The writer of these lines ran to the depot as fast as he could to send some telegrams to Oklahoma City, telling them that the capital bill [naming Oklahoma City as the state's capital] has passed both houses.
* * *
Just as I stepped out the front door I saw a great crowd on the street and the sidewalks were crowded clear up to the street corner. I noticed a commotion in the crowd about thirty steps from the front of the Council Chamber, where I had stopped. Daniels was in the center and I was told they had him down on the sidewalk, evidently trying to search him, when he cried out: "Peery has the bill." Then it seemed the whole city of Guthrie started after me. They gathered around in scores, and were crying for a rope and made all manner of demonstrations, declaring that I had stolen the capital bill.
* * *
In the rush and excitement, the crowd failed to recognize me. I saw a friendly high board fence with a small door in it. I went through that door and shut it and into the back end of a butcher shop. The butcher was out in the chase, I suppose, so I got behind a large refrigerator in the back room of the butcher shop.
* * *
Along about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, I heard the butcher come in. He and another fellow were talking, and I was listening pretty carefully and I heard the fellow say,: "If they get that man Peery they will hang him," and went on to say that "the last time I saw him he was going across the school section toward Oklahoma City." The butcher said, "Damn him they ought to hang him; he stole the Capital bill."
* * *
In a few minutes C.G. Jones came in. He was somewhat surprised to find me there and was much excited. He said: "It won't do for you to go out on the front street. Come and go with me up to my room." He took me down by the back way to the old Noble hotel, and we went up the back stairs to Jones's room. He left me and said he would go down and reconnoiter. Jones came back in a few minutes and brought me a new forty-five Colts six-shooter. I stayed in his room while he went down to learn if there were any new developments. He came back soon and announced, the Oklahoma City crowd is here. When I opened the door, the hall was full of Oklahoma City people. There was Col. J.W. Johnson, Huger Wilkerson, Charley Colcord, Dick Brandon, W.W. Witten, and one Kennedy, whom the boys called "Sam Bass," and fifteen or twenty more, some of whose names I do not recall.
They told me to come out and we would take in the town, and we did. We all gathered over at the old English Kitchen, almost opposite where the Ione Hotel now stands, and had a big supper prepared. Some of us were pretty hungry as we had had no dinner.
The 1st 2 Years
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