Volume 17 , Issue 36

Sept., 1893, Desperadoes Growing Bold And Numerous

The Leavenworth Times, out of Leavenworth, Kansas, gives us this glimpse of what was happening, reported on a Tuesday morning, 5 September 1893, with the following headlines: "Fairly Swarms With Outlaws." Desperadoes were growing bold and numerous. Three more hold-ups the night before. Several gangs operating in southern Kanas and the Territory - operators at Vinita, I.T. and Columbus, Kansas held up - Bill Doolin killed - "Arkansas Tom" captured.

Found on Newspapers.com

Kansas City, Mo., Sept 4 (1893) -- Outlawry has run riot in the Indian territory, Oklahoma and Kansas the past few days. Beginning with the desperate fight last Friday between United States deputy marshals and the Doolan-Dalton gang at Ingalls, O. T., in which five men and two boys lost their lives, a perfect wa e of crime seems to have struck that country. Last night the Frisco train was held up and Messenger Chapman was killed.

On 5 September 1893 came the report of holdups at Vinita, I. T., and at Columbus, Kansas. Night operators were the victims in each case. There were many rumors as to who was doing this work. A dispatch from Arkansas City, Kansas, said that the dead body of Bill Doolin, one of the men wounded in the fight at Ingalls, had been found five miles from that place. Doily was one of the men who escaped from the Coffeyville raid last November (1893). The finding of his body lends strength to the report that Bill Dalton was one of the participants in the battle at Ingalls. Doily usually carried five or six revolvers.

They reported that Doolin was a walking arsenal and a dead shot. It was reported that Bill Dalton shot four balls into deputy Lafe Shadley's body at a distance of 200 yards at Ingalls. There were many who think Doolin and not Dalton did this shooting. Doily was himself shot through the chest but he was helped to remount his horse. From the position of his body it was supposed he fell from his horse and bled to death on the prairie.

"Arkansas Tom" was captured at Ingalls. Dalton, "Six Shooter Jack," "Tulsa Jack" and "Commanche Bill" escaped. Another dispatch, this from Wichita, said that the Dalton and two of these men committed a robbery at Mound Valley, Kansas, the night before.

An Indian policeman claimed to have seen them in the Osage country about forty miles due south from the scene of the robbery going towards the Kansas line. As of this news report, no report had been made by the posse in pursuit of the Mound Valley robbers, but the officers who were searching for the outlaws who fought at Ingalls had returned to Guthrie empty handed.

When Bob Dalton and three of his gang were killed at Coffeyville and Henry Starr and "Kid" Wilson were captured in Colorado, people along the territory border hoped that the worst and most numerous gangs were wiped out, but they seemed to have worthy successors.
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