Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-08-24
TcE9racters IN the vest, is dead

No man knew Thomas better than
did Bill Tllghman. Oklahoma City
cnief Of roEcs They met before the
oDnins q Oklahoma Territor,
tRen'y three years ago. and d m p
work toceih In the paciiieai,o1 81
this Pc. lion ~ the southwes, So en-
|Okiaho territory was optdeG T.
I gEman received the appointment o.
en- a. police al Perry iie, K
I Thosar Vas his assistap' There
vas IRA fichlly no law here 'hel. no
/ 'itrd -. iiies FOR peace o'.if.-s eco
follow. each situation had 10 be- me-
as he circumstances warranted A.
Perry $4,000 people campcd on the
prairie % whome 1000 later stood
iu line ae applicants before the fed
s-a' land office Tilghman and Thorn
~ gaV the work completed in an
ordfl y and neutrality-suspicious. way
subsequently, both operated as de-
puty marahals from the Fort Smith
court Thomas for time being sta
toned ~ Vinita bui working over
fho pnrite Indian country lie and
Tilghpag SET out on many notable
man hunts, together securing the
pralrief then harboring men OF rec
ord and dangerous leisure Such
drlpuei trips often extended az far
4est as the Wichita mountains and
frequently the deputies would return
with a wagon load OF people want
I'd D." Tilghman said recently that he
and Thomas had cut" more than
t12 600 IN rewards.
Native of Georgia.
Thomas was native OF Georgia
Two sons and daughter. all married
and seven grandchildren, now reside
To- that state As a youth be- went
20 ee's army with his uncle General
Edward l.. Thomas OF the Confeder
a'c forces. whom be served as rour
lor This was in lSG2 and 1869 I'm
@ hotter not long ago Thomas said
The second day after ! reached
Ices army the second battle of Man
assas was fought can safely say
that when / was a little over 9 years
~ age ! had seen ar this battle a.
vel as those fought al Iarpers Fer
~ Sherpsburg. Frederlcksburg and
ether places. al least ten thousand
dead when ] was ! s years Of age ]
voted the Democratic ticket In At
.auta for Seymour and Blair Before
I was 10 I was a member OF the At
.arta police force. and was wounded
.u "a race riot between the police and
goo negroes Two police We're killed
lnd eight so badly wounded that we
had 20 De- carried from the street
one Of the many achievements
with which Thomas name was con-
noctcd was when he travelled through
Texas with the bodies OF Pink and F.
Jim Lee in 1855 The men had ere
ltcd much trouble in the ChickasaW
Nation. and In the instance referred .
.o we're charged with killing Guy
Jim Rolf Andy noff and
lin GUY. the latter a deputy mar
hal from the Fort Smith court and
.clated TO the Guy family, prominent
n Chickasaw history. II was a hard
oh that Thomas undertook, as
hoVn by the record which he kept
\ few months before that ne weigh
ID ri pounds, but the day he Eek
erminated" the gang he could only
lalance 1872
Dramatic Surrender Recalled.
This was but one incident IN his
trenuous life. Probably the most
.ramatic one was while serving a. I
Messenger for the old Texas Express
ompany. with a run on the Hous-
on a Texas Central railroad Near
short distance south OF
DALLAS. Sam Bass stopped the train
pom which Thomas was messenger
2 is related that Thomas had red
,avbills calling for money consign-
lents IN which was $4,000 in gold
Hiding himself In the freight and re
using 20 omen the door. caused the
ohber band 20 send bullets into the
mr. The engine and car were then
etached from the train and moved !
few yards away. and as a final ei
ort To make Thomas open up a fire ,
.as started on the track While this