Today would be not only the longest day but also the one with the most/worst hills. Oklahoma is famous for its hills and even songs are written about them. Being June, it would also be hot. Considering the heat, hills and headwinds, several people opted to sag forward and start their ride from Stillwater where most people would have lunch.

Today would be our introduction to the outlaws and lawmen of the early days of Oklahoma in the nearly ghost town of Ingalls which is located a mile off the main highway about 11 miles east of Stillwater. BTW, just in case you wonder, there is no connection between the town of Ingalls and Laura Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie fame.

Everyone has read books and seen movies of the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, but there were more lawmen killed, more innocent people killed and more outlaws wounded in a gunfight on September 1, 1893 at Ingalls than at any other battle between lawmen and outlaws. The US Marshals didn't come walking down main street, shoulder to shoulder like the movies depicted in Tombstone. They tried to be as low key as possible, but things sort of got out of hand before they were in place and the element of surprise was lost. This battle broke the back of the outlaw gangs that used Oklahoma Territory as a safe haven and what few that were not killed or captured moved on to places where they were not known and assumed "respectable" lives.

Dale Chlouber, curator of the Washington Irving Trail Museum located about five miles to the west of Ingalls, came over to tell the story of the gunfight that basically spelled the end for the Oklahoma outlaw gangs. Here's his story.

"The Gunfight at Ingalls

On the night of August 31, 1893 two wagons, one from Stillwater the other from Guthrie, left their respected towns for Ingalls, O.T. Ingalls was a quiet little town in the eastern part of Payne County. Because it was quiet and peaceful it had become one of the Doolin-Dalton Gangs favorite hideouts. The citizens of Ingalls were for the most part respectable and hardworking, they none-the-less tolerated the gangs presents. To stand up against them would surely have been met with certain retaliation. Unknown to the townspeople or the bandit those wagons would end the gangs vacation days in Ingalls.

Inside the wagons concealed beneath the canvas covers were 13 deputy marshals, led by U.S. Deputy Marshal John Hixon. About midnight the first wagon from Stillwater arrived at the rendezvous point just south of Ingalls. In it were, leader Tom Hueston, driver Dick Speed, Ham Hueston, Henry Keller, George Cox, M.A. Iauson, and H.A. Thompson. The Guthrie wagon arrived at daybreak with John Hixon, driver Jim Masterson, Doc Roberts, Ike Steel, Steve Burke, and Lafe Shadley. Red Lucas was sent to town to spot the bandits, he returned at 9 am and reported that Doolin, Dalton, Newcomb, Waightman, Dynamite Dick, and Tulsa Jack were already at the Ransom saloon. There was no sign of Arkansas Tom.

Hixon decide to send for more men. He dispatched a rider to Chief Deputy Hale at Stillwater with a message to bring more men. Hale gathered a posse of 11 men and started toward Ingalls. Meanwhile Hixon moved in with his men in an effort to block all possible avenues of escape. One wagon entered town from the south on Oak Street the other from the west. At the edge town the marshals started unloading from the wagons, scattering and taking up positions among the buildings and fences. The wagon continued through town and stopped in front of the feed barn. The outlaws still in Ramson's saloon paid little attention to the wagons, but Bitter Creek left the saloon to investigate.

Dick Speed had left the wagon and entered the feed barn, when he looked back out he saw Bitter Creek leading his horse up the street his way. A kid stepped from inside the livery stable into the street and Speed asked him who the man was coming down the street. When the kid informed him it was Bitter Creek, the outlaw looked up and saw the deputy, then tried to raise his rifle to shoot. Speed quickly shoulder his rifle and fired the first shot. It hit Bitter Creek's rifle and ricocheted downward into his leg. Bitter Creek fired but the shot went wild. He was unable to lever another cartridge into his weapon, so he wheeled onto his horse to make his getaway. Speed stepped from the feed barn to fire again on Bitter Creek Newcomb. Arkansas Tom was in hotel at the time of the first shot. He quickly took up his rifle and spotted Deputy Speed at the feed barn. He fired two shots from the north window of the hotel killing the deputy. The rest of the deputies opened fired at Newcomb as he rode out of town to the south. The rest of the gang in the saloon started shooting trying to cover his escape.

All of a sudden the whole town was shooting with everybody shooting at everybody else. Young Simmons, an innocent bystander, ducked into Vaughn's saloon and was fatally wounded as he try to make good his escape out the back. N.A. Walker, a bar customer, ran into the street when the shooting began and was shot by marshals who thought he was one of the bandits. Then the firing stopped, the marshals started closing in on the gang at the Ramson saloon. Hixon shouted to them to give up, but Doolin refused.

The marshals open the second shooting spree with a viscous barrage on the saloon from all sides. Old Man Ramson was hit in the leg, and the bandits decided to make a break for it. Doolin left the saloon first, followed by Dalton, Red Buck, Dynamite Dick, and Tulsa Jack. They ran out the side door to the livery were their horse were. The marshals didn't know they were gone till they were fired on from the livery stable. To aid their escape from the saloon, Murray distracted the marshals by pretending to be one of the bandits and started shooting from the front door of the saloon. Marshals concentrated their fire on him, wounding him 3 times.

With the bandits at the livery the marshals changed their positions so they could cover the livery. Meanwhile, Arkansas Tom, still in the hotel, covered the boys as they made good their escape. As Tom Hueston was changing positions, Arkansas Tom shot him twice. Inside the barn Doolin and Dynamite Dick saddled the horses as Dalton, Red Buck, and Tulsa Jack kept shooting at the deputies. Then Doolin and Dynamite Dick rode out the rear door of livery heading south. The others rode out the front and headed south also. As Dalton galloped down the street Hixon shot his horse in the jaw. The horse stopped, spun around and became unmanageable. Deputy Shadley fired and hit Dalton's horse in the leg breaking it. Dalton dropped from the horse and Shadley fired again. Dalton fell down an embankment and Shadley thought he'd hit the bandit so he started toward the other bandit who had reached a barb wire fence at the edge of town. Suddenly Dalton appeared, and fired at the deputy, his shot missing. Then Arkansas Tom fired at Shadley hitting the deputy in the hip.

Dalton grabbed a pair of wire cutters from his injured horse and made it to the fence were the others were waiting and cut the fence to let the gang escape. Dalton jumped on behind Tulsa Jack, and the bandits made good their escape. But not before one of the marshals hit Dynamite Dick, knocking him from his horse. The bandits quickly got Dick back on his mount and they made for the brush. They rode southeast out off town pausing at a hill south of town long enough to fire some parting shots. One of the shots hit Frank Briggs, an innocent on-looker.

With the Wild Bunch heading south, the marshals turned their attention toward Arkansas Tom still holed up in the hotel. The posse quickly surrounded the hotel and ordered the occupants to vacate. Everybody but Arkansas Tom came out. A fierce battle raged for an hour as the lone bandit held his own with the marshals. Deputy Hale arrived with his posse from Stillwater, and proceed after the Wild Bunch. Tom continued the fight until 2 o'clock in the afternoon when he was persuaded to give himself up that there was no hope in his escaping. He was then handcuffed and hauled to jail in Stillwater.

Hale's posse trailed the Wild Bunch as far as the Cimarron River, but lost the trail after they crossed the river into the Sac and Fox Reservation. Murray and Ramson were charged with harboring the criminals and arrested. Later they were released and returned to Ingalls. News of Marshal Speed's death and the capture of Arkansas Tom caused quite a stir. There was talk of a lynching. The outlaw was transferred that night to the federal jail in Guthrie. Tom Hueston died from his wounds the next day, Saturday Sept. 2. Deputy Lafe Shadley died on Sunday."

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