Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1918-05-31

Al some hour between midnight
OF last Thursday night and the fol
lowing morning, number of men.
being estimated at 50 to 200. quietly
made their way to the home of City
Policeman George Wilcox. on South
Third avenue. where they held the
officer up at the point OF guns and
relieved him Of the key to IL box or
cabinet in the fire station where the
keys to the city Jail are kept. Then
the band proceeded. evidently. to
the city jail where they opened th"
door took out one Red Scott. bound
him securely. carried him to tn"
corr, house lawn. where he was tied
or chained to y tree. near the corner
OF Evergreen and Fourth, and was
then given a sound whipping. after
which the crowd disbandeh
On tree nearby. scrawled in big
letters on piece of cardboard. wa'
notice. as set out at the head of
this column.
In the lower left hand corner Of
the card was also affixed skull and
CrOSShOncS emblem
ed. and how. is not obtainablc. II
seems. Prof. W. r. Dodson, who
lives on the England property. near
by. says he heard a shot and groans.
and went out to investigate: that he
saw a man in his underclothes. who
was chained t. Il tree, and who was
begging to be- turned loose: that he
saw the placard and decided not to
NEEDLE, and that several others
were there at the time. and none of
them attempted to release the man.
who by this time was identified; and
it appears tha. he told what hap
pened to him.
Chief Huber OF the fire depart
ment SAYS that someone OF the
neighborhood turned in a police call
and that he with others went to the
scene and saw what had happened.
and also declined to take part in the
relea:e of the man.
George Wilcox, day policeman.
told reporter that he was awaken
ed at about twenty minutes to one,
| when he went to the door and saw a
yard full Of men. and several OF the
| crowd threw flashlights in his face.
covered him with guns, and demand
ed the Jail key He says there must
| have been a hundred OF them, and
that at least fifty were in the house
| at one time. He said he refused to
| give up the keys. and was not mis-
treated; but saw that the band evi-
IDENTITY meant business and might
get rough. and that his wife became
frightened, found the keys. and gave
them to the leader. after which they
faded away az quietly as they had
! come.
A little later. he said. he went
down to the station. and soon found
out what had happened
Still others, hearing tn" shot
among them a travelling man who
had teen to the post office to mail
some letters. reported at the fire sta
tion that they believed a wholesa!"
Jail delivery had taken place. and
that the man fastened to the tree
was the jailOr
X. T. Stinson of the local cxemp-
tiOn board, says he was at work
while the procedure was taking
place. but heard no sound until the
shot was fired that others refer to.
He then went outside and saw man
fastened to tn" tree. and saw others
standing around He says he stood
in the door and watched the fellow
make his escape He says il looked
as though his lands had first been
chained with a chain and then the
chain thrown over large limb Of
the tree. with another chain about
his body and pddlocked. The chain
that must hav" been about the body
still encircled the tree this morning
with the lock unbrOken. Mr.. Stin-
son says the man worked and tugged
at the chain, and finally succeeded
in pulling ii over the long branch or
limb. thus gaining his freedom. and
the cracked limDs and small branch
es torn off and on the ground, give
evidence Of thi'. He then proceed
ed across the former court house
lot. going northeast. carrying the
chains with him. Mr.. StinsOn says
The name used by the band. which
il apparently we'll organized, is III"
same as that used by large hand
that took several I. W VS. and an
archistS out OF Tulsa last fall. whip
ped and tarred and featherod them,
and told them to leave the country
In other places punishment has been
meted out to different culprits by
bands using the same name
The man Scott has been a court
character in this country for many
years, This paper is informed thar
he was habitual gambler and loaf
or, refusing to work at all II is al
so said that he has paid innumerable
fines for gambling, and is only re
Gently out OF tn" penitentary whore
he served five-year term upon con
viction OF open and notorious adul-
terry with negro woman near Box
chito.
City officers say that in their ef-
forts to rid the town OF vags and