The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-28

ti-horse thief members and bands of horse thieves. After hard battle during the summer of 1902 association mem bers captured George Barclay and Jim Brummitt and placed them in the federal jail at Guthrie. In the battle Captain J. $. Poole of the association was killed
 The prisoners were tried for murder, convicted and sentenced to be hanged President Roosevelt committed the sen- tences to life imprisonment. and both are now in the Leavenworth penitentiary.
 At the time of the battle, the feeling as result of the killing of Captain Poole was so intense that mobs formed to lynch the two prisoners. The Anti-Horse Thief association gave out warning that any attempt to lynch the prisoners would be resisted with Winchesters and no lynch ing bee was actually attempted.
 The other battle with horse thieves oc- cured two years ago, near Rawhuska, when Warren Bennett, now dead, and Wylie Haines, both members of the Anti 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 Korkwood.
 With the advance of civilization across the western prairies the horse thief has been buffeted and beaten until he bids fair to take his place in obscurity along Wlln the DuIIdlO, ueer dllu dnlelOpe lH- stead of the expanses 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 tele- graph instrument, device which has done more than any other agent to erad- icate the horse thief. By it's means, no sooner has bandit broken the law than he is henmed in by United States mar shals, sheriffs, farmers posses and vigil 1ar oor1OittaaG uhO either. forpQ hfc surrender or shoot him down.
 In the territorial division of the Anti Horse Thief association there is one anti horse thief lodge to every sixty square miles; in Kansas one to every PIG square miles in Oklahoma alone, one to every 120 miles. Pawnee county has a lodge to every 26 square miles; Lincoln and Pot tawatomie county one to every 35 square miles; Logan county one to every 5S. and Greer county one to every 140 square miles.
 Some Figures Given.
 The work of the association is best proved by figures. In one year 1t has aided in the capture of 137 horse thieves in the territories, recovering S12,O00 worth of stolen horses. There were 124 horses stolen and 136 recovered, some being re- covered that were stolen during the pce- vious year. Out of the 137 thieves IF were captured and sent to the peniten- tiary.
 ''The association never reents in pur- suing thieves who have taken property belonging to it's members says Presi- dent Kirkwood Tt is this fact that gives the association it's strength and makes the thieves hesitate in stealing from members of the Anti-Horse Thief association.
 Not long ago, buckskin pony. worth not more than $25, was stolen from member in Pawnee county. A posse staried in pursuit and remained in the saddle for month
 ''The pony was followed to Benton county, Ark, back into the Cherokee country, then to Kansas, and finally back into Kay county. within forty miles from the place it was stolen. The pony and thief were finally overtaken near Arkan- sas. City, Kan, and the thief sent to the penitentiary for two years The cost of his pursuit and capture was si6O or s135 more than the pony was worth.
 'The thieves as a rule are young men under 23. Occasionally, we find an aged man engaged in the work, and they are always the shrewdest and most difficult to catch.
 We captured one young thief, 23 years