Zip Wyatt – Notorious Oklahoma Hombre
The annals of the Oklahoma Territory are filled with tales of daring outlaws and desperate men, figures etched in the landscape of the Wild West. Among these notorious characters stands Nathaniel Ellsworth Wyatt, better known as Zip Wyatt, a name whispered with a mix of fear and fascination. He was also known by the aliases Dick Yeager and Wild Charlie, adding to the mystique surrounding his life and deeds. His story is a complex tapestry woven with threads of poverty, violence, and a relentless pursuit by lawmen across the burgeoning state.
Nathaniel Ellsworth Wyatt entered the world in 1864 in the state of Indiana, the second of eight children born to John T. and Rachel Quick Wyatt. The Wyatt family, comprised of seven sons and one daughter, were nomadic for a time, before finally setting down roots approximately 14 miles northeast of Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 1889. This period coincided with the Land Run and the rapid expansion of the Oklahoma Territory, a time of opportunity but also one of lawlessness and upheaval.
The Wyatt family’s circumstances were humble. Nathaniel’s parents struggled with illiteracy, and the seeds of a troubled life were perhaps sown in his youth. His father, John T. Wyatt, was known in Guthrie as "Old Six-Shooter Bill," was a frequent subject of arrest for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. This turbulent environment, marked by poverty and a disregard for the law, undoubtedly influenced young Nathaniel’s path. Further fueling the narrative of a family steeped in questionable behavior was Nathaniel’s older brother, known as "Six-Shooter Jack," who earned his living as a professional gambler. His life met a violent end in a Texline, Texas, saloon in 1891. The shadow of violence and disregard for societal norms loomed large over the Wyatt family, setting the stage for Nathaniel’s descent into a life of crime. Zip Wyatt‘s formative years were anything but stable, contributing to his future choices.
The moniker "Zip" originated from an encounter with a man near Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was this name, along with his alias Dick Yeager, that would become synonymous with outlawry in the Oklahoma Territory. While the origin of the nickname remains somewhat obscure, its adoption marked a turning point in Nathaniel’s identity, solidifying his transformation into the outlaw known as Zip Wyatt. This new identity allowed him to further distance himself from his family, and fully embrace his outlaw lifestyle.
In February 1890, tragedy struck the Wyatt family with the death of Zip’s mother, Rachel. The following year, Zip married a woman named Annie Bailey near Mulhall, Oklahoma, and the couple soon had a daughter. However, the prospects of a quiet, domestic life were quickly dashed. On June 3, 1891, Zip Wyatt‘s notoriety escalated dramatically when he engaged in a shooting spree in Mulhall, wounding two citizens. Faced with the consequences of his actions, Zip fled north into the Cherokee Outlet and then onward to Kansas, leaving behind his wife and child and cementing his fate as a fugitive from justice.
His criminal activities continued in Kiowa County, Kansas, where he stole riding gear in Greensburg. This act of petty theft soon escalated into a deadly confrontation. Deputy Sheriff Andrew Balfour, a dedicated lawman, tracked Zip Wyatt to Pryor’s Grove, Kansas, about ten miles north of Greensburg. In an attempt to apprehend the fugitive, Deputy Balfour was shot in the abdomen, the bullet tragically striking his spine. Though mortally wounded, Balfour managed to return fire, hitting Wyatt twice, inflicting only minor wounds to his left hand. Deputy Balfour’s death left behind a wife and six children, further underscoring the devastating consequences of Wyatt’s actions.
With a growing list of crimes and a $1,000 reward offered for his capture, Zip Wyatt fled back to his native Indiana, seeking refuge with relatives. His time in hiding was short-lived, however, as he was eventually apprehended. After a protracted extradition process, Zip was returned to Guthrie, Oklahoma, to face charges related to the Mulhall shooting. Despite being incarcerated, Zip’s spirit of defiance remained unbroken. He managed to escape from jail on one occasion, only to be quickly recaptured. Undeterred, he attempted another escape on December 31, 1892, and this time, he succeeded.
Upon regaining his freedom, Zip joined forces with Ike Black, forming a gang that terrorized the region with a series of robberies. Their criminal activities included the November 1893 robbery of the Hightower Store and post office in Arapaho, Oklahoma. The pair would often seek refuge in the rugged terrain of the Gypsum Hills, where their wives aided them by providing food and supplies. The gang quickly gained a reputation for ruthlessness, and soon they were blamed for nearly every crime committed in the territory, leading to a $5,000 reward being placed on Wyatt’s head.
The violence surrounding Zip Wyatt escalated further on January 20, 1895, when Fred Hoffman, the treasurer of D County (now Blaine County), Oklahoma, was murdered. Though never definitively proven, the gun used in the killing was reportedly traced back to Wyatt, adding another layer of suspicion and infamy to his already tarnished reputation.
Around this time, Zip Wyatt and Ike Black were also believed to have associated with the notorious Doolin-Dalton Gang, participating in the Rock Island train robbery in Dover, Oklahoma, on April 3, 1895. This association further solidified their image as dangerous and desperate outlaws, willing to engage in high-stakes crimes.
On June 3, 1895, an outlaw gang robbed the store and post office in Fairview, Oklahoma, making off with valuables and three horses. U.S. Deputy Marshals Gus Hadwiger and J.K. Runnels, along with Woods County Sheriff Clay McGrath and Deputy Marion Hildreth, immediately gave chase. They caught up with the gang the following day, surprising them in a cave near the county line. A fierce gunfight erupted, during which Ike Black was wounded in the foot, and Zip sustained a gunshot wound to his left arm. Despite their injuries, the outlaws managed to escape. The lawmen, now numbering almost 200, intensified their pursuit.
The relentless pressure from law enforcement continued. On July 26, Wyatt and Black robbed the Oxley, Oklahoma, post office and store, netting only a meager $35 and some supplies. However, their identities were recognized during the robbery, and the next day, a posse tracked them to a location near Salt Creek, about six miles northwest of Oxley. Another gunfight ensued, resulting in a flesh wound to Black’s head. Again, both men managed to escape, but this time, they were forced to abandon their horses and flee on foot.
The following day, the pair made their way to a farm approximately five miles west of Okeene, Oklahoma, where they stole horses and a cart. Constable Robert Callison of Forrest Township led another posse in pursuit. On July 28, another shootout occurred in a canyon. Posse member Frank Pope was shot in the right leg, but Wyatt and Black once again escaped. Deputy Sheriff Hildreth led a posse from Alva, Oklahoma, joining the original group and continuing the chase southeast.
Black and Wyatt sought refuge in a shack about four miles east of present-day Canton. On August 1, the posse caught up with them, resulting in a deadly confrontation. Black was shot in the head and killed, while Zip sustained a gunshot wound to the left side of his chest but managed to escape. He sought assistance from a doctor a mile away, forcing him to provide a horse and tend to his wound. After riding about seven miles, the pain from his chest wound became unbearable, and Wyatt abandoned the horse. He then commandeered a small wagon near Homestead, forcing the young driver to take him approximately 25 miles northeast. After crossing the Cimarron River, he released the boy and continued his escape in the cart.
On the afternoon of August 3, Zip Wyatt was spotted crossing the Rock Island railroad at Waukomis, just five miles south of Enid. Garfield County Sheriff Elzie Thralls assembled a posse and pursued the wounded bandit. Wyatt abandoned the horse and cart about miles east of the railroad at Skeleton Creek Valley and continued on foot. That evening, he encountered a cabin owned by John Daily, whom he forced to provide him with a horse and accompany him. Wyatt eventually released Daily, who quickly alerted authorities to Wyatt’s last known location.
On the morning of August 4, a posse from the Anti-Horse Thief Association from Sheridan, Oklahoma, joined by another posse from Enid, resumed the hunt. Around 10:00 a.m., they tracked Wyatt to a location about five miles southeast of Marshal, surrounded him, and ordered him to surrender. Instead, Wyatt reached for his gun, prompting Deputies Ad Polk and Tom Smith to fire, striking him in the pelvis and stomach. Finally, Zip Wyatt surrendered. He was taken to a church in Sheridan, where two doctors provided medical attention. Later that day, he was transferred to Enid and jailed. John Daily and the Sheridan posse divided the reward for his capture.
Local doctors, concerned about Wyatt’s condition, intervened as different jurisdictions argued over where he would be tried. They informed authorities that Wyatt was likely dying. Over the next three days, Zip Wyatt held court in his jail cell, receiving numerous visitors who came to see the notorious outlaw. During these encounters, Wyatt boasted of killing eleven men and evading justice for numerous crimes.
On August 7, Zip’s father, John T. Wyatt, visited him and told reporters that his son was 24 or 25 years old, had not participated in the Doolin Gang robbery in Dover, Oklahoma, and had never been a regular companion of either Bill Doolin or Bill Dalton. Zip Wyatt lingered in jail, kept alive by morphine to ease his pain, until he was reduced to a mere skeleton by the end of August. He finally succumbed to his wounds on September 7, 1895.
The following day, his sister, Mrs. Pricket, arrived to claim his belongings but declined to claim his body. The sheriff refused to release his possessions. On September 9, 1895, Wyatt was buried in a cheap pine coffin, without a marker, in a pauper’s field south of the city, without a funeral or any family members present.
Years later, many bodies from the old cemetery were relocated, but Wyatt’s remains were already lost and remain in their original location, which is now a residential development in Enid. The final resting place of Zip Wyatt, a notorious Oklahoma hombre, serves as a silent reminder of a bygone era of outlaws and lawlessness.