On July 26, 1895, a revolver appeared in the hands of a condemned man inside the jail at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Crawford Goldsby, known across the Indian Territory as Cherokee Bill, had somehow obtained a smuggled firearm, passed to him by a trustee. Within moments, the cellblock erupted in gunfire. Cherokee Bill and the warden faced off in a fierce exchange, and when it was over, a warden lay dead.

The guards could not control him, could not disarm him, and the gunfight settled into a stalemate, with Cherokee Bill holding them at bay. He was a man under a sentence of death for murder, and for months he had seemed unconcerned, almost indifferent, to the fate that awaited him. Now the reason for that nonchalance became clear. This was the moment his daring plan for a prison break was meant to unfold.

Crawford Goldsby was born on February 8, 1876, at Fort Concho, Texas. His father, St. George Goldsby, was a black man from Alabama who served as a sergeant in the United States 10th Cavalry, the famed Buffalo Soldiers. His mother, Ellen Beck Goldsby, belonged to the Cherokee Freedmen community, of mixed African, Native American, and Caucasian descent.

When Crawford was seven years old, his parents separated, and his mother took him to Fort Gibson in the Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. He was enrolled in the Kansas Indian School, where he studied for three years, then transferred to the Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he remained for two more years. Despite these attempts to give him an education, his schooling left him with little. According to some sources, he could barely read or write.

At the age of twelve, he left school and returned to Fort Gibson. Crawford had been described as physically mature for his age, and it was during this immature stage of his life that he encountered his fateful confrontation with his brother-in-law. The incident began when his brother-in-law forced him to feed the pigs. Crawford grabbed a gun and shot the man dead on the spot.

Because of his youth, he was not prosecuted for the killing. A year later, Crawford’s mother remarried, but her son found it difficult to establish any harmonious relationship with his new stepfather. During this period, he began to socialize with a troubled crowd, drinking, rebelling, and committing numerous thefts. He also worked on a small farm, where he was popular with many people.

But the following year marked a turning point. Embarking on a path of outlaw life, he quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous and feared individuals in the Indian Territory. In the spring of 1894, at the age of eighteen, Cherokee Bill began his criminal career in earnest by shooting a man named Jake Lewis, who had assaulted his brother. Lewis survived his wounds, but Bill believed he had killed him.

Fearing the consequences, he fled to the Creek and Seminole nations, where he formed an alliance with the notorious outlaws Jim and Bill Cook. In June 1894, the trio engaged in a gunfight at 14 Mile Creek, near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Lawmen had specifically targeted Jim Cook, a wanted man. The gunfight was fierce.

Cherokee Bill shot and killed the lawman Sequoyah Houston, and Jim Cook was injured. The remaining two were forced to drive Cook to Fort Gibson, but eventually had to abandon him. Jim Cook was quickly arrested by the lawmen. Cherokee Bill, now riding alone, went to his sister’s house.

Maud Brown, the wife of George Brown, had to endure the cruelty of her husband, a notorious and abusive alcoholic. Brown began assaulting Maud for disobeying his orders. In an act of bravery, Bill stepped forward, confronted the man, and ultimately ended his life. After this incident, Cherokee Bill and Bill Cook formed a gang, consisting mainly of black men of Native American origin.

They embarked on a campaign of terror throughout Oklahoma. Starting on a small scale, the gang’s early crimes included consuming whiskey and stealing horses. But their activities quickly evolved into robbing banks, shops, and carriages. The outlaws were known for their ruthlessness, using guns to eliminate anyone who dared to stand in their way.

On July 16, the gang committed a robbery involving a man named William Drew. Two days later, they blocked the Frisco train line at Red Fork. Despite their efforts, the gang escaped with only a small amount of loot, thanks to the timely intervention of a vigilant messenger who cleverly hid the money behind several secret boxes. On July 31, 1894, the gang committed a robbery at a bank in Chandler, Oklahoma, taking five hundred dollars.

Their criminal actions resulted in the death of one person and injuries to many others. During the robbery, Elmer Lucas, a member of the gang, was shot and later arrested by law enforcement. With the authorities in relentless pursuit, the Cook gang was cornered at an acquaintance’s home, about fourteen miles west of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, on August 2, 1894. A fierce gunfight ensued, injuring one of the lawmen in pursuit.

The gunfight resulted in the deaths of two gang members, Lon Gordon and Henry Munson, while another, Barry Hill, was taken into custody. The remaining members of the gang escaped. The outlaws continued their criminal activities. On September 21, they targeted the J.

A. Parkinson and Company Store in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, raising a substantial sum in excess of six hundred dollars. Showing audacity, the gang carried out a robbery at the Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot in Claremore, Oklahoma, on October 11. Soon after, the gang quickly proceeded to rob a railway dealer in Choteau, about nine days later.

The Cook gang then orchestrated the sinking of the Kansas City and Pacific Express, strategically located five miles south of Wagoner, Oklahoma. They obtained many valuable spoils during their journey through Oklahoma. Cherokee Bill, along with several other gang members, arrived in Lenapah on November 8. While he was robbing a Shelton and Son General Store, an innocent bystander named Ernest Melton overheard suspicious noises and curiously peered inside to investigate.

Tragically, his curiosity cost him his life when Cherokee Bill raised his rifle and fatally shot him in the head. Soon, the U. S. police chief received information regarding the whereabouts of the outlaw, but Cherokee Bill managed to evade capture when the authorities attempted to arrest him.

His last encounter on the road to crime occurred on December 31, 1894. Acting alone, he brazenly robbed the train station in Nowata, Oklahoma. With the help of those who were looking for a share of the fifteen-hundred-dollar reward, Cherokee Bill was finally arrested on January 30, 1895. He was quickly taken to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to await trial on murder charges.

On February 26, he appeared before Judge Isaac Parker, who convicted him of Melton’s murder. Crawford Goldsby seemed unconcerned by the gravity of his actions, even though he was sentenced to death. Then came the gunfight in the jail, the smuggled revolver, and the dead warden. The standoff continued until Henry Starr, the notorious outlaw who shared a cell with Bill, offered to disarm his friend.

Starr and Cherokee Bill had known each other previously. Starr secretly agreed to disarm Cherokee Bill on the condition that the guards spare his life. The guards agreed to the arrangement, and Henry Starr entered the cell to disarm his friend. He explained to Bill that there was no chance of a successful escape.

Cherokee Bill gave up his revolver, which Starr then handed over to the guards. This incident helped Henry Starr finally gain his freedom. Meanwhile, Cherokee Bill’s lawmen pursued an appeal, arguing that Bill had been unfairly tried in the court of Judge Isaac Parker. The judge had described Bill as a bloodthirsty and mad dog, motivated by brutality, and labeled him the most evil of the outlaws in the Oklahoma Territory.

Despite their efforts, the appeal proved futile. On March 17, 1896, federal officials carried out the execution, hanging Bill in front of a large crowd of hundreds of people. When asked if he had any last words, Bill calmly replied, “I came here to die, not to make a speech. ”

About twelve minutes later, Crawford “Cherokee Bill” Goldsby was dead.

His mother, Ellen Goldsby, took his remains back to the Fort Gibson area, where he was buried at the Cherokee National Cemetery.