The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-05-05
Ben CRAvFNS MARRlFS
Black Sheep of lineyiIIe Family Safe
from Officers who are after Him.
Marries Mexican Senorita.

Marries Mexican Senorita.
Ben Cravens. the notorious Oklahoma
outlaw, is the black sheep of respect
able family living at Lineville, Wayne
county. Cravens is one of the smoothest
and most polished of his kind and this
polish and suavity has at last, won him
as the story goes, beautiful Mexican
senorita for a bride and a high social
position in the land of Maximilian.
The recent arrest in Oklahoma of a
man the officers thought answered the
description of Cravens has set all ambi-
tious sleuths to thinking in vain effort
to devise way to locate and effect the
recapture of the notorious bandit king.
And all the time the now pious Ben is
basking serenely in the protection of
grand Old Mexico, where his connection
with family of wealth and position
affords him immunity from the greedy
laws of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and
divers other states and republics promi-
nent on the map.
At least such is the story that is be-
ing quietly whispered among Cravenss
good friends-and he seems to have
hosts of them throughout the south
west. Masquerading as the nephew of
prominent eN-otficial of the state of
Pennsylvania, Cravens is said to have
gained admission to the most seclusive
drawing rooms of the City of Mexico,
where he met and loved a young SEN
orita of wealth and beauty. With an
improvised family tree dating hack to
when time began, the bandit king of
many states at once dazzled the schem-
ing mamma, which resulted in mar
riage with the rich and beautiful sem
orita, who, the runors add, has already
borne him an heir.
Strong with the administration Of the
republic with position and wealth at his
command, Cravens can now laugh at the
scores of officers who, for years, logged
his every step and followed him through
states and territories and have plenty
OF time to recall and mediate over the
downfall of score or more of the
officers of the law who, to use the
mighty Ben's own expression, are roast
ing below.
Since making his miraculous and SEN
sational escape from the Kansas peni-
tentiary by charging the guard with a
gun he had carved out of soft pine and,
covered with tin foil with the excep-
tion possibly of limited number of
stunts in imperial Missouri that have
been charged up to him, MI" CraYens
has sojourned in the southwest confin-
ing his operations principally to Okla
homa, since that territory has gained
the sobriquet of "the haven for all cut
throats who can no longer remain in
Kansas, Texas and Arkansas" In few
localities in Oklahoma, Crayens is
wanted by the officers but every town
from the -meanest hamlet to the more
metropolitan cities, harbors hosts of his
friends, who will spare no means to
insure his safety when he takes jaunt
through the territory"
Despite the fact that Cravens is want
ed by the United States officers on
charge of murder in the Ponca Indian
reservation and every deputy marshal
in the territory has visions of sensa-
tional capture, his last stunt in Okla
homa was to pay visit to some of
his friends in Governor Tom Fergu-
sons home town, where it is said that
getting sleepy, and not caring to scrawl
his name on the hotel register, he slept
on a pool table in an all-night saloon,
knowing that he was surrounded by
friends who would order an officer out of
the house should one dare to appear.
Prior to this last visit, or directly after
his escape from the Kansas penitentiary
Cravens travelled as a full fedged sales
man, was known throughout the terri
| tory and, among strangers, was suppos-
ed to carry heavy line Of staple goods.
In that capacity he visited the capital
city every fortnight and it is alleged
that he once attended an administration
ball and afterwards dined with the
United States Marshal and several mem-
bers of the territorial counsel without
his identity being detected.