The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-01

er-in-law, who owned the farm near Lit
tie Cabin creek, whre the outlaws were
alleged to have had their camping place.
The brother-in-law needed help in his
corn field. and employed the stranger,
who appeared to be a Scandinavian and
spoke English very poorly. Sweeney had
IT was believed. had induced him to assist
in a holdup. and had supplied him with
the revolver of small calibre. almost a
toy, with which he had shot the conduc-
tor, and which had been picked up near
the scene of the tragedy.
Sweeney was a man of sinister reputa-
ton. He was of middle height, about %
years of age with black, luxurious hair.
and the dropping mustache which the
he was coward and braggart. He was
1.-the and agile, and never failed to talk
of his wonderful mark smanship with re-
volver and rifle. In Clay county, Mis-
souri,, he had passed for a horse thief,
a treacherous coward. and notorious
liar. He had been arrested and tried for
the murder of a reputable farmer who
was shot dead one evening while sitting
on the porch of his house with his infant
in his arms. The shot was fired from
a hedge across the road, and Sweeney
had seen them going toward the farmer S
house a short time before the murder oc-
CURED, and returning afterward carry
ing a rifle on both occasions. He was
known to have threatened the mans life
but, since there was no direct evidence
against him, he was acquitted. The cpl
sode had made Sweeney so unpopular,
however, that he had been forced to leave
Clay county and make his home with his
sister and her husband near Little Cabin
creek, Indian Territory ~
greater degree of guilt might rest with
Sweeney. he had been lying to the ex-
press agent. The dead man could not have
been Ed Miller as Sweeney declared, be-
cause Miller had been killed while at
tempting to rob a bank in a little town
in Missouri I knew, too, that the James
boys were living reputable lives in Ten
nessee. and that Dick Little, another
member of the old time gang, was in an
nt -
ingly / resolved to arrest Sweeney, on
the charge of having murdered the dead
man, and also for having shot and seri-
ously wounded Conductor Warner; there
was some uncertainty as to whether the
dead man had done the shooting or not,
and Sweeney's arrest on both charges
would at any rate suffice to hold him
pending inquiries.
During the afternoon preceding the af-
fair Sweeney had been at Vinita, and,
while standing on the platform of the rail-
way station there. he had seen special
train go by. The telegraph operator had
Informed the men on the platform that
Colonel Eddy, the general manager, was
aboard her. This furnished me with an
idea which put into operation when
subsequently arresting Sweeney
The chief of the United States Indian
police at this time was Capt. Sam Six
Killer fullblooded Cherokee Indian. liv-
ing at Muskogee. The Indian police was
a federal organization, and consisted of
Indians of good regulations, whose duty
was to patrol the Indian territory. They
We're armed and mounted and were there
to protect the law abiding Indians and
other residents and their property, es-
pecially from the whisky peddlers. of
whom there were a number plying their
nefarious trade, selling the Indians CHEAP
whisky at exorbitant prices. which was
prohibited by the federal laws governing
the Indian territory. Sixkiller had au-
thority to arrest any person charged with
crime on sight, and accordingly tele-
graphed him. requesting him to meet me
at Vinita for the purpose of arresting
Sweeney, without, however, mentioning
the mans name
The reply. which came from SixkilIers
physician, stated that Sixkiller was Ill
IN bed with fever. 1 thereupon called
up Luke Sxkifier, the chiefs brother
VINO resided at Vinita and was a member
OF the police force. requesting him to ac-
company me to Sweeney's house.
Luke sixkiller was horifired at my pro-
posal.
Why" he said, this man Sweeney is
terror. He is a wonderful shot with
either rifle or pistol and it. viii take at
least half dozen men. well armed. to
capture him. He is desperate man. and
we will have to wait until the chief gets
we'll enough to come and help take him -,
had been accompanied to yinita by
William H. Bonnell. one of my most
trusted assistants. a little man, hut noted
for his fearlessness. Upon learning OF
the detection of Luke sixkiller, Bopnell
at once asked permission to join ne IA
the arrest Of Sweeney. After sleeping