The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-08
SAYS HIS NAME is NOT CRAvENs.
Notorious Outlaw, Who was Convict
ed of Murder, Denies His Name
is Cravens, or that His Faith
er Lives at Lineville.

INOUOElOuS ouu0"S vAO "Sso OOAAvASS~
ed of Murder, Denies His Name
is Cravens,o or that His Faith
er Lives at Lineville.
It has been supposed all along that
Ben Cravens, the notorious outlaw
who was recently sentenced to the
penitentiary for life, at Guthrie, Ok
lahoma, was q son of we'll known
farmer living near Lineville, but the
outlaw himself denies this and says
his fathers name was Mcdonald, and
that he was killed by cattlemen in
Texas, years ago. The Princeton
Post has the following story in re-
gard to Craven's life:
''It was generally supposed here
that Charles Maust, convicted at
Guthrie, Oklahoma, last week, as
Ben Cravens, the noted outlaw, is a
former Mercer countian and has rel
atives here, but according to state
ment made by the man, he is not
connected with the Cravens families
here, who are respected land law
abiding citizens.
Whether Cravens, Maust or Nc
Donald, he is truly man Of mys-
terry" and although he has been tried
as Cravens and sentenced to life i'm
prisonment at Leavenworth, Kansas,
for the murder of Alvin Bateman,
postmaster at Red Rock, OKLA, he
stoutly denies his guilt. He states
that his right name is Charles Maust
Mcdonald and he was born in Texas.
His father was killed there by cattle
men, he says, and then he went to
Oklahoma and Indian Territory with
his mother and brothers when he
was a small boy.
AS Charles Maust, however, the
man has record in Missouri, which
is told of in press dispatch as fol-
lows:
Oklahoma City.-Ben Crede GRAY
ems, as he is now known to be, in
stead of Charles Maust Mcdonald,
as he recently stated was his name,
who, last week, was convicted at
Guthrie under the name of Ben Crav-
ems after trial in the federal court
on charge of numbering Alvin Bate
man, store-keeper and postmaster
at Red Rock, Okla, on March 18,
1901, had a Missouri record as we'll
as a record in Oklahoma and Kansas,
but not altogether as criminal. In
Missouri Cravens was farmland un-
til he became a horsethief and was
sent ito the penitentiary under the
name Of Charles Maust.
Albert Steele, of New Mexico, a
brother-in-law of Maust, was wit
ness for Maust, and told the story of
his acquaintance with the man,
whom he knew only as Charles
Maust. Steele first saw Maust near
Oregon, Mo-, in the spring of 1902,
where Steele was living on farm.
Cravens had a short time before es-
, capped from the penitentiary at Lam
sing. but no one ever heard of Crav-
ems the outlaw about Oregon. Maust
was employed in the neighborhood
where Steele lived and Miss Ricken-
haugh, sister Of Steele's wife, was
employed at the same place.
Maust and Miss Rickenbaugh were
the only young folks on the farm
and were thrown much together. On
Sunday afternoons they took many
buggy rides and their evenings were
spent together. After an acquaint-
ance of three months they were mar
ried by a justice of the peace in Or
egon.
The marriage took place on
Thanksgiving day in 1902 and Maust
remained there during the next two
years. Letter he deserted his wife
and disappeared. By that time two
children had been born to them,
both boys, and both of them still liv-
ing with their mother at Fargo, N. D.
| Maust's wife heard of him no
more after his disappearance, until
he was arrested on the charge of
stealing horses near Mound City.
! His case was afterwards taken to
Savannah on a change of venue and
he was tried and convicted before
Judge AlonzO D. Burnes. 1t was not
suspected that he was Ben Cravens
until he had served more than two
years in the, penitentiary. Then his
identity was discovered by means of
Bertilion measurements furnished by
the Lansing prison officials.
Maust, or Cravens, has earned
the title he bears, "the man of mys-
| terry" AS Cravens, Maust or Nc
Donald his past is hidden. 1t was
known to several persons in Okla
hOma City before the trial began at
Guthrie that Maust is really Cravens.
The information came to them in a
professional way and they could not
reveal it. AS Cravens no one knows
where he came from or the names of
his parents.
1t was expected that the prisoner
would take the stand at the close of
the trial and tell the story OF his life,
but he did not do so. There are
many who believe his life history as
he has given it since he has been in |
the federal Jail at Guthrie, is really
true.
In a statement made several days
ago Maust declared that his right |
name is Charles Maust Mcdonald. |
He was born in Texas, he stated, and |
his father was killed by cattlemen.
He says he came into Oklahoma then |
the Indian Territory, with his |
mother and brother when he was a |
small boy.'