The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-20
HOLDING UP A
WHOLE TOWN

OF it7 Do you happen 10 want them
very bad'' >.
a 'Wc would like to get them. of
course, said the sheriff. He was feel
ing mono too com mfortabc-we could sec
that-and Cook laughed in his face
80 'The horses amt worth fighting
over, said Cook. They're pretty bum
lot, so I guess we III let you take them,
and we II get ours We all then went
out and gave them back the animals
we had stolen.
"Before the officers rode away Cook
made them hold up their hands and
swear that they would not tell any.
thing about us, The shoriff knew OF
the robbery and murder at Sumner. for
he spoke Of il on the way to the tleid
and said that eight men did the job,
Well, said Cook. 'we fellows can rest
easy then. for there are only SIX OF
US Before leaving the deputy and
his men shook hands with us and said
they were our friends. They were, III
a way. [ suppose, because they knew
they were up against hard game. II
they had had the drop, on us 1T s sale
betting that they wouldn't have been
so polite.
I'VE separated at Woods S house that
night. Neil and ] turned south and
the other boys rode toward the Block
ranch. We saw no more of them, but
knew that they had decided to 60 to
the Luna valley. Neil and | rode all
that night and the next day camping
then i'll gulley. Our rations soon
ran short, and the next day we We're
reduced 10 four biscuits apiece. The
third day we rode into the Mesealero
Indian reservation, reaching there
about / clock in the evening.
"Neil told ne to wait in hunch of
timber while he went down to the In
dians TO get something TO eat. He
went away, and was soon out of sight
beyond ridge. That was the last l
saw of Neil. ] waited in tho timber
two hours, and then headed for an In
dian camp. riding a horse I had trad.
along while [ was waiting up in the
timber. When I appeared IN the
camp with the horse the Indians imme-
diately surrounded me. They said the
horse belonged TO them, and made me
prisoner on the charge Of having stolen
81 Here 7 was in fine mess Of trou-
| BILE right away, and with no one to
help mo. They soon made up their
minds to take me to the Mascelero
agency. which they did, and we ar
day [ was taken to Alamagordo and
locked up for horse-stealing. 1t was
not long before l was identified as
having been with the Sumner gang,
and | have been in limbo ever since
| To add to my troubles, a couple Of
/ fellows IN Sumner say they positively
identify ME rs the one who fred the
shot which killed the man there, and |
am up against it on murder charge
as extra measure.
| "The only effort at capture soon aft
| O. Tnhhpr,- vyh
about two miles from Moore S camp
While riding over n ridge we saw a
posse coming toward us. Cook said we
would wait until they came nearer. II
was about an hour when one man came
mp on one side Of the canyon and one
on the other. We recognized these two
rs Alex Street and Frank IRELAND
of Tucumcari, who belong to the posse
which started after our gang. One man
got within 300 yards, and the other
about 300 yards of us. One of them
stood and sized up the situation awhile
and then went back, evidently not lil
ink the outlook for a fight with such
heavy odds against him Cook then
said: I'm Just drop bullet in from,
of that other skate TO sec how dnicl;
he can move He fired as lie spoke
Neil and Potter doing likewise, and tho
remaining man took to his heels and
disappeared with his companions.
- All of the BOYS are now under ar
rest. as [ understand that they
grabbed Cook down IN Arizona, and he
was the last of us loose. | guess that
the game Is nearly PLAYED out. and
with the dose we will get for robbino
the postofhce, by the United States
court, is added the chance that one
of us will swing for the Fort Sumner
murder, when tried by the territory
Tn1 Ill
short; bnt l guess l can stand the
benediction.'
The capture of George Cook, leader
or the Sumner gang, to which Mas
sagee makes reference in the forego
ing confession, took place on Blue riv.
er, northwest of Clifton, Arizona, close
to the Mexican border.
Capt. Runnels of the Arizona Ran.
gers, receiving information of the des.
perado having been seen alone and evi
IDENTIFY making for the border. started
from his headquarters at Douglas with
n couple of men and was not long in
picking up the trail Of the outlaw
They found Cook asleep in cabin be-
tween Douglas and Clifton The place
was surrounded, the door forced, and
Cook, blinking his eyes in sleepy sur
prise, dragged out Of bed and made
prisoner. He was taken to Solonons-
| WIG, bidudh eouHtyI una pldceu IN
Jail.
News Of the capture of Cook was
sent at once to my headquarters at
Tucson and | left for Solomonsvillc TO
take charge of the prisoner. He was
arraigned before the United States
commissioner, and I was ordered to
convey him to the jail at Albu-
querque, New Mexico. Cook was a
half breed Cherokee Indian and one of
| the finest specimens of physical man
hood that | have ever seen. He
weighed 100 pounds, solid mass OF
sinew, bone and muscle. without an
inch Of superfluous fat on his splendid
! frame. He was over six feet in
height, and for all his great size, could
run and jump like n cat.
Knowing what a tough citizen I had
to deal with, I did not propose to take
any chances, and when we left the iall
at Solomonsville Cook IS muscular
limbs were adorned with the heaviest
pair of leg irons that could be pro.
vidcd for the occasion. Also, Deputy
Sheriff Greene, who accompanied me,
-