Ed Lockhart last of ‘Big Three Outlaws’ killed

25 years ago

(From the April 1, 1999, issue of the Sequoyah County Times)

—Representatives from Imel and Grager Architects presented recommendations for county jail renovations to the Sequoyah County Board of Commissioners Monday.

Bill Ryan presented the board with three different renovations schemes for the jail.

The county was recently awarded a $90,000 grant which will be matched by $10,000 from the county for jail renovations.

Commissioners will hear from other architects before reaching any decision about the jail renovations.

50 years ago

—Fort Smith’s city directors Tuesday night said they will again ask the Corps of Engineers to review planning for a water supply from the Pine Mountain Dam on Lee Creek and other possibilities.

The plans come in an attempt for the metropolitan Fort Smith area as well as surrounding towns to secure additional water supplies and recreational facilities.

Ray Riley, city administrator at Fort Smith, told Your TIMES Wednesday that the move is “no change in plans,” rather it is only a status move for the board of actions that have been under consideration for some time.

Riley said Tenkiller Lake has been mentioned as a possible water source as well as Lee Creek and Pine Mountain.

—Word has been received that the television movie, “Pretty Boy Floyd” will not be shown this week as originally scheduled.

The movie will be the Tuesday Night Movie of the Week on ABC on Tuesday, May 7.

The television move centers around Charles Floyd, a native of Sequoyah County.

75 years ago

—Guy Stoy, Secretary Manager of the Chamber of Commerce, announced today that 40 4-H and FFA club members have been selected to receive the 2,000 baby chicks furnished by the Chamber of Commerce.

Each of these boys, Stoy said, will be notified by letter to appear at the County Agent’s office at 1:30 p.m. on April 5. They will go from there to the Missouri Pacific loading dock across from the Post Office where the chickens will be delivered, Stoy said.

Stoy said that the parents are urged to be present, and the general public is invited to attend this event.

Stoy said, “More applications have been received than we will have chickens to deliver, but all those who have made application and who have the proper equipment will be furnished with chickens at a later date.

—A bulletin from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, reveals that the census shows that 519 bales of cotton were ginned in Sequoyah County from the crop of 1948 as compared with 1,382 bales for the crop of 1947.

Information from the Sequoyah County AAA office reveals that this drastic reduction in the number of bales of cotton ginned in 1948 was due to very bad weather conditions and not a substantial reduction in cotton acreage or a shift to other crops at this time.

—Arch Young, Fire Chief, said today, that just in case you were wondering, the fire which occurred Monday night about 11 o’clock was in a Ford pick-up which was parked by Mrs. A.D. Bray’s home. The car belongs to a man who rooms at Mrs. Bray’s home.

100 years ago

(From the March 28, 1924, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat)

—Taps were sounded Wednesday morning for another of Oklahoma’s notorious bandits.

Ed Lockhart, escaped convict and a fearless bandit, like many others who have flashed across the Oklahoma horizon and terrorized the lawabiding citizens, fell a victim of officers’ guns. He was killed by Mont Grady, special officer from Muskogee and a former guard at the state penitentiary, while he was attempting to escape from a posse which had surrounded a shack west of Sperry in which Lockhart spent Tuesday night.

A brief gun battle in which only four shots were fired preceded Lockhart’s death. Two of the shots were fired by Lockhart at Sheriff Bob Sanford. A third shot was fired by Fred Murray, member of the posse, at the outlaw and the fourth one was the one fired by Grady.

The notorious outlaw was killed just outside of the Fred Walker cabin, where he had spent Tuesday night. A fierce gun battle in which several of the officers might have been killed was prevented by the presence of women in the cabin. Members of the posse afterward commented on Lockhart’s chivalry in refusing to fire at the officers while he was in the cabin in which the women were also sheltered.

Officers have been on the lookout for Lockhart since August 25, 1923, when he escaped from the state penitentiary while on a leave of absence. The tip that he was sheltered at the Fred Walker cabin was procured by Grady of Muskogee who arrived in Tulsa late Tuesday night. Preparations were made for the posse to leave here early Wednesday morning and get to the cabin by daylight.

The death of Lockhart brings to an end the career of what Oklahoma peace officers have described as the “big three” in recent criminal history of the state, Henry Starr, of Sequoyah County, Al Spencer of Bartlesville and Ed Lockhart of Sequoyah County, these three, ranked together as outstanding in the ranks of Oklahoma outlaws and all have died within a comparatively short time from bullets from officers’ guns.

Although Lockhart’s career as a bandit only covers a short period it has been crowded with daring and outlawry.

Lockhart is a product of this county. He was born and reared near Marble City some thirty years ago and his aged mother now lives near Marble City. Lockhart it is claimed never violated the law until after returning home from the army. He served several months in service during the war. He was honorably discharged from service and within a short time his name was hailed across the newspaper pages as the most daring outlaw in the history of Eastern Oklahoma. He is well-known by citizens of this city.