Joseph C. Henderson was commissioned in the Southern District of Indian Territory, working out of the federal court at Paris, Texas.

I am researching Joe C. Henderson, son of Wm. & Susan D. Henderson. He was born about 1854 & died Oct. 28, 1899. He was married to Emily Martin, daughter of Walker & Adeline Martin. I would appreciate any information about these families.

I am new to this site & hope I'm not out of line by asking for help.

Thanks,

Jackie Lynch
Jefferson City, MO
rv6lynch@embarqmail.com[/EMAIL]

You're sure as heck not outta line. But, the Southern District of Indian Territory and the Paris Court were seperate entities. Several deputies of the Paris court, especially those around Ardmore, later worked for the Southern District. What areas did Joe work?

Thank you for your help.

All I know about joseph C Henderson is what has been told by a deceased relative. Ellen Henderson, had a brother Idle Henderson, US Deputy & another brother Jeff Henderson, US Marshall. Joe could have been a brother or other relative.

I found this in the Enid Daily Wave-April 13, 1896.

Henderson, Joseph C. was commissioned in the Southern District of Indian Territory, working out of the federal court of Paris, Texas. Deputy Marshal Henderson boarded a passenger train in ElReno while in a drunken state. As the train left ElReno, Henderson became a real nuisance when he pulled his revolver & forced two Anadarko merchants to dance. The two men danced until Henderson got tired & went to the smoker car where he ordered a passenger named Fleshman, to drink liquor.The man refused to drink the spirits which caused Henderson to swing his revolver at him. In his drunken stupor the deputy missed the man striking the rear window, breaking it. The drunken deputy fired several shots at Fleshman, missing every shot. When the train arrived at Chickasaw, a man nmaed Pryor departed the train ordering a hack. Henderson also left the train, climbed into the hack with Pryor and the hack driver. Henderson's conduct scared the driver into mortal fear making the driver jump from his buggy into the street. Henderson placed his revolver in Pryor's breast where he pulled the trigger. The gun misfired, so Henderson pulled the trigger again, but missed this time. Henderson left the hack making his escape without being arrested.

I found this interesting.

Jackie Lynch

Found this:
Territorial Topic, September 11, 1890, p. 5: Joe Henderson, a deputy U. S. marshal of Paris, Texas, was in town this week and with the true instinct of a Paris deputy was on the lookout for business. Late yesterday evening he espied drayman James Cummins with ten kegs of beer on his dray and at once arrested him and proceeded with his prisoner and beer to Judge (Billy) Hocker’s office to make out the papers. Judge Hocker refused to entertain any such proceedings and told Henderson the best thing he could do would be to turn the man loose as the beer belonged to W. H. Carr of Lexington and was in transit when seized upon. Mr. Cummins surely had nothing to do with the case as he was merely hired to haul the goods and in this case is as much of a common carrier as the railroad company. There seems to be some friction between the Paris and Indian Territory courts as Henderson says Judge Wilson, U. S. District Attorney at Paris told him to arrest every man caught introducing beer into the territory; while upon the other hand Deputy Varnum showed the writer a telegram a few days ago from Marshal Needles instructing him not to interfere with parties for introducing beer as they could do nothing with them…

And this:
Joe Henderson leased land in the Chickasaw Nation. On March 18, 1885, he found that two of his horses had been stolen and he believed he knew the thieves. He traveled to Ft. Smith, Arkansas to report the theft of the horses. Arrest warrants were issued for two brothers, Jim and Pink Lee. The warrant was turned over to James H. Guy, a sergeant with the U.S. Indian Police. On Friday, May 1, 1885, Guy gathered a posse of thirteen men, including brothers Jim and Andy Roff. The posse proceeded to and after dismounting, surrounded the Lee home. U.S. Marshal Guy called out for the Lee’s to come out of the house to answer warrants. Someone inside the house asked who it was and for them to come to the front of the house where they could talk. Guy walked to the front of the house and stood by a tree. The posse was immediately met by gunfire coming from within the house. Guy was struck by two bullets and died during his fall to the ground. The posse members returned fire and a shootout ensued. Andy Roff was struck by five bullets and Jim Roff, once. As the gunfight increased, Bill Kirksey fell from shotgun fire. All died within minutes and the remainder of the posse grabbed their horses and retreated. Not until September 7, 1885 when Heck Thomas, Jim Taylor and Jim Shattel were in the Gainesville, Texas area were the Lee brothers brought down. The Lee brothers were spotted trying to cut their way through a fence. The lawmen crept to within forty or fifty yards and called out to the Lees. Both Jim and Pink started firing at the posse with rifles. The lawmen returned fire until both Lee brothers were dead.
The Galveston Daily News, Friday, February 1, 1890
Paris, Texas, Feb. 20: Deputy marshal JOE HENDERSON brought in J. W. ELLIOTT, who on the 18th leaped from a train at Blue Tank in the Choctaw Nation. While making the leap, however, his pistol went off and the ball passed through the calf of his leg. The following day he was arrested in a box car at Atoka, charged with whiskey peddling.

The Galveston Daily News, Friday, October 10, 1890
Fight with the Officers
Paris, Texas, Oct. 9; Deputy marshals SAM WILLIAMS, JOE HENDERSON, and JIM LEE, Captain CHARLES LEFLORE and BENT CABB of the Indian police force reached here this afternoon with BILL THOMPSON and BEN FRANKLIN, who were captured 40 miles north of Atoka, I. T., Tuesday evening after a desperate fight in which a man, giving his name as JAKE JOHNSON, was killed. Monday morning, the Indian police were informed that three suspicious men were in camp near Atoka with a number of horses. BEN CABB, accompanied by DIXIE WILLIAMS, a citizen, went to investigate. On reaching the camp, CABB and WILLIAMS were covered with Winchesters and forced to retire.
They went to the deputy marshal for assistance, but they demanded warrants which were accordingly sworn out. Then SAM WILLIAMS, HENDERSON, LEE, CABB, and DIXIE WILLIAMS went to the camp but the birds had flown. They started on their trail and followed it until dark. Tuesday morning the officers were again in the saddle. About 2 p.m. they discovered the men in a grove with their horses grazing near on the prairie. A dash was made to cut them off from the horses, but he men were too quick, and mounting, they opened fire as they retreated tot eh mountains. A running fight ensued for several miles. When they reached the hills, the officers divided into two, making a detour of heading of them off while the other three followed in close pursuit. The horses of the fleeing men were at this time ridden down and their riders fled into an old rock quarry and from its shelter, opened fire on the officers. As one of the flanking party came up, his horse was shot from under him. After firing for some time, one of the crowd called to the officers to cease firing and all threw down their guns and surrendered. JAKE JOHNSON was found to be shot, taken to a house where he died yesterday morning. He was buried there by the officers and the other men taken to Atoka and jailed on five charges each with assault to murder. Johnson, the man killed, was about 24 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high, weighed about 160 pounds, dark hair and eyes. It is thought his name was SAM HUMPHREYS, wanted at Arcadia, as he was exactly like a photograph of Humphreys. All that could be found on him was a law card of WILSON & MCMECHAN of Wichita, Kansas. Franklin’s right name is thought to be JACKSON, about 24 years old, 5 feet 6 or 7 inches, light complexion, sandy hair, wears a truss, scars, one on his neck made by a bullet. He claims to have worked for Major GOSLIN of Texas in the cattle business. The men are undoubtedly part of a gang of horse thieves operating extensively in Texas, Kansas and Indian Territory.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, October 10, 1890, pg. 2
Paris, Lamar Co., Tex., Oct. 9 - …Deputy Marshals Sam Williams, Joe Henderson, and Jim Lee, and Capt. Charles Leflore and Bert Cabb of the Indian Police reached here this afternoon with Bill Thompson and Ben Franklin, who had been captured forty miles north of Atoka, I.T., Tuesday evening after a desperate fight in which a man giving his name as Jake Johnson was killed. Monday morning the Indian police were informed that three suspicious men were in camp near Atoka with a number of horses. Bert Cabb, in company with Dixie Williams, a citizen, went to investigate. On reaching the camp, Cabb and Williams were covered with Winchesters and forced to retire. They went to the deputy marshal for assistance, but they demanded warrants, which were accordingly sworn out. Then Sam Williams, Henderson, Lee, Cabb and Dixie Williams went to the camp, but the birds had flown. They started on their trail and followed it until dark. Tuesday morning the officers were again in the saddle. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon they discovered the men in a grove, with their horses grazing near by on a prairie. A dash was made to cut them off from their horses, but the men were too quick, and mounting opened fire as they retreated in the direction of the mountains. A running fight ensued for several miles. When they reached the hills the officers divided, two making a detour for the purpose of heading them off, while the other three followed in close pursuit. The horses of the fleeing men were by this time ridden down and they abandoned them and ran into an old rock quarry and from its shelter opened a fusillade on the officers. As one of the flanking party came up his horse was shot from under him. After firing for some time one of the men in the crowd cried to the officers to cease firing and all threw down their guns and surrendered.
Jake Johnson was found to be shot across the breast and through the right arm and the kidneys. He was taken to a house, where he died at 3 o’clock yesterday morning. He was buried there by the officers and the other men were carried to Atoka and committed to jail here on five charges, each for assault to murder. Johnson, the man killed, was about 24 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high, weighed about 160 pounds, dark hair and eyes. It is thought that his name was Sam Humphreys, and that he was wanted at Arcadia, Kan., as he was exactly like a photograph the officers had of Humphreys. All that could be found on him was a law card of Wilson & McMechan, Wichita, Kan. Franklin’s right name is thought to be Jackson. He is about 34 years of age, 5 feet 6 or 7 inches high, weights 140 pounds, light complexion, sandy mustache, wears a truss, has scars on his body made with small shot and has a scar on his neck made with a bullet. He claims to have worked for Major Goslin of Texas in the cattle business. Thompson is 5 feet 10 inches, weighs 140 pounds, dark hair and eyes and looks very pale. Ten of the horses captured were branded JM connected, a fine gray mare and colt and a brown horse were not branded. The men are undoubtedly a part of a gang of desperadoes and horse thieves who have been operating extensively in Texas, Kansas, and the Indian Territory, but are sullen and refuse to tell of their career. Johnson became delirious before he died and spoke of being in the Wichita jail.

Purcell Register, August 14, 1891: In mid-August, Matt Cook and Deputy Joe Henderson, brought in Alex Fautin and Ben Jackson, two...“sable colored residents of Johnsonville” charged with assault with intent to kill Tom Alexander, better known as Tom Ike. This is the same whiskey peddling, horse thief Swain had helped Heck Thomas arrest back in 1886. Fautin’s prior history is unknown, but Jackson was a notorious horse thief and part of the gang of whiskey smugglers then operating in the area. It’s likely the problem prompting a shooting between the men was a dispute over booty. Regardless of the cause, both prisoners were arraigned before Commissioner Gates at Purcell and bound over to Paris.

All information is greatly appreciated.

Jackie