The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-05-24
THOSE DEPUTY MARSHALS.
Marshal Jones Makes an Omcial Report
of His Work In Oklahoma-The Deputies
He APPOINTED.


Marshal Jones Makes an Onlcial Report
He Appointed.
WASHINGTON, May 15-Attorney ten.
eral Miller has received report from
United States Marshal Jones, of Kansas,
in regard to the conduct of himself anu
deputies upon the opening of Oklahoma to
settlement He SAYS that he thought he
appreciated the in fiux of population that
would follow the Presidents proclamation
and that he knew the people would look to
the officers only for safety and protection
! after April % when the functions of the
military authorities ceased and conse-
quently he attempted-and he thinks sue.
cesstully-to organize force OF marshals
at different points where it was supposed
| there wo uld be a concentration of people
| suffic lent to preserve them from lawless-
ness and bloodshed which it was expected
would follow the opening of the Territory.
Marshal Jones says: 81 ordered from
my old experienced deputies four to Guth-
RE, Captain Rarick, A. s. Payne, j. o.
| Severeus and NJ. S. Keys. together with
three new appointees at that point to pro-
tect the homeseeker against lawlessness
! from and after that critical moment april
29), where had been stationed two or
Z
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 the thou
sands of homeseekers, business men, gam
blers and whisky dealers who rushed from
| the incoming train and private convey
| ances until within twenty-four hours the
entire face of the country was dotted with
| homesteaders' tents and two or three cities
! of from 1000 to II, 900 inhabitants born in
! the day proved to me the necessity of q
respectable number of deputy marshals.
| "At Kingfisher ordered John Walters,
d. Wyatt old deputies of experience, and
new man. Ed F. Madden. At Darling
ton and Fort Reno / made no change,
leaving Jack Stilwell in charge who had
been located out there for three years,
and at Oklahoma City l ordered j. b.
Koonce, Asa Jones and Ewers White; also
had at that point. g. E. Thornton, who
had resided there for over a year and was
appointed a marshal six months ago.
| Koonce had been deputy for
Overton three years and Jones was
appointed last January. At the re-
quest of the officer commanding the troops
at Alfred for marshal to capture horse
thieves. | appointed a couple of deputies
and sent them to that point They were
old experienced deputies from the West
ern district of Texas. also appointed, at
the request of an officer of the AtchiSon,
Topeka & Santa Fe railraad. eight OF
their employees. most of whom We're con.
ductors constantly passing through the
Territory, in anticipation of lawlessness
| on the trains.
''The full number of deputy marshals
L., 10 tod x4 ma S m
beside those temporarily appointed at the
request of the railroad company. / be-
lieve that few of my deputies have at
tempted to file on as many tracts of land
in the Territory, but l know many of them
have not and while / instructed them not
TO do so, when thev saw them elves sur
rounded by from 500 10 200 persons at
Guthrie and at least one-half that num-
Der at Oklahoma City, waiting for the
hour of twelve to come, i do not wonder
that some of them, deputies who were
serving without pay and were only there
in the interest of good order, took the
fever and attempted to get homestead.
As to myself / have never attempted to
homestead foot of land either in Okla
boma or other Territory or State"
In a postscript Marshal Jones says:
! THE country is absolutely quiet in OKLA
homa and am astonished at the false re-
ports of bloodshed circulated by the papers.
Tsere has not been a single person killed
| bv violence in that territory since April
D."
TIE report is dated MAY Q. 1t is UNDER
stood that the Acknowledgement is not
satisfied with the report and that he Will
call upon the marshal for q supplemental
report, giving the name of each officer who
fled a claim and description of the lands
referred to by him together with an ac-
| count of the attending circumstances.