St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-15
He Says Some of His Deputies
May Have Done Crooked
Work.
The Committe on Reclamation
Of Arid Lands Ready for
Work.
Description of the Proposed
New Monitor--Gos-
sip.

General Miller has received report
from United States Marshal Jones, of
Kansas, in regard to the conduct of him
self and deputies upon the opening OF
Oklahoma to settlement. He says that
he thought he appreciated the influx of
population that would follow the preSi-
dents proclamation, and that he knew
that the people could look to the civil
authorities only for safety and protec-
ton after April %, when the functions
of the military authorities ceased, and
consequently he attempted, and he
thinks successfully, to organize force
of marshals at different points
where it was supposed there
would be concentration OF
people sufficient to preserve them from
lawleSsness and blOOdshed which it was
expected would follow the opening of
the territory. Marshal Jones says: II
ordered from my old experienced depu-
ties four to Guthrie-Capt. Rarrick, A.
S. Payne, j. o. Severans and ii. s.
Keyes-together with three new ap-
pointees at that point, to protect the
home-seeker against lawlessness from
and after that critical moment april
22), where had been stationed two or
three companies of United States troops
to preserve the peace up to that date,
whose functions ceased at the very mo
ment when the greatest difficulties were
likely to occur and when thousands OF
hOme-seekers, business men, gamblers
and whisky dealers, who rushed from
the incoming trains and private con-
veyanceS until within tWenty-fOur
was dotted with hOmesteaders' tents
and two or three cities of from 1000
to 1900 inhabitants, born in one day
proved to me the necessity of a respect
able number Of deputy marshals. At
Kingisher ordered John Walters. D.
F. Wyatt, old deputies of experience
and new man, Ed F. Madden. At
Darlington, Fort Reno, Imade no change,
leaving Jack StillweH in charge, who
had been local deputy there for three
years; and at Oklahoma City ordered
j. B. Koonie, Asa Jones and EWers
White. / also had at that point q. E..
Thornton. who had resided there for
over year, and who was appointed a
marshal six months ago. KoOnie had
been deputy for over three years, and
Jones was appointed last January. At
the request of the officer commanding
the troops at Alfred, for marshal to
capture horse thieves, appointed
couple of deputies and sent them to that
point. They were old, experienced
deputies fr0m the Western district
of Texas. l also appointed at the
request Of an officer OF the Atchison:
Topeka & Santa Fe railroad eight of
ductOrS constantly passing through the
territory, in anticipation of lawleSSneSs
on the trains. The full number of dep
uty marshals in Oklahoma appointed by
me is nineteen, besides the eight tenn
porarily appointed at the request of the
railroad company. believe that a few
of my deputies have attempted to file
on as many tracts of land in the terri
tory, but l know many of them have
not, and while instructed them not to
do so, when they saw themselves sur
rounded by from 500 to 7GO persons at
Guthrie and at least One-half that num-
ber at Oklahoma waiting for the hour
of 12 to come, do not wonder that some
of them, deputies who were serving
without pay and were only there in the
interests of good order, took the fever
and attempted to get a home. AS to
myself, never attempted to homestead
a foot either in Oklahoma or any other
territory or State.''
In postscript Marshal Jones says;
''The country is absolutely quiet in
Oklahoma, and I am astonished at the
false reports of bloodshed circulated by
the papers. There has not been single
person killed by violence in that terri
tory since the 22d of April" The re-
port is dated May 9. 1t is understood
that the attorney general is not satisfied
with the report, and that he will call
upon the marshal for supplemental
report giving the name of each officer
who filed claim and a description of
the land secured by him, together with
an account of the attending circum-
stances.