Active: July 28-August 10, 1895

In July of 1895, a small gang led by Rufus Buck embarked on a thirteen-day crime spree. For reasons that have never been explained, the group of five young, uneducated men committed a series of robberies, rapes, and murders in the Indian Territory to the west of Arkansas.

Thirteen days of devastation

The gang’s rampage began on July 28 when they met in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, to arm themselves with guns and rifles. John Garrett, an African American U.S. deputy marshal, approached the young men to ask why they were heavily armed. Rufus and the others opened fire on the deputy, killing him.

Traveling between Muskogee and Fort Smith, Arkansas, the young men robbed a number of shopkeepers and ranch owners. Later they raped at least two women—a widow named Wilson and Rosetta Hassan, a farmer’s wife...