Imperial Valley press., 1919-08-19
Sheriff of Usage County,
Okla. Makes 1000 Mile
Journey and Takes Away
with Him Philip r. Will
liams.
ANXIOUS TO MEET
AND FACE ACCUSER
Events Prior to and Con
nected with Arrest which
Make it Part of Vivid Life
Drama.

Deputy Sheriff W. A. Grow, of
Usage county, Oklahoma, arrived in
El Centro from the east last night.
He left on the Los Angeles train TAX
ing with him, as prisoner, Philip r.
Williams, who for several weeks had
been in the employ of Herman Felt,
tailor at 112 North Fifth street. Will
liams was so willing to be taken that
he was at the train toi meet Grow on
his arrival. He was informed several
days ago, that ne was wanted and he
wired to the sheriff that he would
waive all legal formalities and contin-
ued quietly at his work until the ar
rival of his custodian.
The story that Williams tells ex-
planning the circumstances back of his
arrest forms tangled skein of war
work, night riders and politics in what
is onc of the last bits of Wild West
there is left in the United States. 1t
is The home of the Usage Indians, the
members of which have an income of
$4,000 per capita year each from
royalties on oil lands and who are
therefore the richest and lordiest In
dians in the world 1t is also the camp
ing ground of large and lawless con-
tigent of white men. Murder is a
flourishing industry in Usage and as
the taking of life is regarded there
as relatively minor offense, the
great bulk of the murderers go scot
free.
1t would be worth their while for
those heroes of the screen Doug. Fair
banks, Bill Hart and Frank Keenan,
to study the gun-plaSaf the men from
Usage.
Into this picture, some three years
age, stepped Phil. Williams, the young
man who has just been grasped by
the long arm of TIE law stretching out
from Usage to Ell Centre. Williams
opened tailor shop but no tailor like
him ever sat cross-legged on a work
ing bench. He was born in Texas of
southern forebears. His early life
was spent on the range. He has been
professional ball player, an automo-
bile salesman, an oil "wild-catter'
among other outdoor occupations. He
is two-handed fighter and the fact
that he is so handy with his fists has
made gun-play unnecessary, although
as a precautionary and protective
measure he has learned how to shoot
them through both coat pockets. II
was as casual city dweller that he
had become a tailor, and having met
loved and won fair daughter of Ar.
kansas he had decided to sit down anc
grow up in civilization with Pawhuski
the county seat of Usage.
The easiest thing about Williams il
to know him and soon he was known
by all Usage. When war-work came h
was in the thick of it and this wa
when his trouble began. There wa
organized in Usage band of nigh
riders who had adopted the uniform
and insignia of the Ku-kluXers. Os
tensibly they came into being to Civ
the proper impetus to slackers VIII
wouldn't buy liberty bonds. Most o
the band were in it for the rough pla
it gave them but the leaders saw in
an opportunity to crafty those en-
mites which are rife in such con,
munity, and the bands efforts wer
devoted to heckling patriots rattle
than slackers.
A number of prominent citizens e>
pressed their opinion of these nigl
riders in pain wild-west English. Wi
liams was among these free-speakel
n