The Monticellonian., 1916-06-01

I
 had been seen going toward the farm.
 CTS house short time before the
 murder occurred, and returning after
 ward, carrying a rifle on both occa-
 sions. He was known to have threat.
 ened the mans life; but, since there
 was no direct evidence against him. he
 was acquitted. The episode had made
 Sweeney so unpopular, however, that
 he had been forced to leave Clay coun-
 ty and make his home with his sister
 and her husband near Little Cabin
 Creek, Indian Territory.
 It was evident to me that, whatever
 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 de.
 clared, because Miller had been killed
 while attempting to rob bank in a
 little town in Missouri I knew, too
 that the James boys were living reput-
 able lives in Tennessee, and that Dick 1 Little, another member of the eldtime
 gang, was in another section of the country. Accordingly I resolved to ar
 rest Sweeney, on the charge of having murdered the dead man, and also fer
 having shot and seriously 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 i affair Sweeney had been at Vinita. and, while standing on the platform of l the railway station there, he had seen special train go by. The telegraph operator had informed the men on the platform that Colonel Eddy. the gen. eral manager, was aboard her. This | furnished me with an idea which | put into operation when subsequently arresting Sweeney.
 The chief of the United States In- dian police at this time was Capt. Sam | Sixkiller, a full-blooded Cherokee h. dian, living at Muskogee The Indian police was federal organization. and consisted of Indians of good reputa- l tion, whose duty was to patrol the h. dian Territory. They were armed and | mounted, and were there to protect the law-abiding Indians and other resi- dents and their property, especially from the whisky peddlers, of whom there were number plying their ne farious trade selling the Indians cheap whisky at exorbitant prices, which was prohibited by the federal laws govern ing the Indian Territory Sixkiller had authority to arrest any person charged with crime on sight, and according ly l telegraphed him. requesting him to meet me at Vinita for the purpose of arresting Sweeney, without, how, ever. mentioning the mans name.
 The reply, which came rom Sixkil- lers physician. stated that Sixkiller was i'll in bed with fever there upon called up Luke Sixkiller, the chiefs brother, who resided at Vinita and was member of the police force, requesting him to accompany me to Sweeney's house.
 Luke Sixkiller was mortified at my proposal
 Why" he said, this man Sweeney is a terror. He is a wonderful shot with either rifle or pistol, and it will take at least half dozen men, well | armed. to capture him. He is a des- perate man, and we will have to wait | until the chief gets we'll enough to come and help take him"
 had been accompanied to Vinita by William II Pnnnp1l nf l trusted assistants, a little man. but | noted for his fearlessness. Upon learning of the defection of Luke Six killer. Bonnell at once asked permis- sion to join me in the arrest of Swee- ney. After sleeping over the proposi- | tion, however, 1 decided to make the arrest single-handed. had seen 1 Sweeney year before in Kansas City. when the man was pointed out to me by an officer, but I felt sure that Swee. ney would not recognize me, and that I could take him by stratagem, if I
 went single-handed, whereas, if were 1 accompanied by my assistant, Swee- ney would become suspicious of our ] motives and would open fire I knew | lIldl lllt pdQ DcCOlIl6S d very good man indeed when he is confront ed by a man over whom he has no treacherously acquired advantage
 Bonnell demurred strongly. fearing for
 my life. but I refused to allow him to | join me,
 | 1 hired horse from a livery stable
 and started for the farm, reaching the | l. O. i, ha aft
 passing through three miles of under | growth along the banks of Little Cabin creek It was dangerous ride, for if Sweeney had been in ambush he could
 have shot me at almost any place in
 that dense brush timber. When emerged on the open field which
 formed the approach to the farmhouse.
 saw the building about one hundred feet away, and Sweeney seated upon
 the porch in plain sight, with Win chester rife leaning against the wall at his side. At that distance 1 would have been an easy mark even for an inexpert marksman.
 There was gate to the field, and it
 was necessary to let down one of the DdTS duQ thiOuSh, iCofiA6 tHC | horse tethered I entered the field, and hardly had I passed the gate when | Sweeney shouted to me to throw up my hands, at the same time rising and covering me with the rife.
 "Who are you and what do you
 want?" he yelled. as came to halt. My name is Foster" l answered. | y4L,
 ney.'