The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-18
AMURDERERA NDATHIEF
A STORY OF 4 CHEROKEE INDIAN
THAT RIVALS FICTION.
At Eighty Yeas Els LIE Presents Al
Interesting an aenArzsbls Retro
spect-Eis Dealings u Negro Slaves


ing along tie ma stree. q Tahlag 1aa tne
other day II company with a Cherokee
friend, We net : psr-Oaags EhO insanity
chsll-nged our artsntioa. his Ewarthy
complexion, coarss. straight hair. high
cheek bones and cal black eyes deno1i-
mated him an Iadiao-a f1li-bl0 ds1 Cns- o.
kss He was drezs5d II : costUns-psr.ly
hat Of the I8dian. rarity that Of tos white
man-that suggested an srtsup. az con-
promise bet Eeea barbarian and civilization.
OF magnificent Dhysiq1s, he vas 8 feet g
inches in hight zs I was sfterHsrd tod.
with deep chest and spleadid breadth Of
Shoulders His hair was fast whitening
with age, but be stepped VITA almost tie
elasticity Of youth. Beneath c ivsrncus
broTs his keen eyes played With a recslzss-
ness that had become habituaL His every
movemsnt INSPIRED distr1st, though II
asked 70 do % I could MT tell 1herei his
walk or action differed from TIA. Of any
ether fun blood Of bis tribe felt dis
trust rather than saw anything u excite
Suspicion
who is her ]. asked my companion.
Unconsci9u sly had half whispe-ed my III
quiry, and vas compelled d rep=a- II.
why, don't you know hillT' be replied
with surprise. THAT old Tom Starr
turned % lock az tie vanishing firm n
the old desperado-for such be 1as-as he
strobe IN n ccasined Tee. silently dos the
street. ! mad heard vague nethiggs Il
'Old Tom Starr ever since I lad been IN
the Indian Territory, but l had Supposed
him 70 BE- but one Of the many d@perate
fBgItIves from justice vino have hsd from
the states 70 fin TEN orary sec1rlty among
the CIVILIZED tribes. 4 .IgGt of hlm.hOTever,
was sufficient 10 arouse ny cIri1slty, and l
got bis histJfy. Il reads Ike the most
improbable fiction.
In the year 1913 the Cberokses were re-
moved from their reservations Ia Alabama
and Georgia 70 their present home-;Tscs
west Of the Mississippi. Through inter
marriages with the whites and tie infI ion
Of white blood, the Chsrokees had made
some progress il the civilized arts TDey
built houses, titled the sill. and we're the
owners Of hocks and herds. The "whi.e
mans ways.7 however, net with opposition
from by far the larger portion Of the full
bloods, who clung 20 thsir p5st with
senacity born Of 1--we for hunt a d
chase, and hatred Of physical toll Chief
among these Tecalcitrants vas a brave
named Starr. Attached 20 the hunting
grounds Of lis fathers, he obeyed the orders
Of the government u move west Of the
Mississippi with a dogged and sullen de-
flance. When, few years after the ioca-
ton Of the tribe on its pre- 7e1t reservation,
the Cnerokees substituted a republican form
Of government or the sutOcracY u chief
Starr and his followers 0 enly rebelled
Il cannot be denied that the attemot at
seh-goyernnleut was made TOO early. Tyros
in government as they were. il was hard
for Cherokee to bring himself % yield 70
the authority OF an officer. Luckily. how
ever. their system Of government did not
call for public taxation Had It done s..
the probabilities are about even hat S-arr
and his kind would have had following
enough 70 have overthrow the government
and swept away the evidence Of the EN-
bryOuic civilization.
After consider able bloOdshed the rebellion
vas put down Starr himself was surprised
near one Of his retreats on the Canadian
river by snsriff7s pose ard shot Tom
Starr, his son, and the subject Of this
sketch. was by his SIDE when be fell Tom
ceugnt his dy ng father in his arms. That
marked the beginning Of Toms notorious
career. Over the set features Of his father
he vowed 70 kill every member Of lis
parents pprs0ers. He carried o4t his pur-
Pose In two years, and in that time had be-
come a terror 70 the country.
La the prime Of his manhood at this
period he was, with the exception Of his
brOther-in-la y, "Bill7 West, whom he after
ward killed, the strongest man in the
Cher Jkee nation. Caution, however. vvasa
never borne the reputation Of being a very
brave man, though, when closely harassed
be has performed feats Of prodlgi0us valor
he was cruel relentless in his hatred. and
always on the alert. He had huts and
dugouts along the Canadian river, con.
nected by subterranean passages, that
afforded him means Of escape in any
extremity.
In 1915 the Cherokee national council pro-
claimed Tom Starr All outlaw and offered
a big reward for his capture. In reciting
his misdeeds the council charged hIn with
the murder Of thirty seven men. Between
1o45 and 1866 Starr more than doubled ms
death record. His depredations extended
as far east as tennessee, as far north as
Missouri, a. far south as Texas, and as far
west as New Mexico. For a number Of
years be confined his operations 70 the
Cherokee nation, Tut as his notoriety in
creased, and his band Of despef al es sweled
IN number, he extended LIS territory 1t
was Starts plan Of action after killing his
victim TO burn his house, destroy all his
property and take possession Of his cattle
and negroes.
Starr did a thriving business in human
live stock He stole ne roes from the
Cherokees and sold them in Tennessee
Mississippi, and Texas and in return stole
negroes from Tennessee, Mississippi. and
Texas, and sold them to the Cherokees
While awaiting an opportunity 10 sell them
he held his negroes captive in his under
ground abodes on the Canadian river. and
kept them at work digging subterranean
passages. IL is said that he formed busi-
ness connection with a slave dealer of New
Orleans, and that their usual place of meet
ing was at the mouth Of the Arkansas
river. Starr exchanged his slaves for am
muniiion and tie latest improved firearms.
and generally g IT full market value for his
human merchandise.
In mis- most prosperous days Starr had
about him band of thirty-hve or forty
men of all colors and races-white men.
full-bloodsd Indians, half breeds and Mexi-
cans. There never existed a more desperate
and villainous set Of men. Starr he'd them
together through promises of booty, which
he always fulfilled, and through fear 1t
meant instant death to any member TO
manifest the least cowardice in an emery
ency or prove false to the chief On one
occasion Mexican member of the band
conducted a band Of Cherokee vigilantes u
Starts house. The desperad escaped,
subsequently, followed the Mexican to San
Antonio. Texas, and slew him with his OWN
hand.
Finally Starts negro-stealing enterprises
and some Incidental killing" connec cd
Herewith aroused the United States authori-
ties, and marshals were put on trail. The
Indian Territory also had score TO settle
? with him, and in 1851 rewards aggregating
$685. 900 were offered for him In 1855
Starts band vas routed near Fort Smith.
Ark hU IIutfaH 4