The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-01-08
FIGHT
TOhFINISH
WITH BANDITS
DEPUTY IN THE BLUE CANYON
BATTLE TELLS OF ASSAULT BY
MASKED MEN - CAPTURED NE
GRO ATTlRED IN LOOT.

Nowata Okla, Jan. r. From Bob
ChIldress, a negro arrested tonight
by a posse Of deputy sheri0s, officers
hope to gain knowledge which will
enable them to capture the bands who
yesterday afternoon killed two mem
hers and wounded another of a posse
that had tracked them to their lair in
the hilly "bIackjacE country, eighteen
miles northeast of here
Childress has admitted that he had
seen the bandits on the day of the
killing. When captured today. within
thrcequarters of a mile of the gulch
where the battle took place, he had
in his possession a, pair Of shoes iden-
tilted as part of the loot taken from
the IIundley store at Coody's Bluff
about "A week ago, and some articles
of feminine wearing apparel, also iden-
tilted as part of the stock. He said
the bandits had given these articles to
him in exchange for his pistol, which
they had taken from him.
Deputies Find Camp.
Twelve of the fifteen bandits. uni
iormly clad in khaki, armed with high
power rifles and made desperate by
the knowledge chat they had killed
that is what picked posse of deputy
sherifs and crack rife shots secured
the hills in the neighborhood of yes.
terday's battle for traces today. They
found a camp, bedding and prepared
hiding places in the gulch on the edge
OF which occurred the fight. They
said it was impossible to tell from
their discoveries the exact number of
bandits.
Four were all Charles h. Barham,
one of the survivors of the engage.
ment, said he had seen, but he said
there must have been at least ten or
dozen more in the band that fred
from ambush.
Twelve or Fifteen at Least.
EGur were all Childress told his
captors he had seen in the band which
took his gun and gave him the shoes.
but Barham early today, in reciting
the story of his experience the day
before, said that a negro answering
the description OF Childress had been
met near the gulch just a few min
utes before the fight, and in reply to
questions concerning any strangers
being in the neighborhood. had said
there was bunch Of twelve or fifteen
cowboys camped in the guch. Fred
Barham, another survivor Of the fight
and the only one who saw the bandits
as they rose from ambush to fire their
first volley declares there were
twelve or fifteen at least"
Identification for Negro.
Barham will come to Nowata from
Delaware to identity Childress as the
negro who gave him the story of cow
boys being encamped in the gulch,
and if this Identification is made the
prisoner viii be asked to explain his
conflicting statements.
It is believed here that the gang
which has been terrorizing merchants
and bankers OF northeastern Okla.
homa for the last three months is the
largest, most desperate and best or
ganizcd band of outlaws in the an.
nails of western outlawry
OF the bandits who Saturday killed
Charles Bullock, city marshal and
johnny Garretson and wounded I'D
Garretson, not one is expected to be
taken alive. The ruthless manner in
which they moved down three mem
bcrs of the little posse and the per.
sistency with which they pursued the
survivors leads officers to believe that
mercy will neither be given nor ex.
pected, that il will be a fight to the
finish.
The battle Of Blue Canyon was not
of the posses making, Charles Bar.
ham said today Barham, Fred, his
17.year.old son; Marshal Bullock and
Ed and John Garretsou had tralled
TO the gulch an automobile which the
night before had been used to cart
away provisions solen from the Gar.
rctson store in Delaware, believing &
to be the work Of the ne'erdo-wells
OF the Cedar Hin region. into which
the trail led