Robbers Of The West

Robbers Of the West

How the Bandit Gangs Were Finally Broken Up

Of one kind and another the Indian Territory has perhaps harbored more criminals than any other small section or the United States. Granted originally to the sole use and occupation of the Indians, with the guarantee of the general government to keep out all intruding white men, the country early became a rendezvous for those who knew and obeyed no law.

In various ways these transplanted criminals worked out their fate. Not a few married Indian wives and settled down to a quiet, easy citizenship in the tribe. Don't press for the man's history, and you may leave an ex-convict's house with the belief that he is one of the finest fellows you ever met. Some of the right minded enrolled themselves in the police force, becoming zealous and capable officers. A fairly numerous class maintained an illegal traffic in whisky with the Indians as boot leggers or saddle pocket men, and the more daring in the dead of night hauled it in by the barrel. Few indeed dared to continue horse and cattle stealing for the simple reason that this was the easiest thing in the world to do and consequently the most summarily and rigorously punished.

Thus local crimes, excluding the frequent private brawls, were of rare occurrence. But the idea came to a member of the notorious "Younger gang" that the Indian Territory offered a much safer field of operation than Missouri or Minnesota, where the state authorities were anxious to retrieve the reputation of their commonwealths. With two or three companions he went down to the Indian Territory, gathered a few more followers, and almost before they had covered their heads with shanties held up a train on the M., K. and T. near Muscogee. Report said that the haul was a rich one. The matter had been accomplished with a great flourish. The "style" of the robbers was much discussed and admired. The railroad detectives were discouraged. The outlaws were aided in their flights and warned of pursuit.

After a time a woman joined the band - wife or mistress of one - and under the name of Belle Star spread her fame far beyond the Indian borders. She was assuredly young, and she rode as wildly as the men; but, beyond this, report said that she was a crack shot with the rifle and pistol, that she rode "a-straddle," that she actually took part in the holdups and that she was in truth a "queen of the bandits." Sombrero topped, booted and spurred like the men, erect in carriage, supple, graceful, beautiful - the picture of Belle Star graced the pages of illustrated papers. And it were, after all, better to think of her so than as a broken, consumptive woman dying in a dingy jail where she was sent with her mate when a determined little posse of United States deputies swooped down on the gang unannounced and carted them away to Fort Smith.

Next appeared the Cook brothers, about eight years ago, who selected the newly built Arkansas Valley railroad as their prey, but after a single successful holdup they met a posse made up of Osage Indians, Oklahoma farmers, Creek Nation cowboys and United States deputies, who scarcely left enough of the gang to tell the story of their brief career. These youngsters, hardly more than boys, had drunk in eagerly the tales of the James boys and the Younger gang and had launched out in good faith to eclipse all records of outlawry. Their high purpose made them reckless.

The later Dalton gang, four brothers and as many more brave and intelligent associates, came nearer to reproducing the real flavor of romance than any who had preceded them in the business of pilfering express cars. The Daltons came into the territory trained to the trade, three of them haring worked with the famous Evans, Sontag and Sontag trio in southern California. The spectacular ending of the Evans-Sontag partnership after an all day duel between a houseful of deputies and two of the outlaws behind a stack of stable refuse sent the Daltons packing from California to the Indian Territory. Here they lived quietly for a time, winning friends all over the country, working as cowboys and winning reputations as hail fellows, good rifle shots and stanch friends. One or two holdups, cleverly managed, carried through without a hitch, set people to wondering who the robbers were. Still the Daltons held their jobs and were not suspected.

But the holdup of a train on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas near Adair on which half a dozen well armed guards were posted and from which an unusually large haul was made served to rouse the officers to an extraordinary activity. Robbers who could sweep the length of a train with a fire that kept even a Winchester armed guard inside, who could uncouple the express car from me passenger coaches, run away into the woods with it, crack it open, take it back to the train and send the whole on to the next station without exposing themselves to a single shot - certainly these were of an extraordinary cleverness. Finally the officers picked the Daltons as the criminals, but the community was incredulous, knowing and carlng little for the brothers' former reputation. So completely had these genial fellows won the confidence of the ranchmen and cowboys that the officers for a long time dared not try to arrest them.

A sense of security emboldened them. They mussed an attempt on the Arkansas Valley road. Bob was wounded, and the community had indisputable evidence of their guilt. But still public opinion shielded them.

One day three of the Daltons, accompanied by three others, rode leisurely up to Coffeyville, Kan., four miles over the border of the Indian country, hitched their horses and walked over to rob the bank. An obstinate, faithful cashier delayed them unduly, the town woke out of a lethargy, and when the boys made a rush for their horses shotguns, rifles and pistols popped at them from all sides. These were annoying, but not fatal, until a calm, sleepy eyed livery stable helper climbed into a barn loft with a Winchester, stretched himself comfortably on his stomach and began to pick off the bandits as they mounted and started to ride away. Two of the brothers were killed by the livery stable man, the other was wounded and captured, and but a single member of that band reached the territory to tell young Bill Dalton of the fate of his brothers.

This young brother, just past twenty, resented bitterly the summary taking off of his relatives. He talked freely with the sympathizing cowboys of revenge. He came and went free of molestation, and at last he drew together a little band of his own. He was a brave boy and shrewd, but he spent most of his energy running away from the officers after he had indiscreetly murdered an inoffensive citizen. It was all very well to rob a rich railway corporation, said the Indian Territory people - in their view it was mere retaliation - but when a ranchman was not safe from the whim of a fool, hotheaded boy it was quite time to stop him. Bill Dalton led his pursuers a long chase, but was finally wounded, captured and thrown into prison to die.

Bob Rogers, an insignificant looking, slight limbed little cow puncher, who had known the Daltons, induced two of his companions to help run off two carloads of cattle from the Indian country to Kansas in the night. The cattle were sold, the buyers shipped them to Kansas City, where the territory ranchmen's spotter saw them, and the theft was soon charged to Rogers. That made him an outlaw, and, with his companions, he tried train robbing. One success and one failure within a year made him talked about considerably, but he was never regarded as a clever leader. When the United States deputies were ready, after the railroad's offered rewards had mounted to a respectable figure, they were led by Heck Bruner, who was a blacksmith by trade, to Rogers' rendezvous. Here in the middle of the night, a freezing winter wind howling outside, they fell upon the gang asleep in a cabin, killed two and captured the other three.

With the passing of the Rogers gang train robbing fell in disfavor for a number of years, but recent holdups indicate a revival of this hazardous sport.

Caption 1: TWO OF THE DALTONS WERE KILLED

Caption 2: THE GANG WAS ASLEEP IN A CABIN