The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-08-23

horse and rode quietly away. When |
was hundred yards away the officers
and the merchant opened fire on me,
killing my horse and wounding me.
The horse fell on me, but / extri-
Gated myself and returned the fire.
put so many bullets close to them that
they fed for the 'timber I limped
back to the store. | was frenzied with
madness and believed that the whole
world was against me. LaboTing un-
der that belief, committed the first
crime against the law. robbed the
store Of $27.50 out of pure revenge.
had seen the merchant shooting at me
and at the time it seemed right that
I should take his money. My own
horse being dead l took one of the
horses hitched there and rode to the
Spike S. ranch. fifty-five miles away
where-I arrived after nightfall.
Became "Lons Rider"
"The men on the ranch had been
branding cattle and were eating supper
when arrived. told them the story
OF my adventure. They were glad of
ii. These men had long wanted my
brother and myself to join them, and
now they knew We were with them.
Well we Joined the Long Riders
and for two years we went as wild as
March hares. II was a wild, reckless
country, filled with outlaws, but we
were the widest Of them all. 1t is not
to be denied that we belonged to a
band Of outlaws, but there seemed to
be no other way. We were outlawed
before we had committed the first
crime. We had been accused of train
robbery long before we had thought
OF doing such thing In the next
two years we stopped only short of
murder. We drew the line there, all
of us, and that is more than can be-
said OF many of the outlaws in the
tcIIltOIy dt that time.
"Bands of deputy marshals hunted
us day in and day out, but we had rea-
son to believe that for months they
did not want to find us. October, 1897,
five of us stopped the southbound pas
senger train on siding between Minco
and Chickasha at 1855 In the morn
ing. We attempted to rob the express
and failed. Then we ordered every
body out on the right-of-way, lining
them up against the wire fence, where
we robbed them.
When the Posse Found Them.
There had been many train rob-
berries about which we knew nothing,
although they we're charged to us. Dur
ing the next two months things were
awfully hot. Hundreds of men and
officers were burning the woods
Finally, December ], we rounded up
at the Spike S ranch, staying all night
About o'clock the next morning Mrs.
Hairless brother, Dutch went to the
well at the barn for water He stayed
so long that Mr.. Hairless went after
him, but soon she returned, rushing
into the house and exclaiming:
"'You are all surrounded and will
be killed.
Then she grabbed her little brother
and fed through the door. Just as
she left the door the first volley was
fired and dozens of bullets went crash
ing through the house. was standing
by the kitchen window when the vol
ley came. breaking the glass and cut
ting my face with the flying pieces.
was also wounded above the left knee.
Probably four hundred shots were fired
there and finally we left the house,
running to a small peach orchard on
the south There we made another
stand and sileneed the pursuers.
I'VE escaped by wading Duck creek
and then went into the mountains
Three of us were wounded My brother
Frank had twenty-five bullet holes
through his clothing, but he was not
injured
Betrayed by Supposed Friend.
Eventually We arrived at the home
Of friend, where we were fed aud our
wounds dressed, While We were there
a horsethief by the name of Sam
Baker came to us and said we had,
killed three officers. He advised us
to get away, as larger posse was
coming, he said The facts were, as
we afterwards learned. We had not
killed any of the government officers.
Baker loaded us into his wagon,
under pretense of being our friend,
aud started us on the road to Arkan-
sas. We suffered from our wounds
and had no ammunition About 81
.t.,.an Il ~ ?. 4