🚨𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄🚨
𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office has recovered a stolen 2000 red Dodge Dakota pickup that may have recently been seen driving in the Prue/Sand Springs, Oklahoma area.

We’re asking anyone who may have seen this vehicle in the past several days—or who has any information about who may have been in possession of it—to contact us. Even the smallest tip could help with our ongoing investigation.

𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧: 𝐏𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐎𝐊
𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞: 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐃𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐭𝐚, 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭: 𝐎𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟’𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 – (𝟗𝟏𝟖) 𝟐𝟖𝟕-𝟑𝟏𝟑𝟏 … See MoreSee Less

𝙊𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛'𝙨 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 – 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is proud of its long and storied history. It is my goal to regularly share compelling stories that highlight the brave service of Osage County Sheriffs, deputies, and posse members throughout the years.

These accounts are intended to educate the public and honor the sacrifices of those who served or volunteered in the relentless pursuit of justice. The stories are compiled from a variety of public sources, and while the Osage County Sheriff's Office does not claim ownership of all referenced photographs or articles, we share them to preserve and promote our rich heritage.

It is our hope that, in the future, we can establish a permanent space to display the historical legacy of law enforcement in Osage County. Your contributions—whether stories, documents, or images—will help make that vision a reality.

Attached is the first installment in our ongoing historical series. We hope you enjoy it and continue to follow along as we bring to light the incredible history of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.

𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙧

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙊𝙠𝙡𝙖𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖, 𝘼 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙅𝙤𝙗 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙮 𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙

In the early hours of August 21, 1923, just after midnight, the southbound Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad’s “Katy Limited” No. 123 rolled into the stillness of Okesa, Osage County, Oklahoma. That moment marked the beginning of the final recorded train robbery in Oklahoma history, executed by the notorious Spencer Gang.

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘁
By that summer, Al Spencer and his crew—Earl Thayer, Frank Nash, Rile Dixon, Curtis Kelly, George Curtis, and Grover Durrill—had grown frustrated with unsuccessful bank raids in the Osage Hills. A report offered gold: a shipment of $20,000 in Liberty Bonds from Muskogee to Oklahoma City aboard the Katy, running right through their backyard.

Thayer and Nash, steeped in Oklahoma and Indian Territory train‑robbery lore, likely orchestrated the operation.
At 12:25 a.m., two men sprang from the tender, overpowering the fireman, Byron Tower—who at 6'0″ and 220 lb was no weakling—only to be pistol-whipped and dragged to the coupler near the baggage car.

The engine was uncoupled and moved, isolating the mail and baggage cars. Engineer William Miller and postal clerks were forced to sit on the tracks under threat. Amid the darkness, a man—believed to be Frank Nash—spoke through a red bandana, with his accomplices wearing makeshift nylon masks. Their plan was simple: seize the bonds and escape before law enforcement could close in.

Among the hostages, young Pullman porter T. J. Davis acted decisively. He locked the passenger cars, keeping civilians safe. When the gang threatened to blow up the car with nitroglycerin (“juice”), Davis and the others reminded them they’d kill innocent travelers—and that dissuaded the bandits.

Despite the tension, the robbers managed to steal the $20,000 in bonds and over $10,000 in registered mail, then fled in three stolen cars, leaving behind shaken, bloodied crew members .

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱
Back in Okesa, gunfire awakened locals who notified Osage County Sheriff C. A. Cook. The scene rapidly filled with Osage County Sheriff’s Deputies, state agents, postal inspectors, and railroad detectives—because once mail is involved, it becomes a federal offense.

Spotting a suspicious man (Ike Ogg) near Bartlesville’s depot led to his arrest. He revealed the gang’s names, enabling officers to capture Earl Thayer in Oklahoma City, and later Curtis Kelly on August 30. With a $2,000 reward per man, five members remained free, including Al Spencer, confident in his escape.

But confidence proved fleeting. Within weeks, the net closed. On September 15, 1923, U.S. Marshals killed Spencer following a tip not far from Bartlesville. Other gang members were captured, convicted, or killed in subsequent shootouts.
Frank Nash was eventually rounded up in Mexico, convicted of mail robbery, and sent to Leavenworth—before later escaping and meeting his infamous fate in the 1933 Kansas City Massacre.

𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝗮
Last of its kind: This was the final train robbery in Oklahoma, marking the end of an era that began with early post-1870 railroad holdups by the Daltons and Doolins Gangs.

Shift in criminal methods: Reflects the transition from Wild West banditry to 20th‑century urban crime, as outlaws like Spencer embraced automobiles over horses and nitroglycerin over sticks of dynamite.

Local legend to national manhunt: The boldness of robbing mail elevated the crime to federal priority—spurring swift, lethal enforcement action—literally setting the stage for Spencer’s fall within a month of the robbery. … See MoreSee Less

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