The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-21
HORSE THIEVES HUNTED HARD
OKLAHOMA CATCHES NINE OUT
or EVERY TEN.

IT'S Anti.Horse Thier Association. WIN Ss..
900 Members, Called the BtgGest
Police Force IN the United states Pass.
ing OF the Horse Thief In Oklahoma.
GUTHRIE, Okla, Oct. i8.-sNine men out
Of every ten who steal horses from members
Of the Anti-Horse Thief Association sre
captured" says James A. Kirkwood Of
Guthrie, who is now serving his eighth
year as president Of the Oklahoma Anti
Horse Thief Association.
This association in now planning for It's
annual convention, TO be held In Oklahoma
City during the coming week. II is ex-
pected that 1000 delegates will be present.
There are in Oklahoma and Indian Territory
1900 members Of the order.
The passing OF the horse thi II In Okla
homa can be attributed largely 10 the efforts
Of the association. The national association
was formed in northern Missouri forty
four years ago, and il ultimately extended
it's membership into all Of the Middle and
Western States and Territories.
The Oklahoma division was born eleven
years ago Of necessity. In those early days
the bandits and d~esperadoes roved over the
prairies and preyed upon the pioneer settlers
and defled arrest. One Of the most daring
gangs was that at Yeager and Black.
The Yeager- Black outlaws came into
touch with an entirely new force when the
Oklahoma Anti-Horse Thief Association
was formed, and they were finally brought
into camp with their boots on. For the
capture Of this band James Gibson Of Sheri-
dan and j.. p. Mouriquand of Homestead.
both members Of the association, deserve
credit. They followed the trail Of the
outlaws for months n finally broke up
the gang. captured some Of the members
and killed both Black and Yesger.
Two Of the biggest battles with outlaws
that ever occurred in Oklahoma took place
in the Usage Indian country between anti
horse thief members and bands Of horse
thieves. After a hard battle during the
summer Of 1900 association members cap
tured Greorge Barclay and Jim Brummitt
and place. them in the Federal jail at
Guthrie. In the battle Capt. j. s.. Poole
Of the association was killed.
The prisoners were tried for murder.
convicted and sentenced to be hanged. Pres
ident Roosevelt committed the sentences to
life Imprisonment and both are now in the
LeavenwOrth p~enitentiary.
At the time Of the battle, the feeling as
a result Of the killing Of Capt. Poole was so
intense that mobs formed to lynch the
two prisoners. The Anti-Horse Thief As
ISOLATION gave out warnings that any at
tempt to lynch the prisoners would be re-
sisted with Winchesters and no lynching
bee was actually attempted.
The other battle with horse thieves 90
Cured two years ago, near Rawhuska,
when Warren Bennett. nov dead, and
U-I;. uns-o. 18th -oou,ba-u ~ kha Antt-
Horse Thief Association, killed the two
Martin brothers. The association was on
the trail Of these outlaws for two months.
The pursuit was directed personally by
President Kirkwood.
With the advance Of civilization across
the Western prsiries the horse. thief has
been buffeted and beaten until he bids
fair to take his place in obscurity along
with the buffalo, deer and antelope. Instead
OF the expenses Of prairie which afforded
ample avenues OF escape for the horse
thief the plains are now dotted with towns,
in each OF which is a telegraph instrument,
a device which has done more than any
other agent to eradicate the horse thief.
BY its means, no sooner has a bandit broken
the law than he Is hemmed in by United
States marshals, sherifs, farmers posses
and vigilance committees, who either force
his surrender or shoot him down.
In the territorial division Of the Anti
Horse Thief Association there is n anti
horse thief lodge to every sixty square
miles; in Kansas one TO every 2l0 square
miles; in Oklahoma alone one to every 100
miles. PRwnee county has a lodge r. o cry
20 square miles; Lincoln and Pottav 40 Imie
county one to every IS square miles. logan
county one to every 20, and Greer county
one to every lao square miles.
h work Of the association il best proved
by figures. In one year il has aided in
Nha OanARAna NJ Nqz hnNao Nhiaxraa In thA
Territories, recovering 81, 900 worth Of
stolen horses. There were i24 horses stolen
and 136 recovered, some being recovered
that were stolen during the previous year.
Out OF the 1877 thieves III were captured
and sent to the p~enitentiary.
The association never relents in pur-
suing thieves h nave taken propertv
belonging to its members" says President
Kirkwood. 1T is this fact that gives the
association its strength and makes the
thieves hesitate In stealing from members
Of the Anti-Horse Thief Association.
mo long ago a buckskin pony. worth
not more than t25, was stolen from a mem
Der in Pawnee county. A posse started IN
pursuit and remained in the saddle for a
month.
The pony was follcwed to Benton county,
Ark, back into the Cherokee country, then
to Kansas, and finally hack into Kay county.
within forty miles from the place il VS.
stolen, h pony and thief were finally
overtaken near Arkansas City, Kan, and
the thief sent to the penitentlary for two
year.. tt cost Of his pursuit and capture
was el0O, or SiS5 more han the pom was
worth.
The thieves as a rule are young men
under %. Occasionally We find an aged
man engaged in the work, and they are
always the shrevdest and most difficult 10
catch.
I'VE captured one young thief, % years
old, who had stolen a horse hitched in the,
street at Pawnee n got TO Tulsa, l. T..
before he was captured. He confessed
that in three years he had stolen sixty-thre"
horses, but had carefully avoided stealing
them from member Of the Anti-HorSc
Thief Association. He Numbered at Pawnee.
however. and was caught"
Farmer Rescued by HIs Dog.
Washington correspoHdeHcs Wheeling anfcHi-