The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-12-18
OKLAHOMA.
What the Present Expedition is for
and who Uphold it.

dian Territory, was IN chicago On AhoAS
6ay. and gives some interesting details OF
the present movement to invade the ter
ritory. He goes to st, Louis, where he
,,eets and confers with Indian representa-
tives on their way to Washington. MI
Roberts edits his paper not htty miles
from where Capt. Payne and the Okla'
homa colonists prayed on last Sunday. He
il thoroughly familiar with the Oklahoma
controversy, but he lives among the In
dams. His interests are bound up with
theirs, and his story of the difficulty must
be regarded as substantially the case that
will be submitted by the Eve nations at
Washington.
OKLAHOMA"
said he, which interpreted means The
Home of the Red Man." is a rich country
in the heart of the. Indian Territory. 1t
feIl:into dispute inithis way. La 1866 the
United States government sclaimed that
because the Seminoles had been in rebel"
lion they should be compelled to part with
their entire territory and to move to
another reservation. The land occupied
by them aggregated about. 8, 900. 900 acres.
and for this they received from
the government fifteen cents an
acre. To punish the Greek and Chick
asaw nations, who. had taken part in the
same troubles, the government wrested
from these two tribes large share of their
reservations, paid them few cents an
acre for the land of which they had been
despoile6, and removed both tribes
into other smaller reservations in the great
Indian Territory. Adding to the Seminole
lands the Chickasaw and Greek lands. Che
United atessgovernment formed Okla
homa, for the purpose Of locating other
friendly. Indians and freedmen thereon.
The Ssminoles, Greeks. and Chickasaws
were crowded out in 1866, and ever hnce
that time there has existed, sin the heart
of the Indian country, great Oklahoma
fertile, but uniuhabited by. any red men
The government never moved any friend
~ Indians or freedmen into it;the original
inhabitants. were eyicted, and the place
has been carefully guarded by the United
States army against Intrusion from the
white man. There. is In this whole country
about II 900, 900 acresrof good lands,
Capt. Payne is encamped with his
colonists at Caldwell, on the south bound
airy of Kansas, The least advance south
bring him into Indian Territory.
PAYNE rs a HUGE FELLOW
and a professional colonist. He Stands
six feet and over in his stockings, has dark
hair and dark beard. He is an Ameri~
can and typical frontiersman. His rep
utation was made by leading colony
Into the Black hills ON the very heels OF the
surveying party sent il by the United
States government 1t was a dangerous
undertaking. He undertook the work in
the pay of railroads chiefly, and the men
who paid him live in Chicago to-day. He
penetrated the country at the head of a
couple of hundred miners. adventurers
and men gathered from the street corners
II the large western cities. Had not
the soldiers gone 10 The rescue. the whole
party would have been annihi!ated. This
was eight years ago. Then Payne dropped
out of sight. He was met in southern
Kansas peddling corn salve, 1t was not
possible for him to stay any where very
long. The Black Hills had no attraction
for him. Patience was not in Ehim. No
Indian was ever more of a nomad. Fin
ally. he brought up at Fort Scott, SO
destitute that, it is said. he stole pair
of shoes, was arrested. and imprisoned
thirty days for the theft. Payne is
schemer. bold. unprlncipled, and yenal
He has adopted the extraordinary pro-
tession of colonIst. and has no competitor
IN the vocation he has chosen. When
railroad, or a company of spectators want
party led through a new country: or
reserved Indian lands stolen; or want a
wild, dangerous country broken through
they know of no one save Payne TO do It
for them, 1t is his profession.
He has haunted Leavenworth and Kan
sas City for years. The latter place is his
headquarters, and here he has some little
property. A little over year ago a
company headed by Payne went down to.
THE KANSAS BORDER.
with the intention of forcing a way
SAAO0ku AAl0 oklAuOma ia0uS. 1t was
reported through the Indian coun-
try that there were three hundred |
OF Jour hundred Of the colonists, but the
party was. in trHth, very much smaller,
The rendezvous, at that time was CofFey-
vile. a half dozen of the towns very
near the border, contributed to the expe-
dition. The trade was what they were
after, and il stream of colonists could be
once started into the Indian reservation
on their route. 1t would be the making of
them. Payne was at this time stopped on
the border by Gen. Mcneil, arrested, and
taken to Fort lSmith for trial before the
United States court. He war bound over
to appear at the November term and his
bail was fixed at $4,000. His trial was
liked for Nov. 20, but on the plea of i'll
health he got continuance to the Febru
airy term Of 1881. This is the reason that
a few days ago he resigned the captainey
OF the colonists now on the border. The
captain was threatened with rearrest and
forfeiture of his bail bond.
In this present attempted invasion
Raynn r0llanfaJ |