The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-01-26

SLAYER Is
CONVICTED
The Noted Ont
law, Gets Life Term
in Penitentiary

Guthrie, Jan 26After being out
since two minutes before IL o'clock
noon, Thursday, the jury ia whose
hands rested the fate Of Ben crede
cravens, alias Maus., tried upon al
Indictment for the murder Of Alvin
Bateman at Red Rock March rs 1901,
notified the court that they had reach
ed a verdict, and ten minutes later
the clerk Of the court was reading the
verdict finding the defendant guilty
and recommending that the death
penalty be not inflicteds
= don't give G- d. It's hang
ing. ain't it?9 the prisoner remarked
as the clerk finished reading the YER
dict When informed otherwise. he
said, That's better
TO the mastery argument OF Attor-
ney AL. Jennings for the defense in
which he plead what was known to
Be a hopeless cause, The prisoner owes
his life.
II is understood the first ballot
stood eleven for conviction and one
for acquittal, several ballots being
taken before decision upor shia ques
tlon was settled
This done, tho degree came up for
settlement the first vote showing six
for capital punishment aud six for life
Imprisonment
One by one those in favor Of the
death penalty became shaken Ia their
stand until, shortly after o'clock,
when a final vote was taken. all az
reeing upon a modified verdict
Handculfed % Deputy United States
Marshal All GofG as oH egery previous
Journey from the federal iall % the
eaaFlenes ala
other marghals the prisoner reaohed
the courtroom two minutes ahead OF
the jury.
With the same apparently careless
smile on his face, but with shouldesa
more dropped than usual. a more pro-
nounced shuttle to his walk. he pass
ed to a spot directly in front Of the
Judge, wbsre Deputy United States
Marshal removed thu handouts and
bid the prisoner be seated in the same
chair he had occupied throughout the
trial
Career Of the Outlaw.
Ben Cravens escaped from the Ian
sing. kan. penitentiary November is.
1899, where he was serving a 2o-year
sentence for highway robbery, com
mitted at Elgin. Kan. H4 escaped
with Sam Smith, who vas killed by
the guards. and Estella. who is now tn
the Joliet penitentiary for train rob
berry. Cravens almost Immediately
returned to Oklahoma and participat-
ed in chain Of robbefies In jan
I uary Of 1901 he visited the Welty farm
in Kingfisher county and induced Bert
Welty, whom he had known IN the
Lansing prison, to accompany him on
a series OF robberies.
At Red Rock. Okla, on March 10,
they robbed the Schwartz store, an
Indian trading point In the otoe eoun.
try. and killed Alvin Bateman. For
twenty minutes the robbers kept nine
men lined up with their hands IN the
air. Escaping from the store. aftcT
Bateman was killed, the robbers be
same separated. Crayens took Welty
for a pursuer aud shot him, leaving
him to die on the prairie. Wolty
crawled and walked, however. 4
miles to the home Of a friend. wher'
he was captured the next day GRAY
ems also sought concealment at
friends home. which was surrounded
late the next day In again eseapinl
> he shot aud killed Deputy Marsha
Tom Johnson Of Pawnee county.
II Numerous attempts have been mad
since to capture crayens. but AL fail
{ ed until early last year a barber i
the MISSOURI penitentiary informed a
) officer that convict called Charlie
Maust. was known IN the Kansas pri'
B on as Ben CraYens and that he ha
] shaved bim there, This Ted e aa Il
: vestigallon Maust vas identiiie
as Crayens and brought to the feder'
+ ialf here November s. last te stan
i trial for the Red Rock murder.