The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-25
HUNTED FOR ELEVEN YEARS,
AND STILL THIS DARING OUTLAW
rs AT LARGE.
Hill LOFTS Kills Three Texas Rangers and
becomes a wanderer With Price on
His Head-His Romantic Marriage
and His Last Thrilling Adventure.

His Head-Hfs Romantic Marriage
and His Last Thrilling Adventure.
The idea that the Wild West is thing
of the past Is somewhat misleading, els the
following true story will show, says Fort
Worth correspondent OF the Pittsburg
Leader:
About twelve years ago there lived in
Texas in the Wichita Falls country, a
..shly respectable family Of the name Of
LOFTS. This family was engaged in the
cattle business, as were most Of the wealthy
families Of that country The Lofts family
included two boys, Jerome and Hill, who,
following the regular occupation Of that
country, cattle raising, were necessarily
reared on the back Of the Texas pony, and
consequently became very expert horse
men. They were aoousomed to the use Of
the rife and grew up as most boys do who
are raised on the frontier. The boys were
considered very good. amiable and COM
panionable. They were what could be
called popular. promising young fellows.
About this time Joe Beckum was Sheriff
Of Motley county. He was close friend
of the Lofts family and companion Of
the two boys, although considerably older
than they. While Joe Beokum was Sheriff
trouble rose between him and John Cook.
A feht ensued, in which Cook was killed
and Beokum became a fugitive from jus
tice.
At the time Beckum was lodging off,
cers. Hill Lofts, then boy Of nineteen, was
working for Dan Wagner, the cattle king,
staying at line camp just over the edge
in the Indian Territory. Beckum drifted
over to where Hill was keeping the camp
and was stopping there wherf they secured
whiskey and got on tear They went
over to a little country store, appropriated
tobacco cartridges, DO, and rode of.
This is robbery In the eyes Of the law,
but it is no uncommon thing in tho ex-
treme West for the cowboys to get on a
drunk, shoot up the town and do consider
able damage and also take such things
as they want. But when they sober up
the custom Is to 60 back and make every
thing right, paying we'll for all damages
or anything that they may have taken
In other words, to right all wrongs. cow
boy that will not do this is not considered
respectable among his associates.
In this case however, no time was given
for reparation as the storekeeper had recog-
nized Joe Beckum, on whose head was q
price large enough, could he secure 1t, to
pay IOT Ills enJlIo BLUM Vi BOooo' NolAoo-
quently he at once informed the Texas
Rangers, who happened to be in the To-
cality, OF the whereabouts of Beckum
When the Rangers learned that Joe
Beokum was close at hand they started at
once to take him dead or alive" and rode
UP near the line camp where Beckum and
LOFTS were. The camp was one room
dugout. Beckum and Lofts sighted the
Rangers, six in number, when they were
800 to 500 yards away, and motioned them
oE H,,kT Nov PAN
of officers that stop to parley, SO, sticking
the steel into their horses, they started for
the camp, and for five minutes there vas
something doing every second.
dead at Ioftiss feet, but the Rangers had
paid dearly for their victory, for scattered
10 front of the camp were six dead horses
and three dead Rangers, The three re-
manning Rangers were hidden behind the
carcasses OF. the, dead horses; and Hill
Lofts. standing behind the dirt thrown
out Of the dugout, his bead and shoulders
above the earth, a deadly Winchester
Ranger to show his head above the dead
horses. At this stage of the fight truce
was entered into and a compromise made,
The Rangers agreed to leave Loias
fight tina. made Hill LOFTS an outlaw and
a man that has been hunted down by Off
GERS like wild beast Of the forest for eleven
When the Rangers left young Lofts
carried Beckum into the camp. and laid
him on the bed, saddled his horse and
rode off to the northwest into the State OF
Colorado. and for the succeeding nine or
ten years he worked on many OF the large
ranches in Colorado, Wyoming and Mon
tana going under various names, and be-
ing hunted continuously by the Texas
officers, but eluding thon from time to
time and moving on to some other part OF
the country.
- 10
located the cattle ranch Of HE Ellingwood,
around which the following events occurred.
Mr. Ellingwood was born and raised in the
vicinity OF Noblesville, Ind, but has spent
all of his active life along the Western
frontier. About year ago Jerome Lofts
came southwest from the Matador country
and started small cattle ranch just south
OF the Ellingwood place, and soon after
this Tom Ross started small ranch near
LOFTS He had about $50 head Of extra
be very prosperous. He was about 80
years old and an extra good COW hand.
He had no trouble in securing work, for
his honest ways soon gained the friendship
Of the cattiemen and cowboys In the coun-
try. His manly bearing and pleasant man
ner soon won for him higher .prize-the
love and affections of Miss Hardin, an &C.
complished young lady Of eighteen, who
lived near by; and some time during last
holiday season they rode over 70 Gomez'
pany with some OF their most intimate
friends. and were made man and wife In
true frontier style.
It is said that Ross best man forgot
10 pull off his spurs during the wedding
ceremony, but that had nothing to do with
the happiness Of the newly married people
OF the pleasant entertainment OF the wed.
ding party. Mr.. Ross and his wife received
q check for 81, 600 from the brides father,
and they were started of IN married life
nth BRIGHT nr0enecta
The newly married people lived very
pleasantly until the fore part OF last June.
At that time HE Ellingwood had sold a
herd OF cattle to Jim Campbell OF Ash
land, Kan, and the cattle were to be trailed
l25 miles north to Bovina, on the Pecos
Valley Railroad, where they were to be
loaded on the train. Tom Ross came over
and wanted some Of his cattle to go In the
bunch. to which Mr.. Campbell agreed all
right, 90 Ross commenced working with
the Ellingwood outfit, and In a few days
the herd was got together and started for
Bovina. The second day out, as the herd
was being watered at the Purcell Wind
mills, in the Jay Cross Ok range, owned
byJ. T. McElroy, about noon, Sheriff Charles
Toms OF Stanton, Tex, rode up to the herd
in company with another. gentleman, and
inquired II Ross was with the herd. He
was informed that he was. Ross was