14, 1967 THE ERKIS JOURNAL PAGE" Fr
The F erkins Journal
"...And | charge you remember well
For this is true, the story we tell,
Of the men and women who made this land
With their blood and tears, into something grand.
rs age
Featuring the self-told story of "Pistol Pete" Frank Eaton
NOTE -
story of the life
of "Pistol Pete" Frank
each week on the
page of the Perkins
The publication of
is an effort
memories of Perkin's
citizen and to ac-
generation of the
from a by-gone era
]PETE 1111
AND GUN
warrent for him for
I intend to serve if.
arest one of us will
in hell tomorrow
i!
morning as Jonas
away Mrs. Swank
to us to be careful
stood in the yard
us ride out to
cattle and ponies were
riding through the
rode up to mo
By garr, Frank, here
right now." I knew
was a dan-
and I was on my
was a good thing
think he would
he did. But when
Your life is at stake
to be ready for
was riding
US.
bout twenty yards
Side of me," I told
we won't both be
him." Jonas rode
at a yearling.
said Jack as
ttp. Then he turned
He recognized me
a word he made a
for his gun.
for him and Jack
horse, firing two
wild as he fell.
never let me do
Jonas, who
t too late to shoot.
get action yet," I
are a couple of
out from the ca-
his friends from
maybe we will
them, too." Jonas
battle.
and see what they
him: "they
to fight."
rode up and
them closly.
cried one of them,
on here? Anyhow,
he. asked, add-
Eaton, a Deputy
United States Mamhal," I said.
"I had a warrent for this man
but he drew his gun when he
recognized me without giving
me a chance to arrest him,"
Then I looked him in the eye
and said, "What is your inter-
est in this game anyhow?? Do
you want to take a hand?"
"Not by a datum-sight," he
said. "I know who you are. But
we just came down from Havana
and stayed all night with Jack.
What are you to do with him
now?
',Plant him, I guess, after I
get his boots and guns to show
,hat the warrant was served.
"We will fake him to Hav-
ana and bury him if you don't
care."
"That's all right. All I want
is his boots and guns."
"Here comes Dad," says Jonas.
"He has somebody with him and,
I believe they are in a hurry."
John Swanick and the other
|nan were riding toward us as
fast as their ponies could run.
John had his Winchester in his
hand and was bareheaded, his
]ong hair streaming in the wind,
his fine face and regular features
looking like a statue come to
life.
COUNTERFIET MONEY
"We heard the shooting,"
John said, "and came as fast as
we could. This is Ed Saunders,
the sheriff of Cooweescoowee
District."
We shook hands and the sherr-
Iff said," Have you got these
'other men under arrest?"
"No, I have a warrant only for
Jack."
"Damn the warrant! Put up
your hands, fellows. I am the
sheriff and I am arresting you
for stealing cattle and for mak-
ing counterfiet money. Disarm
them, Frank, and see that they
:don't throw anything away."
I disarmed them and Ed Saun-
tiers and John Swanick search-
hd the men. The sheriff took a
large roll of bills from each of
hem and :put the handcuffs or
them. he searched Jack Sch-
:onwaldt's body and found a-
nether roll of bills and some
coins. He looked at the money
and pronounced it all counter-
feit. Then he said, "Put Jack on
his pony, boys, and we will go
and search the cabin.
At the cabin we found all
kinds of mold and equipment
and a shot sack full of counter-
feit coins. The sheriff took it all
with him.
We buried Jack Schonwaldt
near his cabin and then we all
,went down to-Swanicks place.
And Guns
It was still early in the day and
after dinner Ed Saunders, Jonas
and I rode off with the prlsion-
ers. Ed and Jonas were taking
their men down to Dag Creek
to put them in jail and I rode
with them as far as Silver Lak
where the marshals were camp-
ed. The head marshal talked
'with Ed and Jonas and they
told him the story of the kill-
ing and arrest. He wanted to
'take the sheriff's prisioners to
the Federal Jail at Fort Smith
but Saunders would not give
them up.
I took the Schonwaldt war-
rant from my saddle pocket and,
gave it to the marshal, then
I untied my slicker from the
back of my saddle and handed
him the boots and gun. He
thew them into the back of the
wagon.
WE LOSE A MARSHALL
That afternoon the head mar-
hal came into camp in a hurry
calling out, "Get your gun, Pete,
and come with me. There is hell
to pay up the river. I was after
Basil Underwood and his gang
and Josh Wilson was helping
me. We found them and they
arhipped us bad. Wilson was
Veteran of The 01d West
Frank Eaton
This Page Sponsored By:
killed and they shot my hat all.
to hell! I came for you for I
want to be sure to get them. You
are a better shot than any or
them."
I was ready and we rode off
to take the trail of the killers.
We rode for five days and most;
of the nights, stopping only to
get enough rest to go on. We
slept with our hats on, our hand:
on our guns and our horse
ground-hitched beside us. bL, I.
we never saw or heard tell e|:
Underwood or his gang.
At last we went back to camp.
q'here was a load of prisioner:
by this time and we left in s
couple of days for Fort Smith.
Vren we arrived there, we vero
given a week to rest and ge
ready or the next trip.
}'RED NAIL
It had been a long time since
the boys had been in town ant
they were spending the week
trying to have some fun.
In our out'fit there was
young Cherokee Indian named
Fred Nails who was a Deputy"
United States Marshal. He war;
six eet and one linch tall.
weighed about two hundred-ter .....
tmunds, was raw-boned witt
heavy muscles. He had a cleat"
light bronze skin and regtiiat-
.features. Fred was handsome
and a good clean boy. He go
stuck on one of the girls at Pea
Green Dance Hall.
A Fort Smith city policeman
named Surratt was also migl--
y lend of her and one night tht"
two men came together. Nail
had no gun because the ma-
sha]s were not allowed to'carrg
their guns to the dance hall.
and saloons, but Surratt, as aa
officer, had his gun on. The 'two
men got into a fight and Sur-
ratt pulled his gun and Fred
Nail took it away from him ank
knocked him down with his fist.
S.urratt got up and left an,1
pulled Nail gave the gun to the
man who ran the dance hall
But Surratt got another gun and.
came back. Fred Nail was sitt-
ing at a table with his back t¢
the door, when Surratt came ]a
and shot him in the back wiCh-
out warning, killing him instgnt,
]y.
The police arrested him, of co-
urse; he didn't have nerve en-
ough to resist an armed man.
They took him away for fear a
mob would form and hang lirr
or some of the marshals woulc
shoot him for the brutal co..
Wardly trick.
ONT/NUED NEXT WEEK
N. Baker Drygoods
The Perkins Journal
Lee Kirk
Ralph's Packing Co.
MeDaniel and Son Hardware
Riley's Steak House
Payne County Bank
