Vol 23 No. 03 - December 1945

Officers' Fight With Doolin Gang

By R. P. Ironside.

One of the most exciting and perhaps deadliest gun fights staged in Eastern Oklahoma Territory occurred in the early `90s with United States deputies and posse-men working out of Guthrie under Marshal E. D. Nix on the side of law and order and noteworthy Bill Doolin and his vicious gang of assassins, train robbers and horse thieves on the side of unlawful disorder. This gun argument is commonly designated by old time peace officers and early inhabitants as the Battle of Ingalls, and for some unaccountable reason writers and historians of pioneer tragedies and early Territorial events have either entirely ignored the occurrence or at best made very scant reference of it. Here is the account.

Mentions: * Ross Hibbard * Perry, Oklahoma Territory * Sapulpa in the Creek Nation * the Cherokee Strip * the Osage Nation, Cherokee Strip * the city of Stillwater * present town of Yale * Ingalls, an inland prairie town * Granger Twist * Bill Dalton, a. brother of Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton and Emmett Dalton * Bill Raidler, alias Little Bill, who hailed from Pennsylvania * George Newcomb, alias Bitter Creek * Jack Blake, alias Tulsa Jack; Dan Clifton, better known as Dynamite Dick; Charley Pierce * Tom Dougherty, or Jones, alias Arkansas Tom * Red Buck, a cattle rustler * George Waightman * Dick West, alias Little Dick * Bill Dalton, Bitter Creek, Red Buck, Dynamite Dick* United States Marshal Nix * Deputies John Hixon, Tom Houston, Jim Masterson (a brother of the remarkable Bat Masterson) * Lafe Shadley and Dick Speed * the Old Trilby saloon * a Mrs. Pierce * Rose of the Cimarron * the Osage hills * Jim Masterson * Asbury, Missouri * United States Deputy Heck Thomas * Lawton, Oklahoma * Farmington, Massachusetts * Deputy Bill Tilghman * Deputy Marshal Loss Hart * Heck Thomas * Deputy Chris Madsen * Ardmore, Oklahoma

Frank Matthews, Veteran Officer

By J. Marvin Hunter

Account of Capt. Frank W. Matthews, Texas Ranger, who spent the greater part of his life running down criminals, maintaining law and order including many thrilling incidents of hair-breadth escapes from death at the hands of noted gunmen and skirmishes with desperate criminals wanted for murder, robbery and arson. Here is his story.

Mentions: Frank William Matthews was born June 10, 1872, on the South San Gabriel river, 12 miles west of Georgetown, Texas * His parents were Mr. and Mrs. John G. Matthews. His grandfather, Abner Matthews came to Texas in 1839 from Knox county, Tennessee, and settled near Austin, being one of the earliest settlers there. * joined Jack Hays' company of Texas Rangers in Austin * General Taylor's army * the Frank Murray ranch on the Washita river * John G. Matthews * old Spindletop * the Melcer Mining Co., 30 miles east of Carbo, Mexico * Captain Lee Hall * the Red River oil field near Burkburnett * Fred A .Delano * Lajitas, in the Big Bend country, 108 miles south of Marfa * Captain Bill Hansen * D. D. Harrigan's ranch * Sheriff Albert Hauser * Pete McKenzie * Sam Street, a San Antonio officer * Mrs. Hortense Ward of Corpus Christi * Ben Moore, Sr., of O'Donnell, Texas * Rev. E. A. Butterfield * Ben Moore, Sr., O'Donnell, Texas

John H. Reagan, a Great Man

By Will N. Calhoun, Jonesville, , Louisiana

Account of old Texas senator, John H. Reagan. Mentions: * the Senate Gallery * Jefferson Davis * Geo. E. Giles of Wisconsin * Lieut. Col. Pritchard * General Breckenridge, Clement C. Clay, and Mrs. Davis * General Sheridan * He was the first to advocate the Rail Road Commission * Alvin Ousley * Lanham

Expedition of Capt. R. B. Marcy

By John A. Focht, Professor Highway Engineering, University of Texas

This account is taken from a report by Captain Marcy in Senate Ex. Doc. 60, 34th Congress. On this expedition Captain Marcy traversed a section of Texas, which is composed now of Young, Archer, Wichita, Baylor, Knox, Dickens, King, Kent, Stonewall, Fisher, Jones, Haskell and Throckmorton counties. In April, 1854, Captain R. B. Marcy, 5th Inf., was assigned the duty of making an inspection of lands in North Texas for possible Indian Reservations. During July and August of that year he made an expedition over the watershed of the Brazos and Big Wichita rivers. There were several small tribes of Indians living along the Brazos, which were being pushed further west by the expanding settlements of the white people; the Indians did not want to go further west because of the additional exposure to the marauding nomadic Indians, and the country was more arid and did not produce for them to live. Includes map of the expedition.

Mentions: Fort Belknap * the Preston road * Pecan Fork * the Main or Salt Fork of the Brazos to the beautiful Clear Fork * Rupert N. Richardson * Fort Phantom Hill

The Battle Creek Fight

From the Memoirs of General Walter P. Lane

Account of events that occurred in 1838 when the surveying party of the author, William Love, surveyor William Henderson and others from San Augustine was confronted by about 150 Comanche Indians and the bloody battle that followed.

Mentions: Franklin, in Robertson county * Neil * Parker's Fort * Richmond creek * Tehuacana Hill * Kickapoo Indians * Ionies (a wild tribe) * Euclid Cook * Captain Neil * Burton * Cosette's camp

Captain Ben McCulloch

J. W. Wilbarger

Account details certain lesser-known incidents in the life of Captain (afterwards General) Ben McCulloch which occurred prior to the war between Mexico and the United States.

Mentions: Victor M. Close * General Ben McCulloch was born in Rutherford county, Tennessee, November 11, 1811 * Colonel Sweitzer * Colonel Reuben Ross * Colonel John H. Moore of Fayette county * Henry T. McCulloch, Wilson Randle, David Henson and John D. Wolfin * camp on Peach Creek * the Tonkawas * "Captain Jim," chief of the Tonkawa tribe * John C. (Jack) Hays * the Johnson Fork of the Llano river * the battle with the Comanches on Plum creek in 1840 * The fight with Yellow Wolf on the Pedernales * the battle of Elk Horn, Missouri

The Historic Chisum Trail

Georgia B. Redfield

Account of John Simpson Chisum who was the most widely known cattleman in the world. He blazed the historic Chisum Trail, from the little town of Paris, Texas, where his small scale cattle investments were first begun, southwest through the center and across the desert country of the Lone Star State, then north through the Indian infested country of the Pecos Valley, in southeastern New Mexico. Features a map of the famous drive. Note.—The Chisum Trail to New Mexico is not to be confused with the Chisholm Trail to Kansas. Both of the famous cattle trails were started near the same time.

Mentions: the Pecos Valley, in New Mexico * the "Cattle King of the Pecos." * White Mountains * Roswell * the historic Lincoln County Cattle War * Billy the Kid * Sally Chisum Roberts * James Chisum * famous Jingle-Bob-Ranch at South Spring, six miles southeast of Roswell * H. E. Babcock, Jr., and Bert Aston, * Madison county, Tennessee * Claiborne Chisum * Lucinda Chisum, of German desent * The Fowler-Chisum cattle business * Bolivar, Texas * Charles Goodnight * Rio Pecos * "Tom Green Territory." * Bosque Grande a ranch he established on the Pecos, 6.5 miles north of the present city of .Roswell * Walter Chisum * the Carlsbad Cavern country * Pope's Crossing * the Butterfield Stage Line * Horsehead Crossing * Jesse Chisholm, a half-breed Cherokee Indian

An Unappreciated Oration

By Don H. Biggers.

Account of wild and uproarious days toward the end of the boom time of the Ranger-Eastland oil boom. Mr Biggers goes on to relate his oration presented at the banquet sponsored by the Eastland chamber of commerce. By reading it you will understand why he was never again so much as invited to a banquet in Eastland.

Mentions: the Ku Klux * R. K. Phillips * Mr. Bagley owner of the Fort Worth Record* Wichita Falls Record and the Ranger Record * Breckenridge * Erath county * General J. B. Weaver * John H. Reagan * C. M. Blaisdell