On April 1903, Alfred Lund ran for the fourth time, on the Democratic ticket, against then City Marshal E.E. Stephenson, for the office of City Marshal. It was a heated race but Alfred was claimed the winner.
Being elected Marshal, he started in doing his many jobs the town asked of him. In 1903, Blackwell was very quiet compared to the old days when the early cowboys would come to town to visit the local saloons. Crime was down and with that Blackwell enjoyed a large population. On August of 1903, Marshal Lund had his first big case.
A burglar had been braking into the Framers Elevator in town, stealing wheat and transporting it north to sell. Lund soon tracked him down and locked him up in the local jail. Later that night some his friends had climbed upon the roof and tore the flue down so that the iron foundation on which it rested could be lifted up. This left a place big enough for a man to crawl through. The result was, the burglar lifted himself up to the hole, got out onto the roof, jumped to the ground and lit out.
The next morning Marshal Lund on visiting the city jail, was surprised when he looked up at the top of structures, to see that the flue had been tore down and bricks scattered around. Upon opening the door nothing but vacancy met his gaze. Marshal Lund along with Deputy Sheriff Baker soon tracked and located the men along the Chickaskia River near Brahman. They were captured without trouble, but was transported to Newkirk to await their hearing there.
One of the biggest problems that Marshal Lund faced in 1903 was the intoxication of the local Indians. At that time it was a federal crime to sell or give any kind of alcoholic beverages to Indians. The minimum penalty for sell or giving intoxicants to an Indian was a fine of hundred dollars and a sentence of sixty days in the federal jail, while the maximum penalty was three years in the penitentiary. This being a problem for the town, Marshal Lund took to putting a stop to it.
One day three Tonkawa Indians went into a tomato stand on North Main, ran by William Lindley. Purchasing some tomatoes, the Indians decided that they would taste better if they were washed down with beer. They induced Lindley to purchase them a pitcher of beer at the local saloon. He was in the act of pouring the beer into the Indians cup, when Marshal Lund walked into his place of business. He was arrested the Marshal and taken to the city jail. Mr. Lindley realized he did wrong, but he did it thoughtlessly. He was turned over to the government officials who took him to the federal jail in Guthrie. Lindley was the first one caught in the act in Blackwell and Marshal Lund informed the local newspapers that if anyone is caught in the act of breaking this law, that the government wouldn't drop the charges, but put them right beside Mr. Lindley.
In 1904, Marshal Lund captured a light fingered female in one of the local businesses, West and Dyer, the first department store in Blackwell. It occupied a 50 foot front building in the 100 block of North Main. It was opened soon after the opening if the strip in 1893. It stocked a large and grad line of clothing, including women's and men's wear, dry good, notion shoes, lingerie; infact everything carried in those days in a up -to-date department store.
Downtown Blackwell looking north in the 100 block of Main Street in the 1900's.
A woman who lived out of town was in the store examining some ladies hose, which she declined because as she said, she couldn't afford it. The articles were left lying on the counter, as she passed that way again, she accidentally brushed them off onto the floor. She then slyly picked them up and stuffed them into her stocking. She also stole a cap, which she concealed about her person. She wasn't aware that Marshal Lund was watching every move she made. When she started to leave he politely invited her into a rear room, where one of the ladies connected with the store, searched her and found the stolen articles. On account of her family, who was respectable people, she was given the alternative of paying for the stolen articles or going to jail. Of course she chose the former. In the local newspaper Marshal Lund stated that no more leniency will be shown this class of thieves, the next one caught will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
In the years as City Marshal, Alfred Lund met many of strange people and cases. One of these cases was in July of 1903, when a Ponca squaw desired the arrest of her rival and runaway lover.
The first thing that attracted Marshal Lund's attention to the Indian, was a telephone message from Jennie Washington, a Ponca squaw, that Betty Gun another squaw of the Ponca Tribe, was running away with Jim Pemo, a Sioux, who was one of the visitors at the Ponca Sun Dance, and asked that the runaways be arrested. It seems that Jennie had become enamored of the big Sioux buck, and she didn't intend that another squaw should run away with her lover. Lund was at the train depot when the train came in and at once hunted up Jim Pemo and Betty Gun, who to Lund was a big fine looking squaw. He told them of the request that they be arrested and had a long talk with Mr. Pemo, who grew much excited and offered Lund a car load of ponies which he was shipping north, to let them go on undisturbed. He soon saw that he had no right to arrest them, but he had considerable fun at their expense. He didn't take the ponies, but compromised the matter by paying the expense of the telephoning Jennie Washington, which he gladly did, and with his handsome squaw, went on his way rejoicing.
In April of 1904, Marshal Lund met some strange couple from Kansas. Lund was informed that a woman was in town drunk or on dope acting strange and making local businesses worried. She would go into stores, pick up some kind of article and begin talking to it. Lund soon located the woman and politely asked her if there was anything he could do for her. She remarked that she was lost and want to go to Arkansas City. Asking if she knew where the train depot was, he was informed no. She was transported to the depot and put on the next train out.
The next morning Marshal Lund was informed that there was a strange man in town asking about his wife. Lund soon located his man and he asked him if he had seen a woman about twenty-five years old, with dark complexion and a black skirt on, and filled up with dope. This man was dirty, ragged, unshaven, with unkept hair, and looking like the concentrated essence of every tramp that ever hit the gravel.
"Who is she?" asked Marshal Lund.
"Well she's my wife and her named is Mary Barnhardt and my name is Ed Barnhardt. Me and her was married three weeks ago in Wichita. She's a dope fiend and I thought I could break her of it by marrying her but I haven't done it yet. Yesterday we got into the wagon and started to my claim in Woodward County. When we got to Hunnewell, she began crying for dope. I licked her and she jumped out of the wagon, and skipped out, and I lost her. I heard she got on a train for Blackwell and here I am looking for her."
Marshal Lund answered the enquiring husband that he had put a woman filled up with dope, on the train for Arkansas City.
"Is that so? Well I'll just follow her and throw her into the wagon, and go on to Woodward County and sell the claim and I'll just keep her in dope till she dies, then I know no one can have her."
Thanking Marshal Lund, the man was on his way. Later a local reporter had a conversation with the Marshal and took his opinion of the Kansas couple. Lund stated, "The female was about the toughest looking specimen of human femininity that ever followed a trail. But she wasn't a marker to the husband when he showed up. If Kansas don't send that pair to the World Fair as the most degraded looking couple of human beings that ever slept out of doors, then she don't deserve the credit of being the home of Carrie Nation and the rest."
From 1903 to 1906 City Marshal Lund was called on for his law enforcement experience in tracking down criminals in the Kay County area. In Dec. of 1903, he was given the case of a man named J.H. McDonald, a former resident of the county.
McDonald and his family had lived in the Round Grove township for a number of years, they having located there at the time of the opening of the Cherokee Strip to settlement. Nearly all the claims in that neighborhood was contested, McDonald was one of them under that charge. McDonald disappeared from Kay County and all efforts to locate him had failed. Marshal Lund was soon given this case and he started his investigation.
Marshal Lund went to the Blackwell Train depot and examined the records to ascertain whether McDonald had shipped his goods from there, but couldn't find nothing showing that he did. However, he did find a person by the name of McLeod had shipped some goods to Great Falls, Montana. The idea at once struck him that McLeod and McDonald were one and the same person and he started for Great Falls.
Blackwell Train Station
Arriving at Great Falls, Lund called at the depot and there learned that the goods hadn't yet arrived. He then went to Helena, Montana, where he examined the land office records in hope of being able to locate his man, but in this he was unsuccessful. From Helena he returned to Great Falls and at the post office learned that there were letters addressed to A.D. McLeod with orders to forward them to Ulm, Montana, which was located about forty miles south of the Canadian line, and about twenty miles from Great Falls.
Lund then went to Ulm, but when he arrived there he discovered it to be a small place of but a few houses, with no livery stable. However, he employed a farmer to take him to McLeod ranch about two or three miles up a canyon, the journey being made on a sled, as the snow covered the ground to a depth of two to three feet. Arriving at the place, Marshal Lund entered the house and found McDonald present with his family. Lund proceeded at once to read the warrant for the arrest of J.H. McDonald on charges of perjury, and when he was finished, Mrs. McDonald remarked to him.
"You're mistaken in the person, sir. We know of no one by the name of McDonald. My husband's name is McLeod."
Evidently, Mrs. McDonald had failed to recognize Marshal Lund, from the Oklahoma Territory. She was anxious to shield her husband, but she had no sooner finished her statement then, McDonald, who had sat silently through the reading of the warrant that was to take him away from is family and put hundreds of miles between them, looked up and said, "Oh hell, that won't work. Lund knows me and I must go with him."
In March of 1904, City Marshal Lund made a important capture of a man named C.H. Haas, on the charge of larceny.
For some two years the Santa Fe Railroad people had been losing freight and were unable to ascertain what became of it. Nardin was virtually the end of this division, and by some means it was suspected that somebody there could tell something about the missing freight.
The railroad notified City Marshal Lund and he was put on the case. During his investigation, a gentleman came to him one day and asked him whether a railroad agent had a right to sell freight. He was told that in case the freight was perishable goods, he might under some circumstances sell it. He then told asked Lund whether a railroad agent had the right to sell harness, horse collars, etc, and he was told that it couldn't be done without special permission.
It soon developed that this man had bought a set of harnesses and a numbers of collars from C.H. Haas, who was the agent at Nardin, but who since transferred to Englewood, Kansas. Lund procured necessary document, proceeded to Englewood and arrested Mr. Haas, the agent, and brought him to Newkirk, where the peculating agent was lodged in the county jail. He completely broke down when Lund told him he was under arrest, and made a full confession. Soon in court he pleaded guilty and thus saved the people of prosecuting the case.
City Marshal Lund not only help the Kay County Officers to locate outlaw counterparts, but in Dec. of 1905, he located a mule thief from Kansas by knowing the location of peacocks in a certain part of Kay county.
About Sept. 22nd, a mule was stolen in Neosha County, Kansas and sold in Ottawa, Kansas, to some mule buyers by a young man named Elmer Holloway. He then skipped out and when the officers learned the mule had been stolen, the young man couldn't be found.
Holloway, on skipping from Kansas, came to the J.F. Denton ranch near Ponca City and hired on as a corn husker and had proved himself to be a good worker. He avoided all officers attempts to locate him until he wrote a letter to some friends enclosing some peacock feather tips. Sheriff of Neosha County, M.L. Ogg, with this knowledge, and the fact the letter had been mailed in Kay county, came to Blackwell and asked City Marshal Lund for help to locate the mule thief.
Marshal Lund, knowing the people and his peacocks, succeeded in locating the only peacocks in area of Ponca City, at J.F. Denton ranch. When the Kansas Sheriff and Lund reached the ranch rather late in the evening, Lund found Holloway working alone. When inquiry was made of him, a young man by the name of Holloway, he said he had started to Blackwell about an hour ago. Being questioned farther, Lund decided he had the right man and asked him to go to the buggy with him. On reaching the buggy, Holloway recognized the sheriff of his home county and said had he known that he was here he wouldn't have told Lund the lie. Sheriff Ogg placed Holloway under arrest and took him to Kansas to answer the crime of mule stealing.
In March of 1906, Marshal Lund went up for re-election. When the Democratic City Convention met, Lund decided not to be a candidate for the coming election. In the Kay County Sun of March 15, 1906, the reason was printed.
LUND NOT A CANDIDATE
City Marshal Lund was not a can date before the Democratic City Convention this evening for the nomination to succeed him. He has held the office three years and feels that he has been honored enough in that position. In conversation with Mr. Lund Friday evening he said in substance that some parties has used all means to condemn and misuse him as a public officer. He has tired to do hid duty, and instead of support in helping to make the city better morally, those who were complaining would not even testify after he had agreed to prosecute if they would furnish evidence. He said some of the reports lately published were exaggerated and did not look well on paper. Blackwell is the best little town in Oklahoma, both morally and socially, and will compare favorably with any other city of it's size in the country. There has never been a murder committed here and the other offenders against the law are few and far between, as outside term has given numbers of them time to leave and they have taken him at his word. It is easy for people to make complaints, but not so easy to secure evidence to convict, and the very people who are displeased with the conditions are never ready to come forward and help prosecute. Those who are dissatisfied should cease their talk and assist officers in the performance of their duties.
