THIRTEEN YEARS A FUGITIVE

[genealogynut]

Taken from the Howard Courant
June 19, 1908

O"Hare Escaped From Elk Co. Jail In 1896--Recaptured This Week

Sherriff W. S. Beaty brought G.V. O'Hare, alias Moore and alias several other things from Glen Pool, Oklahoma, Tuesday, and lodged him in the Elk Co., jail, from whence he had made his escape January 2, 1896, more than twelve years ago.  He had then just been convicted of cattle stealing and was waiting in jail, the arguing of a motion of a new trial.  S. H. Patterson was sheriff at the time and Keenan Hurst was jailer.  The fugitive has eluded the officers ever since, but a short time ago Sheriff Beaty heard that one of the O'Hare boys was arrested for some crime at Cleveland, Okla., and he judged the old man was not far away.  Beaty soon got on track of him and gathered him in and now has him again safely in jail.  This is quite a big feather for Mr. Beaty, for the prisioner is a hardened criminal of long standing, and is a desperate man.

The following account of O'Hare was published in the Courant at this time:

G. V. O'Hare, alias Moore, the red headed old tough confined in jail for cattle stealing--the man the principal, part of our local pop party were sympathizing with as an 'innocent man"-- who was found guilty at the last term of court and was laying in jail pending a motion for a new trial, broke jail the night of the 2nd. (Jan. 1896)  That is to say, he broke the head of Keenan Hurst, the jailer, and then broke for tall timber and hasn't been heard of since.  When Hurst went in to take care of the prisoners in the evening, O'Hare who had been given the liberty of the outside of the cells, blew out the light, threw pepper in Hurst's eyes, pounded him over the head with a club and some iron weapon, supposed to be a revolver.  They had it around and around, for Hurst is a powerful man and made a desperate fight.  However, O'Hare managed to cripple his hand so he couldn't use his gun, and being blinded so he couldn't see, the foxy old crook made his escape.  How he got the pepper, the club, and the revolver is a mystery but they were probably handed in at the window.  There were strangers in town that day who were probably pals of O'Hare and they likely aided him after he got away form jail.  Mr. Hurst sustained quite painful injuries. His forehead was severely gashed, his cheek bone broken, his hand smashed and his eyes painfully burned with pepper. He was confined to his room for a week.

Note from Lois-- Apparently their writing styles were quite different in that time period, as some of this doesn't make sense, but I thought this article was interesting anyway.  Enjoy!

[Teresa]

It IS interesting.
Seems that things that went on a long time ago interest me a whole lot more than things that go on now a days.
Thanks Lois.. for taking the time to look this stuff up and post it