The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-07

1
committed no acts Of violence.
Now for the career Of Bert Casey. He
was the son Of Bert Casey, and had a
fun sister and two half-sisters, Bert's
mother dying when he was child and
his father married a second time. The
lad vas but 10 years old when his father
moved here the latter being poor man
who worked out most Of the time Bert
had 20 education and usually remained
with mis- uncle. George. According to his
uncle. he was a good boy, soft spoken
and Of good disposition.
About five years ago Bert went to the
Chicl1asaw country to work on the Smith
and Tuttle ranch. returning here in the
summer to help his uncle on the farm.
The next winter he again went with the
Smith and futile ranch people. and re-
turned in the spring, and worked while
on Jim Hughes COW ranch, in Washita
! county. While there a warrant was sworn
out for him on information and belief.
for The theft Of a horse by Neil Morri-
son, then sheriff. Bert Casey was arrested
anG brought to cloud Chief. lie was sick
with a fever at the time, and asked Nor
llson TO set him bottle of whislzey. II
. hetS q NfLh RAINY sir. Which - u Al4e
on a man and beast alike, and while the
sheriff and his deputies went into the
saloon TO get a drink for themselves and
/ also to procure the liquor for Bert. the
( latter was left on the outside in charge
/ of q deputy II d. not take long for him
TO decide what to 90. but he instantly
made q dash for liberty. The officers
{ I'll took a shot at him and there was at
least a half dozen bullet holes IN the
! slicker he wore. but still Bert managed
/ TO get away. and returned to his Uncle
! George in this county, wnere he lay for
I several weeks with the smallpox
( This was the first clash with the law,
and he had been on the dodge" ever
( since, as George expressed it. From that
! time on it was Bert Casey, outlaw, des-
( perado whom the grim officers have been
hunting ever since. Every bold train
robbery and killing in the last three years
has been charged to Bert Casey and his
gang. Although not quite that long since
he was charged with stealing that horse
in Washita county, yet in that short time
he has achieved Jesse James reputa-
ton IN the southwest. whether justly or
I unjustly, it is not for us to comment on,
but George Casey, uncle and second IA
ther to Bert, does not hesitate to say
that the latter is true. From him it
would be judged that he was driven, if
ever man was driven to crime. by the
continual hunting Of the officers.
! When Sheriff Thompson Of Caddo coun-
ty rounded up that gang of outlaws two
months aso in that canon, followed by
the attempted hold-up of a Rock Island
train day later, it was said to be Bert
Casey and his gang. Part of them We're
captured at the time. but it was told the
leader got away by crawling on his hands
and knees through the brush when as a
matter of fact, Bert Casey was 200 miles
away, working in a cotton field day after
dayWhere this was we could not learn,
but the impression was left that the no
torious outlaw had another object by his
! presence than picking cotton.
Going bgack little farther TO the kill
I ing OF Sheriff Smith and Deputy Beck
! last spring. Casey and a pal were be-
hind an old out house by q fire. trying to
keep warm, when the officers rode up
and attacked them, which resulted in the
/ loss of the officers lives. As far as Bert
standing on the body Of Sheriff Smith and
AtEkllE H. NTEt Alet4i4l L-ttAO - Ato II ttA1
in it, and it is unreasonable at the same
rime, for the boys would naturally get
away as soon as possible. He also said
that Beck was shot from a distance Of 200
yards. bat would not admit that Bert
Casey did it.
Then there was the Wewoka affair, in
which SRofford. one Of the Casey gang,
was killed. The outlaws had ridden into
Asher. 30 miles away. shot up the town,
and then went on to Wewoka, pursued
by the officers who surprised them one
morning, when two of the gang came
down to feed their horses The depu-
ties had the dead drop on them so they
SURRENDERED. when Swofford rushed out
OF a barn and opened fire on the officers,
which was returned and while SwOfford
lay on the ground wounded. he kept
pumping away. hitting one of them in the
hip. the bullet having gone through a log
behind which he lay. Bert also escaped
here.
George Casey says the only thing he
ever blamed Bert for was the murder of
young Beenblossom. If he did it, but says
Bert told him positively that he did not
+ kin Beenblossom. This was in July, 1901.
during the Lawton drawing. Mr.. Been
blossom. his son about IA years old, and
nephew. We're held UP by the Casey
gang near Lawton All threw up their
hands but the nephew. and before he
could shoot a ball went through his arm
and into young BeenbIossom' s body. kill
/ ing him instantly.
When Fred Hudson was released in Au-
gust TO capture or kin his friend in out
Iawry he Immediately came out to Gus
/ ter county to Berts uncle. to get informa-
ton of his whereabouts. He told a story
about his father going on his bond. and
he had come to set witnesses to prove an
aUhi for him i'm the Clip P. o. robbing
case. George told him that h did not
know where Bert was. and after hang
ing around day or two. borrowed a sad
die and horse from neighbor. When
Hudsons name was first mentioned,
George Casey's eyes fairly slistened.
when ne made the remark. 7 did say 1
would kin that" But" then ne
! sraze the sentence of short And if this
is criterion 30 go by. Fred Hudson had
better steer clear Of these parts for there
ere other friends OF Berts who would
KIN him. That Bert and Sims We're muir
dered while asleep. there IS no doubt in
thsir minds Hudson was SPOKEN Of as 4
five cent thief and nothing too small to
tcaL George has two ane horses ana he
SAYS he had To watch Hudson while there
aI the~ time for fear he would set away
with Them. While Nir Casey WoGld not
say positively that Bert was orr there n
bis haase Of late. he admitted that he
has seen him since Hudson came 70 his
p-ace. aqd ~ course that makes il rather
recently
g.s Is III ve could learn - BERT ca