I have been researching the Dunn Brothers who were entwined with the Doolin Gang during the wanning days of the Gang shortly before and after the demise of the Dooling Gang. While reading the many, many accounts of the Gang's activities, they speak of the Dunns brothers and their cattle rustling activities, allegedly connected with some of the robberies, etc.

My question is this. I know the Dunn Brothers and their cousins lived in Payne, Pawnee, and Creek Counties prior to 1900. If they were involved in all those illegal activities, where would I most likely find court records covering these? If they were only charged, would it be a matter of record in one of the county courts? or would it be a matter of territorial records at Guthrie? Or records out of Ft. Smith? Was there a court in Muskogee that might have handled some of these? I'm banging my head against the wall in trying to find some of these records.

This part of Oklahoma is outside my expertise, but Robert DeArment,in "Alias, Frank Canton," says Canton arrested Bee Dunn and hauled him before Commissioner Wrightsman, at the 4th District Court, at Pawnee. That was in Oklahoma Territory. In fact, all the arrests of the Dunn's in the time frame mention were in Oklahoma Territory. So my guess in OT records and I don't know what happened to them, they might be at Gutherie. The records of the court at Muskogee were hauled to Paris, Texas and burned when the courthouse caught fire early in the 20th century. Fort Smith was not the court of jurisdiction.
I assume DeArment was quoting either Canton himself or newspapers as his notes do not mention the court records.

Thanks for the information - now I know not to make a trip to Muskogee. I will be going to Guthrie in a few days and will inquire at the Courthouse as well as the museum. In the back of my mind when I was at the museum about 4 weeks back (looking for something entirely different) it seems that the lady told me they had some OT records there (but don't quote me on that until I check it out).

I've been going over the DeArment book but as yet haven't found where that information came from. The thing about that book and some of the others about Canton, there are no notes on the very thing I wanting information about.

And, as I'm sure you know reading old newspapers is a lot of fun.

My suspicion is that court records were not accessed. They may not exist. When the transfer of power between the Federal and new State courts occurred, things were pretty haphazard re preserving records. About all that's left of the Southern District Court records are a few recording books, (dockets, sentencing, and indictment records,) and that only because they contained information on cases still in the process that the states would have to assume. It may be the same with the OT records.

Thanks for this bit of information. I'm making a trip up north to check land, marriage, probate records and will check for old warrants and court cases just for the heck of it - but won't spend a lot of time if a quick check doesn't show anything. I've found out what became of all the Dunns except one, and I'm hot on his trail. Right now it looks like he may have settled in CO after he left OK.

As a matter of information, I made a run up thru northern OK. In Pawnee County I did find some OT criminal records; Payne County had nothing. Didn't get to stop at Guthrie, but will make it another day.