Eighteen year old Leon Siler was released from the State Penitentiary on March 15, 1935; and Charles Sands, age 17, was released on May 25th. They soon hooked up with Ray Traxler, aliased Pete Traxler, the 25 year old son of a Caddo County farmer, and a hardened criminal having served terms at Granite Reformatory, Renfro, and the Leavenworth, and Atlanta Federal Penitentiaries. On the 27th of May, the trio killed Pauls Valley police officer George Loper and on May 31st, Siler, Sands, Ruby Herring, and Phyllis Siler, Leo’s 15 year old, pregnant wife, robbed the Elgin Bank and then in a gun fight killed James E. (Pete) Wilson and A. J. Medrano, a farmer in whose house they had taken refuge. Several others were wounded. Meanwhile, Traxler was busy stealing cars, but was soon caught and jailed. Siler and Sands were later executed for the Wilson killing, but Garvin County was never able to punish Traxler, who, over the next 18 months escaped twice from the Garvin County jail and evaded officers on numerous occasions in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. Traxler was finally apprehended in a Canadian, Texas shootout and sent to prison for 99 years. In months, he escaped and was captured 13 days later in Bryan County, Oklahoma after being shot by two hostages he and another man had taken. Anyway, the dude was a holy terror, one I’ve just become aware of. Has anyone done a work on him? Book? Article?

Mike,

If you have internet access to the Daily Oklahoman Electronic Archives (an Index to their newspapers between 1900-present), you will find that Ray "Pete" Traxler's name appears over 250 times betweeen 1930-1960. Some very good articles about this outlaw, who was called by one reporter "Too Tough To Die"!

I've found him mentioned in several articles in Startling Detective magazine (Oct. 1937 pp.32-33; Nov. 1937 pp.30-33,76-79,81); and, True Detective (Feb. 1936 p.60 - Mugshot; Oct. 1936 p.68; Dec. 1936 p.71 - photo of lawmen standing beside his getaway car and confiscated arsenal; Nov. 1937 pp.32-33); and, Real Detective (Feb. 1938 p.59).

Glenn Shirley wrote an excellent 10 page article (pp.51-58) about Traxler in Oklahoma State Trooper magazine in the Spring of 1991. It was entitled "Oklahoma's Craziest Manhunt".

In Ron Owens' great book, "Oklahoma Heroes", he describes the killing of Pauls Valley Officer George Loper by Siler/Sands/Traxler on page 134, and the killing of Grady County Deputy Sheriff James E. Wilson on page 215.

You can find a Traxler appeal case on the Oklahoma Criminal Court Of Appeals (OCCA) website, listed as Traxler v. State (96OKCR231), which was decided in Dec. 1952.

After Traxler was paroled from prison, he lived in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and worked as a plumber from 1952 to the late 1960's. He died in a Lawton (OK) nursing home on December 7, 1970. His death certificate is #23794 from Comanche County, Oklahoma. (Well, I guess he wasn't exactly "too tough to die" after all!)

Exactly what I was looking for. Trying to put together a program for the local historical society. I've been surfing through the Oklahoman files and have also found about 20 references to the dude in the Pauls Valley Democrat. Since, in that crazy manhunt you say Shirley wrote about, Traxler and friends traversed the state, south to north and west to east, I'd bet there's a heck of lot in other state papers.
As near as I can determine, the only real link to Traxler and the Loper murder came from an alleged statement by Leon Siler that he was the wheel man. The Garvin County Attorney wanted to try him for the Loper murder but was unable to conclusively tie him to the crime. While the DA was trying to get his case together, Traxler escaped from the county jail--twice, and that was when it was atop the court house with a single access door. Then, another Garvin County Attorney tried to try him for robbery with firearms which carried the death penalty then and lost him to Texas. The same office tried to charge him with multiple auto thefts. Shoot, when he was shot by one of his hostages and dang near killed, he had already been shot at least once, and had charges pending in Texas, Stephens, Grady, Caddo, Hughes, Garvin, McClain, Pontotoc, Marshall and Bryan Counties of Oklahoma and had single handedly advanced the science of police manhunts though constant practice in the use of ground and air search teams. I'm just surprised there's not a book out there.

Traxler also ran for a time with another noted Southwestern bandit named Irving Charles Chapman, according to Anthony Gish in American Bandits. There's a neat article on Traxler by the son of a sheriff who shot him at www.stancrump.com/tarbox/

Thanks, This story just keeps getting longer. I noted with interest that Nell, Traxler's moll, was known as Nell Watson in Ellis County. I have another source listing her as Nell Tigley in Verden, Oklahoma and another that says he was definitely Mrs. Traxler. Another point of interest is that Traxler's obit says he was a plumber in Lawton, Oklahoma from 1952 until his death in 1970. The description of the capture near Canadian, Texas clears up a lot of misinformation in other newspapers and the description of the vests (OKC papers only mention one) was exceptional. And, the info on the Babitzke robbery...outstanding. Thanks again for posting this.

Because the above link talks about Traxler's move to Denton Texas and has some confusing information regarding other crimes and prison time, I thought the following might help. The link also talks of a 1950's gun fight I can find no information on. I doubt it happened because there hardly seems time.
Traxler was returned to the Texas Pen in 1937. Some time later a move was made to try him on additional charges in Walker County. Traxler obtained a change of venue to Fayette County, Texas and he was moved there. That county, however, declined to try him and he was returned to Walker County rather than back to the pen but was never brought to trial in that county. Meanwhile, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in December, 1944, upon hearing a writ of habeas corpus ordered prison officials to return him to Lipscomb County for new trial. But, the Texas Prison system could not respond to the order of the Court because they did not have jurisdiction or custody as Traxler was still whittling away the time in the Walker County jail. And, even though Lipscomb County had been given jurisdiction, they never made an effort to go after Traxler. In August, 1946, Walker County got tired of the whole thing, dismissed their charges and told Traxler to go away. So, because of the ineptitudes of the judicial and penal system, Traxler became a free man and soon found employment as a plumber in Denton, Texas.
All this time, Oklahoma thought they had a “hold order” on Traxler, meaning they were to be notified immediately if he were to be released so they could begin actions necessary to return him for legal action in that State. But, Oklahoma was never told Traxler was walking the streets, instead it was a tip that Pete had been seen in Chickasha, Oklahoma which alerted Chief State Investigator Ivan Kennedy, and he swiftly noticed the interested parties. On August 12, 1946, Bryan County officials filed a new complaint of robbery by firearms identical to the one filed July 21, 1937, including a request for the death penalty. Denton officials were notified of the new warrant, and they started a search for Traxler. Sheriff Roy Moore and two deputies spotted Pete driving a coupe and after a brief pursuit nabbed him. The Governor of Texas granted a requisition on October 15, and on the 18th, Traxler was delivered by Sheriff Moore to officers of Bryan County, who then brought Pete into Oklahoma. The defendant was granted a change of venue on November 6, and the case was transferred to the justice court of C.A. Woodward, where a preliminary examination was scheduled for December 5. At that hearing, Pete was bound over to the district court of Bryan County. Traxler was first tried on the 14th day of April, 1947, but the jury being unable to agree, a mistrial was declared and Traxler was freed on bond. The case was next tried on December 18, 1950 and a jury found Traxler guilty. On January 10, 1951 the court gave Traxler a five year prison term. Pete appealed the conviction rather than risk a new trial because of the request for the death penalty the jury ignored. His appeal was based in large part on intent, with Pete saying he was “borrowing” the Trimmer car and that it was happenstance the loan was a gun point. On January 7, 1953, the Oklahoma Supreme Court affirmed the lower court quoting the “Animus furandi” concept, a Latin phrase that is generally translated as intent to steal, a criminal intent, or intent to feloniously deprive the owner permanently of his property. The court, then tongue in cheek, held that in the instant case the robbery was at the point of a gun; defendant was being pursued by officers, the victim was forced to accompany the robbers and his pleas to be released were unavailing. The court further found Trimmer was told that “dead men tell no tales,” indicating that the victim and his car were to be used to the ultimate in effort to elude capture. It is, furthermore, reasonable to assume, said the court, that even if abandonment should take place only a few miles distant, and that because the defendant might have used other cars along the route of escape without destroying them, such would not mean that he would not by the very force of circumstances involved, be the causative factor in the destruction of this vehicle. Such theory of temporarily taking by the most causal analysis, the court decreed, was used to reduce “ad absurdum” Traxler’s attempt to mitigate criminal motivation did not withstand the test.
During the five year interval between his release from the Texas penal system and the last appeal for his Oklahoma conviction, Pete had been working for as a plumber’s helper for a firm in Wharton, Texas and had not been involved in any crime. Pete, now 45, learned of the latest decision when he returned after a late call to the plumbing office on January 8, 1953. Pete immediately screamed “foul play,” alleging he was being sent back to prison because he didn’t pay off a certain lawyer and politician. Bitterly, Pete complained, “It seems that when a fellow straightens up, there are some who just don’t want him to stay straight.” Then, using the same tactic which won him freedom in Texas, Pete asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for a rehearing on the matter. But, this time, his request was denied and the High Court ordered his imprisonment.
On June 12, 1955, the Oklahoma City, Daily Oklahoman newspaper announced that Roy “Pete” Traxler, notorious Texas and Oklahoma gunman of the late 1930’s walked out of McAlester penitentiary a free man. Waving aside photographers, Pete told reporters, “I don’t intend to come back. You won’t see me again; I’ve turned over a new leaf.” When asked of his plans, Traxler said he intended to visit his mother in Chickasha and then return to Denton, Texas where he had been offered a job as a plumber. Pete was true to his word and nothing more was heard from the old outlaw. According to his obituary, Traxler lived in Anadarko where he had worked as plumber from 1952 to the late 1960’s. On December 7, 1970, the outlaw to tough to be killed by a bullet died at the age 63 in a Lawton nursing home from complications arising from alcoholism contributing to cirrhosis and heart disease.

For the most "definitive" story about Roy "Pete" Traxler and his wild escapades, one need not look any further than:

"Too Tough To Die - The Story of Pete Traxler - Southwest's Number One Bad Boy" by Mike Tower.

(Source: Oklahombres Journal - Special Edition - Spring 2008 {Vol. 19 No. 3 pp.25-37})

GREAT JOB, MIKE ! ! !