Volume 15 , Issue 5

1902 - Outlaws Died With Boots On

Have you ever heard of the notorious outlaws of 1902, Bert Casey and Sims? They were suppose to be Oklahoma notorious outlaws during the early years of the 1900's. How notorious were they really?

While browsing the newspaper archives of The Guthrie Daily Leader, Guthrie, Oklahoma, Tuesday, November 4, 1902, we found an interesting front page news article where two outlaws eating breakfast in Cleo Springs found a grim fate of outlaws, and were shot down while while at breakfast table. They died with their boots on when Marshal W. D. Fossett and his deputies, Ed Lockett and Fred Hudson fooled the outlaws with a clever game of confidence with outlaws, Bert Casey and Sims.

The U.S. Marshal W. D. Fossett accompanied by Deputies Ed Locket and Fred Hudson returned from Cleo Springs, the scene of the battle with Bert Casey and Sims. The shooting and killing of the two notorious outlaws occurred yesterday morning while seated at the breakfast table with Lockett and Hudson, two deputy marshals who had been hot not he trail of the desperadoes for five weeks and had recently joined them as pretended criminals.

The four had planned to rob the bank at Cleo Springs and Casey had sent Hudson and Locket to Cleo Springs to cover the ground and see that everything was all right for the raid that was to have been made. Judson and Locket while away, planned to shoot the two criminals at broadcast that morning and at a given signal from Hudson were to command them to throw up theirs.

The plans worked successfully, and while seated around the table the marshals pulled their revolvers and commanded Casey and Sims to surrender. Both Casey and Sims pulled their six shooters, but the marshals had already opened fire. Sims pulled his revolver but it refused to work. Four shots were pumped into desperadoes and none of the shots of Casey or Sims took effect, all flying wide of the mark. As Casey fell he discharged his revolver in the air and died.

Their faces were blackened wight he powder as the fighting was at close range, the four being but a few steps from each other.

Casey was shot in the chest and in the neck, and a mark on the face shows where a bullet had plowed its way through the skin. It was supposed that in falling Casey received a downward shot, as the skin was torn from the nose tot he neck.

The body of Sims was left in charge of the sheriff of Blaine county and the body of Casey was brought to Guthrie and taken to Patterson's undertaking establishment. Both bodies were held to await complete identification and Deputies Hudson and Lockett would receive the reward offered for their capture. A reward of $3,000 was offered for Casey.

Marshal Fossett was highly pleased with the outcome of the encounter and considered it one of the most clever feats in the history of the marshal's office. Marshal Fossett left Guthrie at 2:30, going to Enid and then driving across the country to Cleo Springs where he arrived at 10 o'clock last evening. The citizens of Cleo Springs were highly elated over the killing of the two outlaws.

The camp where the killing took place was about three miles front he little town.

The plan which proved successful was conceived by Marshal Fossett and J. L. McCracken some weeks ago. Casey and Sims were known to be in the northern part of the territory and Lockett and Hudson were put on their trail as pretended outlaws.   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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