The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-02-17
WE CANNOT BELIEVE ONE WoeD
OF THIS VISION.
IS GIVEN FOR THE FACTS
That Laborers at Rock CrIsher a Few
Miles North Of Here Found A Cave
Which Dalton or Any Other
Man May Have Occupied.

/ Oklahoma city. Feb. lG.-Wnat is
/ believed to have been the main zen.
devious and hiding place of TIE IA
nous Dalton gang, which terro Iz,d
/ Oklahoma and Indian Territory some
/ ten years ago. and perhaps other out
laws Of the southwest who preceded
/ the Daltons, was discovered this week
by G. II. Lantin and w. W RyUn Cn.
| ployod at the rock crusher. large
quarry on the Santa Fc railroad about
eighty miles south Of this city. in m-
dian Territory. The Crusher is lorlt-
ed in the heart of the ArbuClile noun
tains where the Washita river has
cut its way through the solid rock.
and the railroad at that point follows
directly the bank Of the river for a
mile or more. The scenery is beauifil
and travellers are at once interested
in the country. which is the widest
imaginable. The railroad officials have
advertised very extensively the great
"Arbuckle Canyon During the sum
mer months excursions from ~, ssv-
ma and Texas points are run regular.
ly to lis place whore thousands Of
pleasure seekers come and spend the
day
Not until this week. however, did
anyone know of the existence of the
wonderful cavern discovered by
Messrs. Lants and Ryun. The cave
starts Immediately under a ledge Of
rock oyerhanging the railroad track.
about coo feet south of the rock
crusher. One can see the mouth of
this cavern from the car window In
order to reach the mouth of the cave
Messrs. Lands and Ryun erected It
platform of boards on the extreme top
Of the precipice and descended by
means of rope ladder some fifty or
sixty feet. Directly in front Of the
cave is a shelving rock, which forms
a safe footing.
On this rock one can walk upright
with ease for a considerable dist
ance. Lighting a lantern which the
men had with them, the two walked
/ and crawled for more than half a
mile, sometimes the roof Of the cave
| permitting easy travelling, and in some
places it was difficult to travel even
/ by crawling.
Suddenly they came to what seem
ed to be the end of the passage, and
before them partitioned off as if for a
/ purpose, were four large rooms fairly
well furnished with old wooden bed
steads, blankets, mattresses and cook
ing utensils, all in good state OF
preservation, it being perfectly dry
within the cave. In telling Of the dis,
coyery this week, Mr.. Lantis said ii
was undoubtedly the hiding place of
outlaws, but from all appearances #
had not been inhabited for at least
ten years past. Old shoes and COW
boy boots with high heels, and hun
dred Of empty cartridge shells ol
large caliber were found on the floor
of the rooms, and dozen OF compar-
atiye good blankets were found.
Footprints of the kind made by the
boots and shoes they found were yet
plainly visible, and piles Of ashes des
| ignated the place where the inhabi-
tants Had cooked their meals. Limbs
Of cedar trees We're piled in une cor
ner of the cave and the yhnle appea.
ance suggested the possibility that the
robbers, if such they were, had lelt
their hidiag place 'or ano,hCr rIld,
/ expecting to return, but perhaps fell
into the hands Of the United States
marshals and never returned to the
rocks which had afforded they shell
ter.
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