The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-22
A MODEL FEDERAL OFFICER.

1
more ability and fidelity than j. S. vii
| llams. OF the Eastern district of Texas
who has Just retired from that place t.
| be succeeded by DR.. John Grant, who
too. is thought to possess qualities tina
peculiarly ut him forsthe place. Mr.. vii
liams was commissioned on January Ia
1898 At that time the Eastern d.stric
included not only fifty-three counties II
the State of Texas with more than one
third of Its population, but one-half Of
the Indian Territory with two thirds o.
its population. When his term begar
the Indian Territory was veritable hot.
bed of crime. 1t was the home of banded
organizations Of train robbers, horse
thieves, cattle thieves and criminals ol
every character: ready to murder any who
undertook to oppose them in their lawless
designs. These hands had conducted theii
operations SO long that they felt as If they
had an inherent right to commit their
depredations upon society They had nc
respect for property rights or regard for
human life.
Many who pretended to have respect for
the law and apparently abhorred its viola
ton were friends, sympathigers and even
members Of these predatory bands who
so ruthessly pillaged and murdered.
Mr.. Williams upon his induction into Of
flee determined, so far as lay in his power.
to break up these gangs and to bring
those composing them to justice. With
this end in view, he commissioned as his
deputies a large force of experienced and
skilled men in criminal work; men who
knew what to do and had the neyre TO
do it. He at once began upon sys-
tematic course. His plans and methods
he kept to himself. Not even his office
men, whom he most fully trusted, were
aware OF his intentions. By some means
he was soon in touch with every organized
band in the Territory. Their movements
were as we'll known to him rs they were
10 the OUTLAW leaders themselves. He kept
his own counsel until he was ready to
strike his deputies who were to execute
lis plans never knew what work he mad
for them until he called them to his pri-
vate Office, gave them their orders aud told
them to execute them Frequently they
would be aroused from their slumbers at
midnight and told to proceed at once to
some Isolated point where they would
find some band of criminals for
whom they had warrants and in many
cases battle to the death would ensue.
And in every instance where the deputies
obeyed instruction. they came off victorl-
Gus.
One of his methods of keeping informed
as TO the movement of criminals was that
he always had man with every wild
BUNCH who would write him or wire ut
every opportunity. Some of the men en-
gagged in til perilous NO k had lead a Grim
inal life, some pretended to be entering
upon such course, and others were ex-
perienced and detectives brought from 4
long distance for the purpose. Some OF
the latter were from California, where they
had actively participated in running down
some of the notorious gangs that once In
tested the Pacific coast. Not infrequentiy
Would Mr.. Williams so 10 the Territory
Whtre he would hold midnight consulta-
tons with the men he had engaged in this
periious work These visits at the ve.y
homes of the marauders were attended
with great danger for had he been be-
rayed or discovered his life would have
been snuifed out in an instance. He pur-
sued these outlaws with an intensity and
"Reminiscences of purpose that Aould not
TAIL. He never reckoned the cost OF an
undertaking and during his term of office
spent thousands of dollars from his own
pocket In running down criminals
His persistent and inflexible work soon
made his name "A terror TO the outlaws.
and band after band fell into the tolls of
the law, while others sought refuge in
other and more congenial places 1t would
require volumes to tell OF the deeds of the
many whom he captured and lodged In The
JANIS and penitentlaries, and those who
received the fullest vengeance of the law
UPON the gallows, and OF how their cap
ture was brought about
1t was during his term and under his
direction that the notorious Bill Dsltn,
was run to earth. In May. 1895. Dalton
ana several men less notorious but eu,,aI,v
desperate swooped down upon the town ot
LohsNiew in broad daylight and robbed the
bank fierce battle was fought between
the outlaws and citizens, in which ono of
the robbers and city marshal were Klued
Dalton and the remainder escaped IN tia
indian Territory. Marshal Williams tools
iheir iran and followed 1t like a sleutb
4ouiiu. IN June Dalton was rounded up
IN Wild, unfrequented and almost inn
cessible spot in the mountains nortbu,oS,
Oh Ardmorc by force OF deputies The
encounter was short and desperate but
when 1t was over Bill Dalton was dead
Before the killing OF Dalton the gang had
separated, but the officer kent tract, n,
them The balance, three in number frsv-
eied by a circuitous route, avoiding ali
puoiic places, toward the Arkansas line.
: htlr every movement was noted 1t was
.helr intention to make a descent upon
some town and rob another bank. Lac
one night Marshal Williams summoned 4,
u ., uo1en deputies and told them 10 pro-
70 point near Eagletown. in the Choctsw
Na'lon where he said the robbers would
'ass az gwen hour on a certain day.
through lane, and NJ that place tbev
we're 10 intercept and capture them. Tho
lsput,es reached the place at daylight,
rhor,iy after sunrise the robbers came IN.
ihey were commanded to SURRENDER h,,,
instead they reached for their guns ana the
,a.,ae began; The outlaws fought dosper-
'ssY, ont me deputies from their noi1t
}, vantage behind trees aud fences klne5 |
~ three OF them, and THE wiped out tho
'omainder OF the notorious DaIion sanT
- had