33. A Deadly Teen Gang
Rufus Buck (1877 – 1896) was born in the Indian Territory, in what is now Oklahoma, to a Creek Indian father and an African American mother. In his teens, he formed a multi-ethnic gang of other teenagers – all Indians, African Americans, or mixed race. A zealot with nebulous ideas of triggering a Native American uprising, Buck led his gang on a deadly rampage of robbery, rape, and murder that terrorized white settlers, Indians, and African Americans alike.
Buck’s gang started stockpiling weapons in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and on July 28th, 1895, shot and killed a deputy US Marshal. On the way back, they raped a middle-aged widow. They then robbed a man of his horse and killed him when he resisted. A few days later, they robbed a salesman, stripped him naked, and offered him a chance to escape. When he unexpectedly succeeded in escaping, they killed his assistant in frustration. They then raped and murdered two women and a fourteen-year-old girl. On August 4th, they raped a woman in front of her husband, whom they held at bay with rifles. At least two of their rape victims died of their injuries.