This information is offered FREE 
If you have arrived here using a pay site please know 
that this information has been donated by volunteers in a 
joint effort to provide FREE genealogy material online. 

Caddo Co. Oklahoma - Lawmen and Outlaws
submitted by C.C.G.S. volunteer ccgs73005@yahoo.com
=================================================
The Caddo County Democrat
February 19, 1908
page 1 column 6 

THOMPSON BROUGHT BACK 

Sheriff Baker and deputy Draper returned Tuesday evening 
from Lincoln, Neb. where they went to take into custody 
J.S. Thompson, defaulting Sheriff of Caddo county. On 
Thursday Sheriff Baker received a telegram from Sheriff 
Waters of Burwell, Neb., which said "J.S. Thompson is here. 
Do you want him?" Baker answered, "Arrest and hold J.S. 
Thompson. Are requisition papers needed? Will start as soon 
as he is in custody." Nothing further was heard until 
Saturday morning when Sheriff Baker was shown a telegram 
signed by Thompson which read "I am in custody of Sheriff. 
Ask Baker to release orders and I will come." Baker was 
then requested to release Thompson but as he had received 
no official notice that Thompson was in custody, refused to 
take any such action; not until Sunday morning after the 
9:25 train left town did the second message come from 
Sheriff Waters saying, "Meet me at Lincoln Monday eve. 
Capital Hotel, no papers needed." At 10 o'clock Sunday 
morning, a few minutes after receipt of the telegram, 
Sheriff Baker and Deputy Draper departed on the drive to 
Chickasha taking the 3 o'clock north bound, and arriving at 
Lincoln at 4:10 Monday and were at the Station to meet 
Thompson and Waters when they arrived there, a bond in the 
sum of $4000 was signed and Thompson was given his liberty. 
The carefully censored account of the affair given in the 
Anadarko Democrat quotes Thompson as saying that it was all 
togehter unnecessary to bring him to Anadarko in the 
custody of a peace officer, and that he intended to come 
himself and arrange for his trial." This might be true but 
Tyre Baker was elected to enforce the law, which duty 
includes bringing a fugitive from justice back to the 
county where he is wanted. A Democratic official organ 
under Republican control can perhaps afford to indulge in 
mawkish sentiment and deal in perverted truths, but the 
chief peace office of a county must do his duty. Were Tye 
Baker mind reader enough to figure out that a flight to old 
Mexico and months of silence are but preliminary to "coming 
to Anadarko to arrange for trial", he would undoubtedably 
be in demand as a Scotland Yard detective. During the 
campaign Baker's friends, knowing his integrity and 
invulnerability to the sort of inducements (financial and 
other wise) by which republican politicians sometimes 
control county officials and democratic official papers, 
promised that he would bring Thompson back for trial. This 
is what he has done. 

As to the bond proposition, the Anadarko Democrat, in its 
usual misleading manner in its statement relative to the 
making of the bond, states that "the District Clerk was 
informed by telephone that a citizen of Anadarko wished to 
ut up a $5000 cash bond, which Mr. Leech was under the 
necessity of declining" thus, itentionally or ot, raising 
in the mind of every tax payer the very natural question, 
"Why?" The truth that such an offer was made at one time 
before Thompson was brought back and before Mr. Leech d any 
authority to accept such a bond, and it was, naturally, 
declined. As to the "non partisan bond" so carefully 
brought into prominence by the Tribune and the Anadarko 
Democat, it is as follows, perfectly satisfactory to the 
officials and amply sufficient as to the amount, though 
presumablly, from the prominence given that phase of the 
matter in the two papers above mention "non partisan" for 
effect: O.B. Goodwin, F.O. Beall, W.M. Morgan, I.R. Cole, 
Chas. Slemp, John S. Wogan, (democrat), Geo. W. Hale, John 
A. Tucker, W.S. Ellison, C.W. Cooper, (Democrat), D.D. 
Hoag, M. Bristow, G.B. Phelps, H.W Denbar, Rex E. 
Gilbriath, W.J. Lacey, J.U. Osborne, C.J. Wheeler, J.B. 
Montgomery, (Democrat), G.I. Wood, F.H. Heskett, W.E. 
Beall.