Wednesday, March 1, 2017

The Shoot-out At Going Snake Courtroom...!

Ambush was quite the thing in the old days of gun fights and such. However, many of those ambushes didn't quite go as planned.

The Going Snake Fight



Photo credit: Wikimedia

Nobody’s certain exactly what caused the feud that left 11 men dead in Judge Blackhawk Sixkiller’s courtroom at Going Snake. Whatever it was, it came to a head in 1872, when Zeke Proctor rode up to Jim Kesterton’s mill and opened fire. The miller recovered from his wounds, but his wife, Polly Beck, was hit by a stray round and killed.

The murder took place in the Cherokee Nation, and Proctor and Beck were both Cherokee, so it seemed obvious that the case would be handled by the Cherokee courts. But Proctor came from a well-connected family and was a member of the powerful Keetoowah Society. As a result, the Becks argued that they couldn’t get a fair hearing in Indian Territory. They wanted the case transferred to the federal court at Fort Smith. When their request was rejected, a group of Becks burst into the courtroom and opened fire.

But things went wrong for the Becks, who found themselves crowded in the doorway of the windowless courtroom. Zeke Porter somehow produced a gun and fired back, as did several guards. The planned massacre turned into a nightmarish close-range battle. Eleven men died: seven Becks, two Proctors, a lawyer, and a US marshal. The participants quickly scattered, and nobody was ever convicted over the incident.

Just goes to show how ambushes can go bad, and they are never a good idea. Certainly not a good idea when most everyone had easy access to a gun.

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Another cool front is moving in.

6 comments:

linda m said...

I feel that an ambush in a court room with guards, sheriffs and marshals all present isn't a very brilliant idea in the first place. I would pick a place where I had the advantage. haha Good story though, but dumb place to hold an ambush. Supposed to snow today.

Chickenmom said...

Some people just never learn - or when they do, it's just too late!

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
Not the brightest idea in the world, for sure. So often though, emotions took the place of common sense.
Thanks for stopping by this morning!


Hey Phyllis...
Some folks will never learn, no matter what. Just like today in that respect.
Thanks for coming over this morning!

JO said...

Sounds like those folks just didn't have any smarts at all and sure were a murdering bunch.

I guess your getting the weather we just had today the sun is shining but we are still going to be in the low 60's then starts to warm up a bit. But your kitchen is always nice and cozy

Dizzy-Dick said...

Ambushes may not be politically correct, but it is the safest way to dispatch the enemy.

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