The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-04-07
OUTLAW MARRIED.
Romance of the Notorious Ben
CraTens. Badly Wanted For
Many Grimes.
RsHaTdsOf Sl0,Ooo OnAs Head
He Escapes to Mexico and sVeds a
Seu0rita.

from the Ardmoriie We v0ueh
not for the amount Of pure romance
init:
From the convicts cell in the
Kansas state penitentiary 70 a hap
py home in Old Mezico, with the
daughter Of a millionaire mine
owner for wife. IS the transition
made BY Ben Cravens, The MOTOR
ious Oklahoma outlaw.
The story Of Cravens' life and
his crimes would put TO shame the
usual yellow-back encounters. The
son Of honorable but poor farmer
parents, the lad spent his early
days in the field and in the coun-
try school house, interspersed with
the usual amount Of Sunday Sc lool
knowledge that falls 10 the lot of
country youth in a Southern Kan
sas community. The plow and
sickle proved unatlraciive as he
grew older. While the present
governor Of Oklahoma was teach
ing in a country district in Chau-
tauqua county, Kansas, his imme-
diate neighbor across the river was
Ben Cravens, farm-hand and cow
boy, and the two saw much Of one
another that winter But Cravens'
love for adventure soon drew him
into the yet unopened land Of Ok
lahoma, and he became one Of that
restless band Of adventurers from
which originited the Daltons, the
Doolins, the Stars, and later the
Caseys and Swahords. So far as
known Crayens was timid at first
as an outlaw, doing such small jobs
as horse stealing small compared
with the train robbings and bank
wreckings Of other outlaws, but
lucrative then as today.
For one Of these horse stealing
escapades cravenswas arrested and
afterward convicted and sentenced
to term Of years in the Kansas
penitentiary, where Oklahoma con
victs have always been kept under
contract. He had served only a
portion Of his term, when he plan
ned daring and successful escape
with Il. II. Isstellc, a Kansas life
prisoner. In November 1900, they
held up the guards with wooden
revolvers fashioned BY Cravens'
and covered with tin-foil, to resen-
bic the genuine article. The
weapons wereformidable looking to
the guards and they Immediately
threw up their hands when 50 or
dered; then making use Of the guns
which were hanging at The guards
sides, the two convicts left the
prison, running rapidly toward the
river and the undcrbrush, making
their escape without injury 70 eth
er. A posse was at once organized
but without avail.
There are rewards aggregating
$4,000 OIL Cravens head; these
are for known crimes that he com
mitted. The government wants
him for the murder Of Alvin Bate
man; the territory Of Oklahoma
wants him for the murder Of
Deputy Sheriff Johnson and the
state Of Kansas wants him for the
murder Of a prison guard
The murder Of Bateman was the
first crime Of any consequence
committed by Cravens after his
successful escape. His partner in
the killing, Bert Welty is now
serving a life sentence at Fort
Leavenworth for killing Bateman,
but Crayens' good luck was again
with him, and he made daring
and successful get away killing
Deputy Sheriff Thos. Jackson Of
Pawnee county, even while the
deputy had a Winchester leveled di-
rectly at the outlaw and was ordSr-
Ing him 10 throw UP his hands
Three deputy United States mar
shah, fred al Cravens after John
son was shot, but none struck the
mark. At that time it was said
thai cravens was in hiding al the
home Of former sweatheait, in
that location, and in fact she was
used by the government as 9 wit
ness against Wclty
Batemau was murdered in
March. 1901 in the Schwartz
GENERAL store al Red Rock,
u r.