The Battle of Ingalls from the Diary of Dr. Jacob Hiram Pickering

Dr. Jacob Hiram Pickering tended to those wounded in the September 1st, 1893, gunfight in Ingalls, Oklahoma between the Doolin-Dalton Gang and the U.S. Marshals. Dr. Pickering is mentioned in several reports dealing with the gun battle. 

The best of those reports found online is from the State of Oklahoma history website and the Oklahoma State Digital Library. The reason that I believe it's the best is that it actually contains excerpts from Dr. Pickering's personal diary. So yes, this is what he actually wrote down in regards to what he witnessed firsthand at what became known as the Battle of Ingalls.

Here are excerpts from the diary of Dr. Jacob Hiram Pickering:

In July, William Doolan, George Newcomb (alias Bitter Creek), Slaughter Kid, Tom Jones (alias Arkansas Tom), Dynamite Dick, Tulsa Jack, and Bill Dalton began to come here frequently, and in a short time they all stayed here except Dalton. He was out at Bee Dunn’s. 

As a rule, they were quiet and peaceable. They all went heavily armed and constantly on their guard, generally went 2 together. They boarded at the O.K. Hotel, stayed at Bee Dunn’s when not in town. 

The last of this month, a man by the name of Doc Roberts and Red Lucas came to town looking up a proposed railroad route. Both parties took in the haunts of the outlaws. They were both jovial fellows, and soon were drinking and playing cards with them. They left and came back in a week and said they were here to locate a booth, a place for intended settlers to register and get certificates to make a claim for land or town lots. They stayed here until the last week in August, then left. 

On the morning of Sept. 1st, there were 27 Deputy Marshals piloted into town in covered wagons. They caused no suspicion as there were hundreds of Boomers moving the same way. Two wagons stopped at Light’s Black Smith Shop, and one drove up by my house, and they all proceeded to unload in a quiet manner and took positions. 

Doolan, Bitter Creek, Dynamite Dick, Tulsa Jack, and Dalton were in Ransom & Murry's Saloon. Arkansas Tom was in bed at the hotel. Bitter Creek got his horse and was riding up to a small building where Conley stayed, and the Marshals, thinking he was known, moved to try to take him. Marshal Dick Speed from Perkins fired the first shot. 

The magazine was knocked out of Bitter Creek's gun, and he was shot in the leg. He made his escape to the southwest. Speed was shot about this time and instantly killed, also, young Simonds was mortally wounded. The fires of the Marshalls were centered on the Saloon. old man Ransom was shot in the leg. Murry in the arm and side. Walker was shot through the liver. 

By this time, the outlaws had gotten to the stable and saddled their horses. Doolan and Dynamite went out at the back door and down a draw southwest. Dalton and Tulsa made a dash from the front door. As they came out, Dalton’s horse was hit on the jaw, but he had a hard time getting him started, but finally succeeded.

He probably went 75 yards when his horse got his leg broken. He then got off of him & walked on the opposite side for a ways, then left him but came back to his saddle pockets & got his wire cutters & cut a fence, then got behind one of the other boys & rode off. A great many say he shot Shadley, but I seen Shadley run from my place to Dr. Call’s fence & in going through it he was first shot. He then got to Ransom’s house & was debating with Mrs. Ransom, she ordering him to leave when he got his last shots. He fell there and crawled to Selph’s cave. 

A great many believe that Dalton shot him. In fact, he shot so fast when I and Dr. Selph was working with him in the cave, he said Dalton shot him 3 times quicker than he could turn around. But I think I know better, taking the lay of the ground in consideration, and I stood where I saw Dalton most of the time and never saw him fire once, and Shadley was hit in the right hip, and all the balls tended downward. If Dalton had shot him, he would have been shot in front and balls of ranged up. 

The outlaws crossed the draw south of town and stopped a few minutes shooting up the street my house is on. One of these shots hit Frank Briggs in the shoulder, but a slight flesh wound. I took him to my cave and dressed his wound, then went to Walker and gave him temporary (sic) aid, from there to Murry’s and laid his wound open and removed the shattered bone. Some of the doctors wanted me to amputate, but I fought for his arm; 2 2-inch radius (and) was shot away, slight flesh wounds in the side. 

About this time, I was called aside and told to go to the hotel, that Jones was up there, either wounded or killed. I and Alva Peirce, and a boy by the name of Wendell, boys about 12 years old, went over. I went in and called but got no answer and was about to leave when he came to the top of the stairs and says, "Is that you, Doc?" 

I told him it was. I asked him if he was hurt, and he said no. He said for me to come up, and I told him if he wasn’t hurt, I would not, but he insisted. So I went up. He had his coat and vest off, also his boots. Had his Winchester in his hands and revolvers lying on the bed. 

I said, "Tom, come down and surrender." He says, "I can't do it for I won't get justice". He says, "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I won't be taken alive." He says, "Where are the boys?" (meaning the outlaws).

I told him they had gone. He said he did not think they would leave him. It hurt him bad. I never seen a man wilt so in my life. He stayed in the Hotel till after 2 o’clock and then surrendered to Mr. Mason, a preacher. They took him off right away. 

Of the wounded, Simonds died at 6 p.m. Shadley and Hueston were taken to Stillwater, both died in three or four days. Walker shot through the liver, died on the 16th. All the rest recovered. The outlaws stayed close to town as Bitter Creek was not able to travel. Dr. Bland of Cushion tended him. 

I loaned him instruments to work on the wound with, although I did not know just where he was at. A piece of a magazine was blown into his leg. It eventually worked out, and he was able to again ride. Tom was indicted for the killing of Hueston, Speed, and Shadley, and was tried on the Hueston case and convicted of manslaughter in the 1st degree with no leniency of the court. Judge Dale sentenced him to 50 years at hard labor in the Lansing Penitentiary. 

Dalton drifted away from the crowd and was killed near Ardmore. The rest stayed around Dunn’s. Dynamite ordered a big gun sent to Tulsa. The Marshals got onto it and watched for him, thinking he would come in at night to get it, but he rode in at 2 p.m. and got his gun & was getting out of town before they knew it. They started after him and had a running fight from there to the Turkey Track ranch. They killed 2 horses from under him. They thought they had him surrounded in the timber there & sent for more help, but when they got it & searched thoroughly, he was gone. He then left the territory for good. 

Bitter Creek and Tulsa still stayed here. Doolan disappeared, and no one knew where. Also, Edith Elsworth, as they probably went off together. Bitter Creek, Tulsa, Pierce & others went to Dover & held up a train. Was pushed closely & Tulsa, in trying to cover the retreat of the others, was shot and killed. Bitter Creek and Peirce came back to their old haunts, and in a short time were killed on Dall Dunn’s farm. It is the universal belief that they were betrayed by the Dunn boys, if not killed by them.

There is a break in the Diary, and it picks up here:

In March 1896, Bill Doolan was captured in Eureka Springs by Bill Tilghman of Perry. He was brought back and lodged in the Guthrie jail. I went and saw him there. In June, Dynamite Dick was caught in Texas for bootlegging, tried and sent to county jail for 60 days, and they suspected him of being one of the Doolan gang and sent Magee, the U.S. Marshal, word, and he sent a man there to identify him, and they brought him to Guthrie. They got several murder cases against him, but on Sunday night July the 5th, Doolan and a negro overpowered the guards, locked them in cells and 14 of the worst men made their escape, and I think for good. Rumor is they were helped to get out. 

Time will tell, as there is to be an investigation. Toward the last of August, Doolan and a small band were located on Mud Creek about 12 or 15 miles east of Ingalls. He was seen to go to Lawson Post Office several times, and the Marshals laid a trap for him. Between 9 and 10 o’clock Monday night, Aug. 24, he walked into it and was shot and killed dead. No particulars yet in regards to it. I will note them when I get a full account. They say Dynamite Dick and 8 others are hiding close by. 

Later, Doolan was at Lawson making arrangements to leave the country with his supposed wife. He had just left the woman and was walking down the road when he was shot from ambush. He was killed dead. He was put in a wagon and taken to Guthrie that night. The parties that killed him were Heck Thomas, Dall, Bee, George, and John Dunn, with one or two others. They had Dr. Call's No. 8 shotgun.

This did the work, for he had 16 buckshot in him and also 2 Winchester balls. His wife went to Guthrie to get his body, but failed to get it. On the morning of the 25th, the Marshals sighted the remaining outlaws a few miles from where they killed Doolan, but they were on the move heading for Turkey Track ranch. It is doubtful if they ever got them now. There were 4 in the bunch.

Here, the Doctor’s Diary gives some insight into what happened a few months later:

Friday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m., George Dunn rode into Ingalls very fast and said his brother Bee, had been shot by Deputy U. S. Marshal Canton in Pawnee. They left for there immediately. Saturday afternoon, Mr. Cots of Stillwater & family, also Mrs. Bee Dunn arrived with the dead body of Bee. They took him to his stepfather’s house and kept the body until Sunday noon & then buried it. There was a long funeral procession. They found no bill against Canton for the killing and let him loose at once. The feeling in Pawnee is all in favor of Canton. 

Past reputation is what hurts Dunn. All kinds of reports are afloat in regard to his past life. At Ingalls, people are divided on the case. All were looking for Dunn to be killed, but expected it to come from some of the remaining outlaws. There is bound to be more killing over this. I think it's only a matter of time until more of the Dunn boys are killed or they get Canton. After Bee’s death, John, Dall, and George go on the scout. There are a number of bills against them in Pawnee for cattle stealing. 

T. Boggs and Bill Long left for Kansas to avoid the same charge. They got into trouble there and were sent to jail. As soon as their time was out, McLain wrote for his step-son, Bill Long, to come home. He thought there was not anything against him, but just as soon as he got here, they took him in. He laid in jail at Pawnee a month or 80 and gave bond for two thousand to appear at the Sept. 1897 court. 

Bob Boggs went to Texas to get away and stole down there 47 head of cattle. They caught him & sent him over the road for 4 years. Pawnee County will get him when his time is out. Bill Chappel, Tom Boggh,  A. E. Peirce, and several others left the country for good. William McElhanie (Narrow Gauge Kid) skipped his bond and is gone for good. Some think he went to Cuba. McLain, Dr. Steel & W. Wilson are his bondsmen. 

The Grand Jury found bills against John and Al McLain at our place and several others in Stillwater for perjury. They gave bonds. It was on scheduling their property for taxes.

The above is according to the State of Oklahoma history website. The above diary excerpts are "out of a very interesting book called the 'Chronicles of Oklahoma.'” 

Three Deputy U.S. Marshals were killed during the Battle of Ingalls. Deputy Marshal Speed, Deputy Marshal Thomas Hueston, and Deputy Marshal Lafayette Shadley were shot and killed during a gunfight with a group of seven outlaws in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory (modern-day Oklahoma). 

The marshals had gone to the town in search of the outlaws, who were wanted for the murder of Marshal Charles Connelly, of the Coffeyville, Kansas, Police Department, and encountered one of them on horseback. The first suspect, George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb, exchanged gunfire with a marshal immediately. Newcomb was wounded.  A second suspect, Arkansas Tom Jones, who was in a nearby hotel, began shooting at officers from his second-story hotel window with a Winchester rifle. 

It was a horrible shootout. One of the things that saved the Marshals was when Deputy Marshal Jim Masterson threw dynamite into the hotel where Arkansas Tom was shooting from. Because the blast stunned him, the Marshals captured Arkansas Tom.

 

Tom Correa