These men were involved in the Going Snake Massacre, April 15, 1872. Deputy Owens was killed in the melee. I would be interested in learning any information about them. My great-grndfather was White Sut Beck, a prominent figure in that affair.

The Chronicles of Oklahoma has a couple of articles on this incident. The Indian Pioneer papers at the Oklahoma State Historical Society also have several references to the battle at the school/court house.

I contributed an article to the Chronicles of Oklahoma titled 'Stand Fast" The Story of White Sut Beck". I have done a great deal of research on the Going Snake Massacre and was wondering if anyone had further info about Marshals Owens and Peavey. Owens is listed on the Officers Down Memorial page, but there is no photograph.

Sorry, I mis-read your previous posting.

Below is all I have on Peevy. By Nathan Owens I assume you mean Jacob G. Owens(?):

Peevy, Joseph/James G.
Joseph/James G. Peevy was born about 1834 in Overton, Tennessee. He married Mary Jane Thompson in Barry County, Missouri on February 20, 1851. In 1860, he was living with his wife and five children in Cassville, Missouri where he was the Sheriff of Barry County. He was reportedly a deputy sheriff in the Indian Territory in 1870-1871, but this could be a mistaken identification of his service as a deputy U.S. marshal at this time. He is not known to have ever resided in the Indian Territory and in 1870 he was living in Fort Smith, Arkansas while his wife and children were living in Waco, Texas. Peevy along with Deputy U.S. Marshal Vennoy arrested John Childers in 1870. Peevy also served as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas in 1870-1872. He was wounded in a gunfight with "the Collins'" in February 1871 along with possemember R. Reeves at Fort Gibson.
**REFERENCES**
-Fort Smith Case File, W.A. Britton, J.W. Donnelly, Edward J. Brooks, #399
-Fort Smith Case File, Ezekiel Proctor et al, #157
-Iron Men, by C.H. McKennon, pg. 53
-1860 Federal Census, Cassville, Flat Creek Township, Barry Co., MO, Pg#158
-1870 Federal Census, Fort Smith Ward 1, Sebastian County, Arkansas, ED#178, pg. 12
-1870 Federal Census, Waco, West of the Brazos River, McLlennan Co., TX, Pg#143,
Stamped#177
-Fort Smith National Historic Site Federal Employee Database, 1872-1896
-"Fort Smith Weekly Herald", February 9, 1871
-"Titusville Morning Herald" [Titusville, Pennsylvania], September 20, 1871
-"The Tioga County Agitator" [Pennsylvania], October 25, 1871
-"Sedalia Daily Democrat", [Sedalia, Missouri], April 22, 1872
-"New York Herald" [New York City, New York], May 10, 1872
-"Cherokee Advocate", June 1, 1872
-The Last Cherokee Warriors, by Phillip W. Steele, pgs. 38, 44-45, 49, 54
-Missouri Marriages, Joseph G. Peevy to Mary Jane Thompson, February 20, 1851
-One World Tree, Ancestry.com


"*" Owens, Jacob G.
Jacob G. Owens was a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas in 1870-1872. He was killed in the line of duty on April 16, 1872 at the Goingsnake Courthouse gunfight.
**REFERENCES**
-Fort Smith Case File, W.A. Britton, J.W. Donnelly, Edward J. Brooks, #399
-Fort Smith Case File, Babe Mahardy, #132
-Fort Smith Case File, Ben Cobb, #44
-Fort Smith Case File, Jacob Block, William Wheelock, #24
-Fort Smith Case File, Simpson Bennett, #17
-Fort Smith Case File, Ezekiel Proctor et al, #157
-Fort Smith National Historic Site Federal Employee Database, 1872-1896
-Silverstar Database, Deputy Marshals Killed In The Line of Duty
-"Sedalia Daily Democrat", [Sedalia, Missouri], April 22, 1872
-Deadly Affrays: The Violent Deaths of the U.S. Marshals, by Robert Ernst, pg. 14-15
-The Last Cherokee Warriors, by Phillip W. Steele, pgs. 38, 44-45, 48-49, 53-54

Thank you for all the information. I did err in stating Deputy Owen's first name as "Nathan", when it was indeed "Jacob". I noticed Peavey's name is spelled "Peevy" in your references. I plan to contact Ft. Smith to discover what other information they have re. Peavey (Peevy) and his involvement with the Going Snake Massacre. Thank you again for all the references.

I saw where you posted that white sut beck was your greatgrandfather. You and I may be related. When my mother died Jan 1996, buried Feb 1996, I had an aunt who herself has since died give my brother Eddie a book titled Zeke Proctor by robert j. conley. The aunt told my brother that the book contained things about our greatgrandfather, white sut beck. My aunt was zelma turner ( married name ). My mother was mary elizbeth beck sanders. My mother is buried in stillwell oklahoma. My mother's father was rufus sut beck and her mother was minnie elizabeth greene beck. So it may be possible that we are related. Thank you for reading this. carolyn sue sanders watson

Minnie Green (wife of Rufus Surry Beck) was the sister of my grandmother, Margaret Green (Beck).
Minnie and Margaret married brothers; Minnie married Surry Rufus Beck (or Rufus Surry), and my grandmother married Daniel Sequoyah Beck. Rufus and Daniel were the sons of White Sut Beck. Surry Rufus was his youngest; White Sut died when Rufus was a baby. White Sut and his wife, Susan Ellen (Daniel) had eight children, but only four lived to adulthood; Arthur William (called "Ott") Lulu Belle, Surry Rufus (also called Sut), Daniel Sequoyah (my grandfather). So we are definitely related. My mother Dracine Beck Parmley spoke often of her cousin Zelma. I have several photos of Surry Rufus and Minnie, and I believe I have one of Zelma. In fact, I have a wonderful photo of the entire Green family; their father, Romeo Green, mother, Mary Jane (Wilkie) Green, and all their children and many grandchildren. I am delighted to hear from you. Surry Rufus died at about age 30 from tuburculosis. His brothers, Ott and Dan, tried several times to help him; they took him to Tucson and also to a sanitarium in Colorado to try to save him. My mother remembered when he passed away. She was about ten years old at the time, and he was thirty. He is buried at Rolston Cemetery on Monkey Island in Delaware County, Okla. I have see his grave more than once. After he died, his widow, Minnie, moved back to Chance, Okla. to be with her parents. I would love to hear from you, Carolyn.

It sounds as if I may be related to a couple of you. My fathers name is Billy C. Beck, son of Minnie Green, brother of Rufus, Zelma and Katherine. Zelma's husband was called "Dee", Rufus moved to the Phoenix area and had at least one child, a daughter Linda. I work for the Ckerokee Nation and I am a tribal member in this line of descendancy.

Diron - Regarding U.S. Marshal Peevy, Joseph/James G., you stated in part, “He was wounded in a gunfight with ‘the Collins'’[unreadable] in February 1871 along with possemember R. Reeves at Fort Gibson.”

Is it possible that the R. Reeves was actually B. Reeves? When hand written, an R and a B can look a lot alike. After being transcribed and faded and microfilmed, is it possible that Bass Reeves was present at this gunfight? Or, do we know of the existence of a posseman named R. Reeves? As I recall, Bass might have ridden posse some during this time period prior to Judge Parker’s court.

John

Joseph G. Peevey was married Mary Jane Thompson Feb. 20, 1851 in Barry Co., MO by Hanks N. Hill JP. Mary Thompson was a distant cousin of mine. She was the daughter of Absalom L. Thompson and Susanna E. West. Joseph was a notorious character, having served as sheriff of Barry Co., MO and Captain in Co.B 11th MO Infantry. His last name has been spelled Peevey/Peevy/Peavy/Peavey. His wife and children moved to Texas after the Civil War. When he took his oathes of office as Deputy U.S. Marshal of the Western District of Arkansas, the part " do solemnly swear that I have never voluntarily borne arms against the United States ..." was struck out with a line through it.

Here is a newspaper article about him:
[The Marion Daily Star - Marion, OH, Dec. 30, 1881 & Jan. 7, 1882]
[The Palo Alto Pilot - Emmetsburg, IA, Feb. 10, 1882]
"A SLAYER OF SEVENTY MEN
According to the Express of Atlanta, Texas, the champion weilder of the pistol in a close fight is Captain Joe Peevey, formerly a citizen of Arkansas, residing close to the Choctaw line. He was a deputy United States marshal for a long time, and often had command of a posse when that was more dangerous business than it is in New York. During the war he was arrested by Federal troops on the charge of being a spy, court-martialed, and sentenced to be shot. He made his escape, and from that time until the fall of the Confederacy his name and daring deeds were well known in both armies. Seventy men have fallen at the report of his pistol, and yet in all his personal encounters he was known only once to be wounded, and that was while trying to arrest a desperado in the Indian Territory. Captain Peevey is now a citizen of Oregon, where he is reported to have killed five roughs who recently attacked him. Yet with all this he is said to be a pleasant companion and an unswerving friend."

[Van Buren Press abstract]
"June 20, 1885 - Joseph G. Peevy died at the Hospital, New Orleans. on the 28th of May."

I have other references. Please contact me if you are interested. Tom