George Johnson Kirk, Deputy Constable
City of Braggs
On Friday, June 18, 1909,
three men attempted to rob the crew of a railroad train as it pulled away from
Illinois Station four miles from Braggs in Muskogee County. When shots were
exchanged between the trainmen and the robbers, the robbers jumped off the train
and the train pulled away. As the train passed nonstop through Braggs, one of
the crewmen threw a note onto the depot platform telling of the attempted
robbery. Braggs Constable Wicks was on the platform, read the note and summoned
Deputy Constable “Johnson” Kirk. Following directions on the note the officers
went to the location where the robbers jumped off of the train and quickly
located the three men hiding in some woods. As the officers approached the men,
one of them slashed Constable Wicks on the arm with a razor and another fatally
shot Deputy Constable Kirk in the head. Constable Wicks was able to shoot and
capture one of the men, Paul Williams, but the other two escaped. Constable Kirk
was survived by his wife Annie and two year old son Conrad.
Cooper Lunsford, Constable
City of Braggs
During the early morning hours of Sunday, September 25, 1910, Constable Lunsford and Deputy John Colemen were keeping an eye on a dance at a home west of Beggs. Constable Lunsford was advised that Jake Gooden was carrying a gun. Constable Lunsford searched Gooden but found no gun. Gooden’s companion, Phillip Love, told Lunsford that he had a gun and would like to see Lunsford take it away from him. Lunsford ignored the challenge for the moment. A short time later, Deputy Colemen convinced Love to give him his gun. Not long afterwards, Constable Lunsford, not knowing Deputy Coleman had disarmed Love, got the drop on Love and searched him. Love, harboring a grudge over the search, left the dance and obtained a shotgun. Love then waited outside of the house and, as Lunsford came out, Love ambushed him, shooting him fatally in the neck and throat.
C.C. Starr, City Marshal
City of Braggs
When Mose Miller was released from prison a long standing feud between the Miller and Starr families was rekindled. Mose Miller was described as “a mad killer” and “the most desperate and daring outlaw of Indian Territory” in newspaper accounts. C.C. Starr had been appointed as the city marshal of Braggs. After Mose Miller was killed September 30, 1916, in Vian a friend and accomplice of his, Oce Dazzler, also a known killer, heard of Miller’s death and believed it was due to the feud with Starr. He was out to get revenge. Later that evening he entered a bar in Braggs and started causing a commotion. Soon Marshal Starr and Constable J. W. Marlow were summoned. As Starr and Marlow entered the bar, Dazzler began firing. Marshal Starr was hit three times and he fell to the ground, dead. Marlow was wounded, but able to return fire and shoot and kill Dazzler.