The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-05-31
HE OF THE SILK MASK
JACK STARR, THE FAMOUS DESPER-
ADO, RECENTLY KILLED..
Mystery of a Desperate Character-For
Years a Noted Figure In the Indian Ter
ritory-Nobody Ever Saw His Face, Which


ritory-Nobody Ever Saw His Face, Which
Was Disfigured.
John Starr is dead. Starr first APP
peared in the Chickasaw Indian country
in 1882 or thereabout. One popularity
about the man was the singular way he
had of shading the upper portion of his
face and eyes with the rim of inch
sombrero, while the lower part of the
face was always covered by heavily
lined mask of silk. This mask caused
the man to be known as Starr of the
Silk Mask.
No one ever saw Starr without his
hat and the mask. At first he was a
boomer, and the boys were all anxious
to see the "color of his eyes," as Dan
Darrell said when he tried to pull the
silk mask to one side. They buried poor
Dan the next day.
No one paid much attention to Starr
after this until he suddenly turned up
in No Mans Land at Bear City in 1888
and opened gambling den called the
Half Way House. Ben Smith of Colo
RADIO, who played there one night, said it
ought to have been called the "sure
pop" place. AS Ben thought of his losses
he began to drink. Finally he strobe up
to where Starr was dealing faro and
reached for the sombrero "Silk Mask
Jack" always wore. The man at the
faro table made one quick pass and shot
Ben dead. There was an uproar and a
cry for vengeance, but when the noise
subsidized and the body of the dead Col
oradian had been carried from the room
the man with the silk mask was still
coolly dealing the cards.
During the days preceding the open
ing of the Cherokee strip Jack Starr act
ed as go between with Kansas border
sheriffs, who were willing that all sorts
of gambling devices should run if the
operators put up $50 each every morn
ing. 1t is said that Starr collected ST.
900 every day in an hours ride along
the long line of wagons, tents, shacks
and dugouts.
Johnny Dodge, "Flat Nose" as the
boys called him, allowed that ga man
who hid his face" had no right to collect
money, and he refused to pay toll "Flat
Nose" was buried that night.
When the rush came for claims, John
Starr had big roll of cash and secured
a good farm near Wharton. This place
was near Perry and was a gamblers
paradise. Here the imam with the mask"
fourished for months. Eventually Starr
began to develop into sort of detective,
or1 1,icpl,t chOt in Io hoo1> hx,
some would be assassin. Nellie Bell was
a girl who had made race for home
and got claim next to Starts. She al
ways appeared to have sneaking regard
for the man who hid his face, and when
he was reported to be dying she had him
taken to her home and began to nurse
him. In the end Starr recovered. Then
it was that people began to notice a
change in him. He quit gambling and
killing and began to dress up. The
mask, however, he still chung to. That
was where the mystery lay, and this fact
made him famous.
About year ago he disappeared, after
first selling his claim. Shortly after Mel
lie Bell also disappeared. Later on came
rumors that the two were living togeth-
er in the Creek country, and there they
were lost sight of until few days ago,
when they came to light again in a SEN
sational manner.
When the announcement was made
recently that John Starr had been shot
out near Eufala, no one paid much at
tention to it. Bill Smith, deputy mar
shall, stated that he thought Starr had
been stealing cattle.
"And 1 know Nellie, too" said the
deputy. ''She has been living with John
quite time. No, I'll tell you secret
that has been kept for years. Starr was
really quarter blood Cherokee, but did
not exhibit much sign Of his blood. He
was well educated. In trouble with
some Of his people he was shot in the
lower part of the face, and a part of the
jaw was torn away. The wound was
neglected and healed in very insight.
ly manner. Starr was vain and proud.
He became embittered at his disfgure.
ment and turned gambler and desperate.
Then he was shot and met Nellie Bell,
who fell in love with him. They never
married, but she is out on the ranch
and l miss my guess if she don t develop
into another Kate Daniels, or rather,
Rocky Kate, who led the female boom.
er crowd and was killed only month
400 - Now Vorly Ti,ooc