The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-19
DRIVEN TO HIDING
PLACE BY TELEPHONES
Information Scattered Over
Surrounding Country By
Central Exchange
Special to Daily Leader.

Special to Daily Leader
BartlesMlle. Okla, March ia
Gordon Of alert women with rural tele.
phones in their homes surround the
TyrO, Kas., bank robbers in their hid
Ing place among the Hominy creek
hills. twenty miles southwest of this
city tonight Henry Starr. chief OF
the outlaws we're coming in that direc-
robbers for more than ten years. hav.
ing served the greatest part of that
time in the penitentiary for killing
Floyd Wilson, Umted States mar
shal. who was after him for train
robbery. and the combination of wom-
en- and rural telephones has come into
existence since his days. AS "A result
he and his gang are literally driven
into their present aiding place by the
women.
The bank robbers just stopped at
our house for a drink of water" was
the first call the telephone girl at
Ochelata received. She Immediately
communicated this information to the
officers OF the city. wno mounted and
started 10 the direction of the tele-
phone call. An hour later Mrs. Fred
wyatt, wife of a cook on the No. 90
ranch. few miles further away. called
the Ochelata central and said.
The bank robbers are cut in front
of the house now. They have ordered
my husband TO cook breakfast Tor
them Send officers out here to cap.
ture them"
This call was reported down the
! lin. 80, h.
the five members of she posse had all,
ready stopped to inquire the direction
the robbers had taken.
This posse was composed OF Alfred
Cunningham Rocks Flanagan, Mon
roe Staggs A. p Tullock and Joseph
Daniels
When the information from the No.
SO ranch was reported TO them the
men started west The cooks tent on
this ranch sits back among the trees,
and the members of the posse did not
know they were close to the hidine
place of the robbers until Starr con
fronted them In the road with his
Winchester at his shoulder Three OF
the pursuers threw up their hands. de
] livefed their revolyers over to the rob
bers to be broken, and the other two
turned and rode out the back trail as
fast as their horses could travel.
The robbers took the breakfast they
had ordered and wrapping il up hur
ried away from the vicinity OF The
/ telephone lines They had not gone
far, however, until they ran acruss an.
ether neighborhOod in which there are
Telephones. The men in this part Of
the country are all members OF posses
securing the country for the robbers.
and the women had been informed that
\ The outlaws were comnig n that direc.
tion and they We're watching every
woman standing at her telephone or on
her porch keepicg sharp lookout TO"
the fleeing outlaws.
When they appeared on The ton of .
bin, where they were conspicuous for
two or three miles. all OF the women
began calling central The exact po-
sition of the robbers was given, togeth-
er with the direction they We're travel
ling This Information was scattered
over the surrounding country by the
central exchange, and on every side
the man hunters began 60 gather ia
lforce toward the point where the rob
bers We're last seen.
starr Is an old campaigner at this
kind OF game and he began 70 see th a.
be must escape to a region where the
rural telephone is unknown. He head
ed for the district south and west of
Pawhuska and north and east of Grey
Horse This is Wild rugged coun-
II try in which there are hundreds of
thousands OF acres without an inhabit
ant The land belongs TO the Usage
tribe of Indians OF which Starr is a
member. end there is no chance OF
capturing him unless strong force
ba sent into the wilderness, The re-
ward Is not large enough 10 be tempt
ing to such a force of men as win be
necessary To ferret him out. Besides,
he Is crack shot as Is Kid" Wilson,
anothef member OF his gang, and the
risk Is too great 10 run.