary Justice.
The gang. which began its heinous op-
erations by numbering Deputy United
States Marshal John Garratt Of Okmul-
gee and escaping to the hills Of the Creek
nation was led by Rufus Buck. an In
dian. His followers were Samuel Samp-
son, Meorna July, Bud Lucky alias Lucky
Davis Albert Stake and Levy Davis The
day after numbering Garratt the gang
met a white man and his daughter in a
wagon. Covering the man with thelr
guns, the Indians took the girl from the
wagon, and each assaulted her within
sight Of her father.
Their next victims were Ben Callahan
and a negro boy. whom the gang met on
the road. They murdered the boy and
beat Callahan so that they believed him
to be dead when they left the scene after
relieving the man Of money. boots and
saddle
At the country stores of West and j.
Norrburg, at Orket, the murderers and
robbers held up the owners and took away
everything they could carry. Next In
their path of crime they met two white
women and a girl IA years old. All were
repeatedly assaulted by the fiends, who
added another murder to their list. The
girls feet and hands were tied and the
unfortunate creature was assaulted until
life was extinct.
BY this time the country in the vicinity
Of these crimes had become aroused.
Federal and Indian posses, including the
Creek Lighthouse Guards, in command
of Capt. Edward Harry and Deputy Mar
shars Jesse Jones, M. ID. Irwin, Samuel
Hayes and other determined officers
started al first to capture or kill the muir
derers of Garratt-that being the first
crime heard OF. Thursday afternoon the
pursuers came up with the gang twelve
miles from Okmulgee and divided, one
half going to a place of ambush into
which the other party drove the gang
from the summit of a hill A fight with
rifles and revolvers followed, In which
Capt Harry fell from his horse. bullet
grazing his head, and three horses were
killed Five of the gang were captured
alive and the sixth, Lucky Davis, escaped.
In the possession of the murderers
were found 1000 rounds Of ammunition
and a great quantity of stolen property.
| They were taken to Okmulgee, where a
mob of citizens, bent on lynching them,
surrounded the officers. but the officers
| escaped with their prisoners to Musco-
| gee Another mob, with ropes and rifles
| awaited their arrival, but again the posse
cheated the mob of It's prey by getting
sufficient warning to land the gang In
Jail This was last night, and the town
| was kept in an uproar all night by the
attempts to lynch the Indians and the
| efforts of the business men to prevent moi
| violence. The mob was finally quieted
long enough to allow of a third escape
of the posse and prisoners on a train for
Fort Smith.
Perry, o. T., Aug. 1l-Ben Cravens and
Bill Crittendon the latter a half-breed
Cherokee, two Of the most desperate men
in the territory, who were arrested by
Marshal Iix few days ago and place
in jail here, escaped from the prison al
an early hour this morning by saving
the bars. A posse of twenty men started
after the fugitives. They were overtaken
at noon and a battle ensued. in which
Cravens was killed. Crittendon made his
| escape
THE WRECK ON PAINT RIVER.