Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-01
THREE BROTHERS, FULL BLOOD CHEROKEE INDIANS, MANY
 YEARS DIPPED LAW !.
CHARGED WITH DEATHS OF FIVE MEN AND A SCORE OR MORE
 INJURED IN FIGHTS
Picked Posse Secured Mountain Fast nesses for Weeks Before Effecting Capture-story Retold of Spectacular Life of Famous Outlaws.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla, March 3l.-- The trial of the Wyckliffe brothers, full blooded Cherokee Indians, who for five years have defied arrest, outridden and outfought dozens of posses of United States deputy marshals, is in progress here The trial, following their sur render to Governor Haskell soon after his election, marks the passing of the outlaw in the southwest, and calls to mind the end of the James boys of Mis- sour.
 The history of the Wyckliffes is sim liar to that of the Missouri outlaws, in that they were accused of every bank robbery, cattle theft and raid that took place in their territory, and though hunted by posse after posse, they were never more than 200 miles from their own fireside, but were sheltered, armed and warned of danger by friends.
 The mountain fastnesses of Oklahoma, which for years have been haven for outlaws, also sheltered the Wyckliffes and their associates, whose identity to this day have never been discovered. Trails that were unknown to United States marshals were known to these three brothers--Charles, Tom and John and more than once they fought their way through a eordon of possemen and escaped when capture seemed imminent. f'The brothers are sons of John Wyck- life, an educated Cherokee, and for years judge in the supreme court of the Cherokeen nation. Under the fed eral regime the father and sons were indicted on charge of stealing cattle, ard from the time United States deputy marshall set out from Talequah for the Wyckliffe home in Mayes county to the day the two surviving brothers surrendered to Governor Haskell, they were hunted through three states, five men were shot to death and score of others wounded.
 The Wyckliffe s friends charged the possemen with cruelty to them and the families of the hunted men and with killing Dan Boney, another friend of the outlaws, at a spring near his home. With the death of Boney the border war started in earnest.
 The Wyckliffes were reported at their farm one day, but by the time the posse reached there and surrounded the house another report would have them in a different part of the country, where a bank had been robbed or cattle driven off. These reports came from New Mexico, Southern Kansas, Oklahoma and Indian Territory. Then would come lull until another posse would swoop down on the Wkckliffe place and drive the brothers to the mountains.
 How veer Was Killed
 It was between one of these raids that Deputy United States Marshal Veer was shot and killed as he rode through the country near the home of Charles Wyckliffe.
 The killing of Veer caused renewed efforts to capture the Wyekliffes. Dep uty Marshal Ike Gilstrap, with a picked posse of six, secured the noun tains for three weeks without more than getting sight of the outlaws, until the marshal and one sof his men were shot to death in battle at close range at dusk one evening.
 Gilstrap's pursuit was unrelenting. Time and again he had the outlaws all but taken, when their intimate know ledge of tie mountain passes and rough country enabled them to slip through his hands.
 Late ono afternoon after tho Wyck- lilies had ridden hard all day, they stopped at the house of friend for something to eat. While seated at the table the posse, headed by Gilstrap, came in sight. The marshals spurred their tired horses to run and sur rounded the house. Before they could close in the Wyckliffes had ridden through their lines and escaped to the mountains.
 Gilstrap and his men pursued, but could not get close enough to shoot with any accuracy. As the shades of evening fell one of the outlaws horses gave out, and the trio barricaded them selves behind large boulder. Shots were exchanged without effect until it became too dark to see, when the marshal and his men surrounded the improvised fortress and settled them selves to guard it until daylight.
 In the dawn, at the first faint trace of light, they made concerted rush, holding their rifles at readiness to fire as soon as they caught glimpse of their quarry or to return the fire of the outlaws. They gained the shelter of the rocks unmolested, and peered over the barricade. The Wyckliffes were gone. They had disappeared during the night, taking their two remaining horses with them through marrow and almost impenetrable crevice from which they emerged into 8 pass higher up.
 Gilstrap took up the trail at once and hunted his men all that day with out getting glimpse of them. He thcr