Antedating of "Hijack" / "Hijacking"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 2/12/2013 10:53 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>See HDAS.
>
>To "hi(gh)jack" originally meant to rob, hence to take, at gunpoint.

That isn't in the OED definition, is it?  But -- oddly? -- it applies
to the current earliest quotation for "hijacker":
1923   Nation 11 July 36   There was, of course, the rush of
adventurers, oil promoters, highjackers (an oil-region term for
murderous robbers).

Joel

>JL
>
>On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 10:49 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Hijack" / "Hijacking"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Do I see variations in meaning in these early instances, that perhaps
> > should be separated?  The OED has one definition, essentially "taking
> > something that is moving", and a catchall "transf."
> >
> > I see the following 4 variations:
> >
> > 1)  Taking something valuable illicitly.  (This example does not
> > involve goods on the move.)
> >
> >  From Fred:
> > >1918 _Miami District Daily News_ (Miami, Oklahoma) 19 May 4
> > >(America's Historical Newspapers)  Mulcting four soldiers of $35 by
> > >the Joplin authorities might be termed legalized "Hijacking."
> >
> > 2)  The main sense.
> >
> > At 2/11/2013 08:44 PM, Nathaniel Sharpe wrote:
> > >...
> > >Date: Wednesday, August 9, 1916  Paper: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK)  Volume:
> > >XI  Issue: 280  Page: 1, Tells of Shooting Osage "High Jack"
> > >(GenealogyBank.com)
> > >According to a story told by R. W. Smith, an oil man of this city, there
> > >will be one less "high-jack" to contend with in the Osage hills for a
> > >time at least, as a result of his marksmanship, displayed in a pitched
> > >battle on the old ridge road late Sunday afternoon.
> > >Smith says he was showing some of his friends a lease near Keystone and
> > >was returning to Tula when he was confronted by a lone highwayman who
> > >commanded Smith and his party to "stick-em up."
> >
> > 3)  [I'm having difficulty coming up with a definition for the next;
> > it's not goods on the move nor physically forceful.]
> >
> >
> > >Date: Saturday, April 1, 1916  Paper: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK)  Volume:
> > >XI  Issue: 169  Page: Four, The Man About Town (GenealogyBank.com)
> > >Knowing their immense wealth, pickpockets would immediately high-jack
> > >the whole crowd.
> >
> > 4)  Forceful takeover.
> >
> > An OED quotation:
> > >1970   Daily Tel. Mag. 16 Jan. 17/2   When a virus enters a cell it
> > >hijacks it, and makes it do what it wants.
> >
> > Joel
> >
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