lawmen and TSCRA special rangers for many years to come. You might say that the events of that evening were a turning point — a push be- tween good and evil. Ultimately, the law won, and
a message was sent to those who would steal cattle from innocent ranchers and who would exact re- venge on 2 law enforcement offi cers as if it were their God-given right. Upstairs in her hotel room,
Mattie Roberson, unable to sleep, switched on her lamp and picked up a book to read. Suddenly, she heard gunfi re and a loud commotion in the lobby. Mattie bolted downstairs, still in her nightgown,
Inspector H.L. Roberson’s revolver is part of the display at the Cattle Raisers Museum.
amid fl ying bullets and gunfi re ringing in her ears. Her eyes focused only on her beloved husband, who was slumped in his chair against the wall. Without regard to her own safety, she ran straight to him. In that sorrowful moment, Mattie touched his face and realized the gunshots to his head and body had taken his soul from her forever. Enraged, she looked up as 2 men with guns backed out the door. Instinctively, she felt for Roberson’s gun. Realizing the gun was disabled by gunfi re, Mat-
tie unholstered the small spare gun Roberson kept in his waistband. She ran to the screen door of the hotel lobby as the two murderers made their escape. Mat- tie, in her anger and unspeakable sorrow, gripped the pistol just as her husband had taught her, raised and aimed it, and fi red twice at the men who murdered her husband. One bullet hit Ross in the stomach after it defl ected from his belt buckle. The second hit Good through his arm, sinking into his hip. Mattie watched in frustration as the 2 gunmen,
though wounded, continued to fl ee. She laid the gun down and returned to her husband’s side. When she realized his death was, in fact, a grim reality, she turned to his friend and partner, Dave Allison, who lay still on the fl oor. She put her hands on his shoulder, turned him over and realized that he, too, was dead. Judge Morgan sat motionless in a chair in the middle
of the room, in apparent shock after a bullet passed between his arm and his body. The other men, who were seated just a moment ago in light conversation, fl ed the lobby in the midst of the chaos. Ross and Good were reportedly injured, bleeding, and required medical attention due to Mattie Roberson’s
tscra.org
bravery. Just a few hours later, in pain and out of gas in their vehicle, the gunmen made a phone call from a ranch near Seminole to the Gaines County sheriff, offered to surrender and asked for the doc. The same grand jury that convened to indict Ross
for cattle theft indicted Ross and Good for murder on April 2, 1923. Tom Ross and Milt Good’s failed attempt to evade
justice for cattle theft bought them both murder charg- es. Tom Ross testifi ed that he was in fear for his life because Roberson declared he would bring Ross to justice for cattle theft. The witnesses who escaped harm that night all tes- tifi ed that a door opened and a shotgun appeared with
The same grand jury that
convened to indict Ross for cattle theft indicted Ross and Good for murder on April 2, 1923.
Milt Good and Tom Ross behind it. Shots rang out in a split second. The fi rst hit H.L. Roberson in the head. The second tore through the heart of Dave Allison, and the shots kept coming. “I don’t think either man saw who was shooting him,” Judge Morgan testifi ed. None of the men present, even Mr. Lockhart, attorney for Good and Ross, could admit that either Roberson or Allison had a chance of knowing the identity of their killers. No witness could testify as to how many shots were fi red, but the guess was between 12 and 20, both Roberson and Allison being hit numerous times. As soon as the smoke cleared, Mattie Roberson sent a telegraph to relatives and to TSCRA before leaving
December 2016 The Cattleman 85
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108