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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 [First Page] [149], (1) Lines: 0 to 19 ——— 0.0pt PgV ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [149], (1) 9. Back on the Trail O ne of the first well-organized bands of horse thieves to operate in Indian Territory was the Tom Story gang. Besides Tom Story, the gang had other talented men like “Peg Leg” Jim, Kinch West (who reportedly rode with William Quantrill), and “Long” Henry, who were all experts in the fine art of stealing and disposing of horses. From 1884 until 1889 Tom and his gang were devoted exclusively to stealing horses in Indian Territory and selling them in Texas. They made their headquarters somewhere on the banks of the Red River in the Chickasaw Nation, and this strategic location allowed them to move in all directions to fully cover Indian Territory in their search for horses to steal. Tom Story and his gang, however, were not above trying a new procedure . In 1889 they reversed their operation and stole a herd of horses and mules from George Delaney, who lived on the Texas side of the Red River. The gang stole his herd and drove them into Indian Territory in search of a market. When he missed his herd, Delaney began to investigate on his own. Somehow he learned that Tom Story had stolen his horses and mules and that Story was expected to return to Texas in only a few days. Delaney immediately contacted the marshal’s office at Paris, Texas, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of Tom Story on the suspicion of horse stealing. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 [150], (2) Lines: 19 ——— 14.0pt ——— Normal PgEnds: [150], (2) Bass Reeves was then serving in Paris as a deputy U.S. marshal, and he was given the warrant. Bass met Delaney and convinced him that if Tom Story was actually the man they wanted, and if he was returning to Texas, the best thing for them to do was wait for him along the way. Delaney agreed with this plan, and when Reeves decided that Story would cross the Red River at the Delaware Bend Crossing, Delaney agreed to go along as Bass’s posse and wait for Story to return. Reeves and Delaney made their camp close to the Delaware Bend Crossing on the Red River, deep in the brush that paralleled the trail across this ford. They fished and even hunted small game while they waited for Story. After about four days had elapsed, they learned from a man crossing the river who knew Story, that he could be expected late the next day. As a result, Reeves was waiting for him in the brush on one side of the trail when Tom Story came riding across the ford, leading two of Delaney’s finest mules, which he had failed to sell in the Chickasaw Nation. When Story rode up, Reeves stepped out of the brush and challenged him. Story dropped the lead ropes of the mules in surprise. Bass told him he had a warrant for his arrest, and “right then and there, Tom Story committed suicide.” Tom attempted to draw his gun on Bass, thinking he had an even chance to beat him, as Bass still had his gun in its holster. But Story’s gun hadn’t even began to clear leather before Reeves had already drawn and fired his Colt pistol. Story was dead before he hit the ground. Reeves and Delaney buried Tom Story there along the Red River. Delaney left for home taking his two mules along. Bass went back to Paris, Texas, and the Story gang quickly disintegrated, never to be heard of again.1 The famous American historian John Hope Franklin was born in Rentiesville , Oklahoma. Franklin’s father, Buck Colbert Franklin, a Chickasaw Freedman, was born in 1879 in the Chickasaw Nation. In his autobiography , Buck Franklin told the following story of an incident that happened to his family when he was ten years old: 150 Back on the Trail [18.191.202.45] Project MUSE (2024-04-25 18:28 GMT...

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