Ben Golden McCollum

Ben Golden McCollum was an outlaw in Oklahoma[1][2] during the 1920s who was nicknamed the "Sheik of Boynton". McCollum robbed banks in both Prague, Oklahoma[3] (where he got away with US$3400) and Checotah, Oklahoma ($4700) in 1929. He was captured on the streets of Boynton, Oklahoma[4] shortly after the Checotah heist.

Ben McCollum
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
AliasSheik of Boynton
Description
BornBen Golden McCollum
Oklahoma
DiedAugust 12, 1963
NationalityAmerican
RaceWhite
GenderMale
Status
Added1954
Caught1958
Captured

Background

McCollum was convicted of both bank robberies and sentenced to a forty-year term at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma. On April 15, 1934, McCollum knifed two fellow inmates to death in a dispute over a card game. He was originally sentenced to death for the murders, but the sentence was later reduced to a life term. McCollum escaped prison in 1954 and was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list soon afterwards.[5] He was captured in 1958 at an Indianapolis boarding house and returned to McAlester. McCollum was paroled in 1961, at which time he relocated to Marcum, Kentucky.

McCollum was shotgunned to death at his home by a pair of youthful burglars on the night of August 12, 1963,[6] whose identities are unknown.

See also

Books
  • Morgan, R. D. Taming the Sooner State: The War Between Lawmen and Outlaws in Oklahoma.
  • Sabljack, Mark; Martin Greenberg. Most Wanted: A History of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.
  • Daily Oklahoman and Muskogee Phoenix...Numerous articles from 1929—1934---1954-1958-
  • Personal Interview with nephew of Ben Golden "Goldie" McCollum in Fall 2007

References
  1. Kahn, E. J. "Goodbye, Mr. McCollum!". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  2. "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives 1 to 100". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  3. Kahn, E. J. "Goodbye, Mr. McCollum!". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  4. "99. Ben Golden McCollum". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  5. "History of FBI Most Wanted List". docshare.tips. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  6. "FBI Most Wanted Fugitives List: The Worst Criminals of 1963". trivia-library.com. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
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