Oliver Yantis, known as Oliver "Ol" Yantis (1869November 30, 1892) was an American

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, best known for being a member of the Doolin Dalton Gang. Yantis was born in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and worked as a cotton farmer near what was then Orland, Oklahoma Territory until he met outlaws

Bill Doolin William Doolin (1858–August 24, 1896) was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, sometimes known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Like the earlier Dalton Gang alone, it specialized in robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in ...

and George "Bittercreek" Newcomb. Yantis joined Doolin's gang in 1892, which Doolin had formed and co-led with Bill Dalton. It is believed that he first met Newcomb, who at the time, was involved romantically with Yantis' sister. Yantis was with the gang when they committed

bank robberies Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank Branch (banking), branch or Bank teller, tel ...

in Caney, Indian Territory on October 14, and

Spearville, Kansas Spearville is a city in Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 791. It is located along Highway 50. History The land for the townsite of Spearville was deeded by the Santa Fe to the Arkans ...

on November 1, both in 1892. The gang quickly became one of the most pursued gangs in Old West history, with several members having a bounty of $5,000 on them for their capture or death.

Ford County, Kansas Ford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Dodge City. As of the 2020 census, its population was 34,287. The county was named in honor of James Ford, a brevet brigadier general ...

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Chalkley Beeson and Deputy US Marshal Tom Hueston trailed Yantis to the McGinn farm near

Dodge City Dodge City is a city in and the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. It was named after nearby Fort Dodge, which was named in honor of Grenville Dodge. The city ...

, but he had already left. On November 29, 1892, they trailed him to his sister's home outside of Orlando. The two lawmen announced themselves and demanded his surrender. Yantis walked out, and as he acted as if he was putting his hands up, he drew a

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

and fired on the officers, who both returned fire, hitting Yantis in the leg and stomach. The lawmen nursed his wounds, and took him to a hotel in Orlando, where he died that next day. Yantis became the first of the Doolin Dalton gang members to fall, thus he is less known than his fellow gang members. He was buried in

Logan County, Oklahoma Logan County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 49,555. Its county seat is Guthrie, Oklahoma, Guthrie. Logan County is part of the Okl ...

, in the ''Roselawn Cemetery''. Deputy US Marshal Hueston would later be killed during another shootout with gang members in

Ingalls, Oklahoma Ingalls is a census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Payne County, Oklahoma, about east of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. The town was settled as a result of the "Unassigned Lands" land run in 1889, and had a post office from January 22, 189 ...

, in the infamous

Battle of Ingalls The Battle of Ingalls was a gunfight on September 1, 1893 between United States Marshals and the Doolin-Dalton Gang, during the closing years of the Old West era, in Ingalls, Oklahoma. The Doolin-Dalton Gang had been involved in a number of trai ...

External links

Oliver Yantis

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yantis, Oliver 1869 births 1892 deaths Outlaws of the American Old West American bank robbers History of Kansas People from Indian Territory People from Kentucky People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Oklahoma People from Oklahoma Territory