Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-01
OUTLAWS CAVE
STILL A MYSTERY
OKLAHOMA CAVERN FAMED AS
HlDEOUT OF THE JAMES BOYS
ROBBER BAND.
LOST IN CHA M B E r
Lads Lose Way in Darkness-Conviet
Given Plat Of Place Where Treas
ure Was Thought to bs
Buried.

That the outlaws in the southwest
were shrewd in locating their hiding
places is occasionally seen when some
venturesome tourist or naturalist sue
ceeds in finding some hidden cave IN
the hills or perhaps shielded by rocks
in gulch or ravine. In many cases
mystery surrounds the former head
quarters or gathering places of the
bandits, and one may be within a
trifling short distance of one of these
places and still be unable to discover
it. One such cave as this Is located near
Altus, Okla.
Owing to the fact that the celebrated
and notorious James brothers made a
rendezvous of famous cave near Al
tus, it is called the Jesse James cave by
the people Of the surrounding country.
That they did make a hiding place Of
it is evident by the names carved IN the
soft stone, Frank James, May l, 1870
being foremost among them.
The entrance to the cave is about ten
feet wide and eight or nine feet nigh,
solid rock bottom and top, but to the
right as you enter about ten feet from
the entrance is strong evidence or
mans work, there being a large exca-
walton which will admit man by bend
ing over. l. Ills oAlcuuS ON eiOouS Ola
teen feet and is without doubt place
used for a watch. Rightfp front OF this
excavation large rock IYas placed, and
it was only by chance 1T was discovered.
The cave proper is a but mile long
and at all times Of tn Year filled with
water, One can 20 ba k one-fourth of
a mile and there the water Is about
three or four feet dee but back farth-
er it is six to eight f et deep. The only
access to the cave e3 ept by swimming
is the front. The en rance Is hard to
find: a party driving along will not no.
tice it. A deep ravir for gorge leads up
to it, and it is i'm bssible to descend
this except right nj II the mouth OF the
cave.
Many Ind Ian Relics.
A story is told II how a. party going
to visit the PLACED drove on top Of the
cave right over t main entrance, got
out and hunted I'd miles around for the
place. When he c1e back to the buggy
tired and disgusESd he met the owner
and was showrMhat the horse and
buggy were not teen feet from it.
The cave is lqted eleven miles west
and five miles eth of Brinkman, Ok
ahoma. Indi%# relics scattered all
around show Msshers besides Jesse
James had be&@ there. In fifteen min
utes three me vho were hunting Ind
ian relics fou twenty Indian arrows,
three of which, were perfect. Moss
agates were picked up. A large stone
which was Made by the Indians to
grind corn " Isl another find. The own
ar Is farmin(J lover the place made IA
nous by thu lie outlaws and tilling the
soil for his wing, while by a few dol
ars expended this could be made a
great resort.
The day of that visit was warm, so
warm that there was no comfort any
degrees in Oklahoma means
warm weather-but in the cave the
men were forced to put on coats to be
The water was cold and
1elicious,i though gyp water. Large
Hat stones enabled them to eat dinner
as if from q table.
Strange Stories Told.
This cave has never been fully ex-
plored by the people near Brinkman.
Some boys from Mangum went one day
TO find out something in regard to it.
Three days later their parents went
with lanterns to find the boys and
brought them home on stretchers. two
If them being unconscious when found.
The boys had tramped around and
around until exhausted in chamber
# the cave proper, of which there are
many. They had lost their Matches
.llclT ldIteIuS lldu EOl1e oul, 1Hu do ~
S inky dark in there they could not
ind their way out.
About twenty rods from the cave is
ounh a. most beautiful spring. For ten
eet the water gurgles and then falls
've,I precipice. Three feet from the
ola4A where it falls it is gone.
DEring the summer an ex-convict
,anle to the owner of the cave and
lslfd that he be allowed to explore it,
l having been given plat Of the cave
W h convict who died in prison. The
,lE marked where large amount Of
r H. y had been buried by some Of the
A yes Of the convict that died. He
fW allowed to hunt, but did not find
ss#IEnoney.