Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1896-03-19
FORT SMITH LETTER
Cherokee Bill Pays the Death Penalty
for His ManY Grimes.

Cherokee Bill Pays the Death Penalty
for His Many Grimes.
Tuesday Cherokee Bill died up
on the gallows for the murder of
Ernest Melton as Lenapah, |. T.,
Nov. 9, 1894. He spent Sunday
writing long letter to the public
but the only parts of his criminal
career he touched upon were the
shooting of "a grown man who tried
to whip me" at Ft. Gibson in 1898
and the robbery of the Frisco train
at Red Fork. He complained at
not having had fair trial. He
does not mention the Lenapah af-
tair, though he had at several times
lately denied having had any con
nection with the affair. He re-
mained silent on the subject from
the time of his incarceration until
few days before an application
was made for his pardon. He be-
gan making preparations for death
last Thursday and Saturday the
death watch was mounted. He
was baptized by Father Plus in the
morning. He said last week that
he would make no talk on the gal
lows and would die as bravely as
he could. His execution took
place before noon, as he wanted
his mother to take his body home
on the afternoon train.
Two thousand persons assem-
bled around the Jail to get a
glimpse of the noted de>perado as
he was being taken to the scaffold.
The crimes of Crawford Goldsby,
"CherOkee Bill, were numerous
for his cold blooded viciousness
gained for him the appellation of
the "Gorilla." He was a half
breed, and was born at Fl. Gibson,
|. T., in 1876 At the age of IA be
had difficulty with tour men, and
he wes the aggressor, they gave
him a sound drubbing. He vowed
vengence, and soon after shot one
of the men. Then he took to
scouting" as the outlaws call it,
and became the worst desperate |
that ever cursed the Cherokee |
country. His winchester was his
constant companion. and villages |
and towns trembled at the ap-
proach of the Gorilla" He
seemed to have a mania for killing
men. He was elected from a train
at Fit. Gibson for not paying his
fare, aud he killed the trainman,
Samuel Collins. He killed his
brother-in-law, Joseph Brown, be-
cause he thought Brown had got
ten more of the parental estate
than was due him. At the "half
way house" on June 27, 1894, he
killed Sequoyah Houston in a
fight, and it was about the only
killing at Bills hands wherein he
did not have all the advantage.
This fight led to tho formation of
the Cook gang" and on July Is,
1894, they robbed Frisco train
in broad daylight at Red Fork, |.
T. Soon after this Cook and Cher
okee Bill separated, the latter being
too utterly bloody for Cook. The
scaffold on which Cherokee Bill
was executed has a most gruesome
and a ghostly record.
1t is made of rough, strong tim
bers, protected only by a plank
roof. 1t stands just inside the
walls of the old fort at point
where the magazine was once situ-
ated. The trap is of long folding
planks and would accommodate"
almost dozen murderers, but six
at time is ats largest record In all
nineiy-three murderers have been
executed GU this scaffold. Judge
Parker has sentenced 154 murders
to death. but Cherokee Bill was.
the nenety-third executed of that
Freeland Bruner, who is on trial
Tor robbery, is brother-in law of
Rufus Buck and is OF. trial for a
holdup committed by them.
U. s. COURT. !
John B McGill, robbery; mis-.
trial.
Clew Cochrane, Roy Wegburn
md John Wegman, assault; verdict .
not guilty.
Perry Brewer and Tom Shade,
arceny; verdict not guilty.
John Bliss, same.
Ben Jones. same.
Charles Aldrich, assault, same. =.
Joe Reed and Henry Nolatubbe,
arceny; verdict guilty.
Joseph Burnes. assault; mistrial.
Leitz Ball, assault; verdict not .
guilty
John B. Hardy, same. .
Joe Hall, assault; verdict guilty. ,
Robert Hattabaugh, counterfeit :
ng; verdict guilty. :
Milton Hattabaugh, passing :
money, same.
Jack Smith, violating same.
Jim Grayson, Lee Poleau, Bill I
'ettis and Jim Stevens, murder; .
'erdict from box not guilty. They Y
we're charged with the murder of =
.na C~aIli ~, - fbo Cor,;nolo ~