Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-21
GRIMES IN THR INDIAN TERRI-
 TORY.
A Land From Which she UnsoPhissf- cated Traveller May Never Emerge Chats About Horrible Murders.

Chats Absut Horrible Murders.
 From the Chicago Herald.l
 The driver of the "buckboard" which conveyed me from Vinita to Tahlequah, the Cherokee capital, was well posted in the blood -curdling literature of the territory. We had just closed 8 conversation about the desirability of his marrying into the tribes, in which he tersely summed up the marriage question from certain point of view. He said:
 q wouldn't mind doin' it, only tain't so easy done. The full bloods hates white man, and won't let their daughters marry one of they kin help it. I don't want any half breed because they're uglier than -; and then you hain't got any sure thing as to wat they're up to when you ain't around to watch lem. Elf I should marry one of these Injun women she mussen't be any of yer doggon fancy pieces that'd lay abed till after seven o'clock in the mornin' an didn't know how to do nothin' in a house. There's Lo- cust Grove!"
 We emerged from the dense woods through which We had been travelling for some hours and entered the rim of a rolling prairie, on which was a large square frame building and just in its rear log cabin.
 "Locust Grove isn't much of a town," I remarked. We halted in front of the frame structure, which seemed sort of country store, and entered to get drink of water. A fine looking half breed stood behind the counter, who greeted us with a nod and a pleasant smile. gigantic and scowling ne- gro glared at us with an unfriendly glance from the further end of the room, and on a box, immovable as statue of bronze, sat a full blood, who apparently never permitted himself to even notice our presence.
 '.This is a beautiful spot. I'd like to have a summer home right over there on the edge of that hill with all that magnificent stretch of prairie Here, away from the city, what peace"
 "Peacel" repeated the driver, with m ac- cent which might be regarded as ironical; 'this is the wust place in the Cherokee na- tion.''
 "What fora'
 tFor murders and sich like" And then he went on to tell about the smiling, hand some half-breed in the store. Not long be- fore Riley-for that was his name-and his brother were at dance, and fight broke out, in which the brother and the other man exchanged shots and both fell dead at once Then Riley and brother of the other mar pulled on each other, and during the course of the night no less than four men wer. killed Occurrences of the kind in Locus Grove were not infrequent, and assassination was not among the rarest of it's peculiarities Till We had left many miles behind us il ! the direction of Locust Grove my pulses dil not slow down to their average speed. At Tahlequah tall, slender, swarthy man with long crow-black hair, was one of thu most conspicuous of the persons whom en countsred. He wore @ belt in which wer two navy revolvers and 8 supply of cart ridges. I found that he was the keeper O l the jail and was @ noted man-killer; hoy many victims he had sent on ahead of hin over the river do not know. It was among ! the scores. It was told of him when intoxi cated, which was his normal condition, h 1 was fond of little plessantries. l For instance, when there was a crowd il | the vicinity large enough to make it wortl l the exhibition, he would place his little ten year-old girl in the foreground and then in l sert the muzzle of his cooked revolver int, her mouth, suspending it by the trigger ol his forefnger, with @ view of showing th
 nerve of the girl and his own steadiness o hand.
 1 This gentleman piloted me through tn l jail, and did it 50 grudgingly and with 8 l sullen demeanor that I failed to enjoy il | the least the visit. He is, or was, a half breed, and wore his hair, which was som
 three feet in length, coiled up beneath hi hat. He had small, fierce, brown eyes, an anterior to his taking office had been th
 worst despersdo in the territory.
 At Muscogee learned good deal ot tn
 existence and nature of the desperaoo. d originates everywhere; he is fugitive iron 1 other States; he is indigenous to the soii