The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-01-07
Tragic Chapters in the Life of Sam
Sixkiller, Educated Indian
and Terror of Outlaws.
HE WAS A HARVARD GRADUATE,
FINALLY Met Death in Attempt inS
to Clear Indian Territory al
Criminals and Coun-
tcrfcitcIs.

REPTUIIc SPECIAL.
Washington. Jan a man who was
killed in the Indian Territory a Few days
ago had a reuutstion far beyond its border
This was Sam Sixkiller. a talented and
woll-eGucated Cherokee. who in early li'
vas graduated from Harvard. the delight
Of Bostuu's cultured because Of his mental
and physical qualities and a young man
in whom Oliver Wendell Holmes took spe-
cial interest. Ia later years be- became TIE
terror ol outlaws and met death in riddifg
the Territory of their operations. y c"ilrs'
companion who accom- ianied SiXkilier to ih'
Cherokee Nation reviewed to-day the fea r
ures Of his eveutful lie. lie said:
After he had finished his education De
went back 10 the Indian Territory. IL" had
II lot OF iaGd--uDou SJ.1D acres-1ut q man
who had lived among cultured people ~.
his life could not settle down to the mo-
notonous life of II herdsman. with no socie,y
except his own people. VINO had never been
out of th.ir own district.
The United States Marshsrs place I'm
the Indian country was ore Of great CON
sequence and importance. lie must b. a
man Of iron nerve. a quick. deadly shot with
the revolver or rihe. and besides all that
De fun of resource and fertility of eNUedient.
Ia those days th- bad men q the border
took to the nation There they were safe
from State iut-r.' renee. N0body but tue
United States Marshal could touch them.
This important functionary had Il deputy in
-Fch district Of the Indian Nation and there
are six districts. This deputy was the whole
show to use an expression much in vogue
down there. He drew from 81 to 5;"I per
month and mileage. He had the authority
10 swear In any number Of assistants r.
qUired. About twenty years ago train rob
hing was extremely common ard popular
in that country.
sans Father Wa. As-as.Inni-..
The father of this man. whose maine was
also Sam SiNkilier was then a Deputy
United States Marshal. He captured and
mad fourteen of the leading Train robbers Of
mat period hanged. for they were all guilty
of murder. one day somebody riddied him
with two charges OF buckshUt from "A hazel
thicket as sam. the elder was quietly rid
Ing to his home. having summoned lot
OF witnesses against some train robbers.
sam. the junior. was absent when his father
was killed. With true Indian taciturnity
" sam. junior. had any suspicious, he kept
them to himself. Public opinion In the In
dian country Is very much a. II j. I'm other
regions. 80 II was not very long before the
coilege-bred cattle owner. sixkiller. knew
j. 81 whom the countryside had fixed UPON
as the murderers Of his father. They Mere
all white men. well-tO-do. hu, men who
preferred I" live in the Indian country
" Eere neither detectives nor Sherins from
afraid. ~
One Saturday night the horse Of IN.
man who had been fixed upon by Indian
public opinion as the leader ln the killing
OF old man SiXkiller' came home without
his rider. Search was made. rhe missing
lequah. where he had been that morning.
with the entire top OF his head shot away
win charge Of buckshot
"A week after. another OF the reDufed
gang was going home from a sale He wgs
II u light wagon. which a negro boy was
driving. Going down hill where th.. road
" NsaW saF.w tHs1sHH HaeE =
blackhaw bushes "A man siepDed ont ~
The thicket with gun and. putting Il to
the head OF the white man. blew fl of
even with the ears. The body ,eIl back
Into the vehicle and was taken home bV
the negro boy. who was half frenzied with
the horror Of the sudden killing Of his
one by one the remaining assaseans Of
sixkiller disappeared. their fate oveftakirg
them suddenly and violently
Ran Down Counterfeifers.
After this there were no more killings
The belief spread that Sam SixkilIcr mad
either done II himself or had caused IL TO
De done He had done all the work alone.
sam had been away a good deal that
summer. the neighbors said. Finally his
friends told him he had better leave Tor
awhile. Some Of the men who were killed
"; 20 he Iet and went to Fort Smith,
where he was made the Chief DEPUTY Mar.
shal for the Indian country.
Just about this time great Quantities
OF counterfeit money were put out All over
the cattle country OF the Indian Territory.
The bills were twos. fives and twentfes. =,
Sood was the engraving that IN was only
When the bills were sent to Washington
that the counterfeit was discovered sam
Slxkllier was put on this work and I'm about
month ne was able TO locate the men who
were passing II or selling il to the Chero-
KEGS, Choctaws and Creeks. He found that
ihree men who called themselves Dalton
we're at the head OF the gang. They had
been known as train robbers before this.
but the testimony was not strong enough
70 convict them Two Of them were arrest
70 Hben they were not expecting e.
They were carrying great quantities os
his money on their persons buyiag cat
le. mules. hogs. anything they could soil
gam. with II. Sam Sixkllier was warned
nat ne would be killed as his father be-
'oTe him had been. But It made no differ
nee He went on with his work and had
hnished II before asSassinated