Hell on Rails: Oklahoma Towns at War with the Rock Island Railroad

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The bridge was repaired the next night, and when rail traffic resumed, special trains carrying soldiers from Fort Reno moved north toward the trouble spots. On the 17th, dynamite jolted one of the troop trains as it rolled into Pond Creek. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Madsen, on board with a detachment of 3rd Cavalry troopers, sent an urgent wire to Caleb Brooks, U.S. attorney for Oklahoma Territory:

Two bombs, inside the city limits of Round Pond [Pond Creek], exploded when we had passed about one hundred yards. While not caring to meddle with Territorial affairs, I must say it will be necessary at once to suspend sheriffs and other officers, and put in their places, men who will attend to their duty fearlessly.

A few days later, some small bridges near Pond Creek and Enid were set ablaze. Exasperated Rock Island officials wired the U.S. Attorney’s Office: “If we cannot have protection,” said Rock Island President Cable, “we must abandon the line south of Kansas.”

Attorney Brooks, meanwhile, decided to suspend the sheriff and other lawmen in the counties involved for their failure to uphold the law. His action set off a storm of local newspaper editorials against the railroad and “meddling” territorial officials such as Deputy Marshal Madsen. Said the Cherokee Sentinel:

The fact the Deputy Blowhard Madsen is fixing the railroad in his favor should there ever be a change in the U.S. Marshal ship of the territory is very apparent. Madsen is a rampant Swede [sic], Republican and should be given a dose of Hokey Pokey.

On July 23, an unscheduled passenger train halted at Pond Creek’s Main Street crossing. Two companies of soldiers, commanded by General Nelson A. Miles, along with 20 deputies headed by U.S. Marshal E.D. Nix, filed off the cars. The soldiers formed ranks along the street while Nix and his men walked to the public square, where a large crowd had gathered. Federal officers served arrest warrants on the sheriff, probate judge and city marshal, along with 43 citizens. There was only limited verbal resistance as local residents warily eyed the troops standing ready with fixed bayonets.

The defendants were marched to the train and taken south to Kingfisher, the seat of Kingfisher County, where Attorney Brooks had already requested a change of venue, so he could prosecute federal mail obstruction charges before an unbiased jury. Nearly 40 others from Enid joined the Pond Creek men. The “prisoners” were housed in Kingfisher’s best hotel and given the run of the town under the honor system. On July 25, Judge John L. McAtee opened court and promptly ruled that he had no jurisdiction to hear the cases in Kingfisher County. His order to move the proceedings to Pond Creek and Enid was roundly cheered, and as the courtroom emptied, the local town band led a noisy parade to the depot, where the prisoners boarded trains to return home.

Judge McAtee heard the cases at Pond Creek the next day. Each of the accused waived examination and posted bond pending grand jury action, but no one seriously believed juries in either Pond Creek or Enid would ever render one true bill. Later the same week, Territorial Governor W.C. Renfrow returned from a trip to Chicago with assurances the south towns would finally get their depots if they pledged to cease further hostilities.

Renfrow had persuaded Rock Island President Cable to back off his hard line, but Cable got the last word, promising that the railroad would abide by the law but would “never surrender to a mob.” Cable then wired his Washington attorneys to instruct the powerful railroad lobby to cease opposition to House Bill 3606, which called for depot construction. On August 1, the U.S. Senate removed the troublesome amendment that required county seat elections, and House Bill 3606 passed in its original form by a floor vote of 24 to 20. The news reached the towns of Pond Creek and Enid that afternoon, and by nightfall both towns held huge public victory celebrations.

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