Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-05-23
BEND, KANSAS THURSDAY %, 1885,
THOSE DEPUTY MARsHALs


Marshal Jones Makes an Omeial Report
Of His Work In Oklahoma-The Deputies
He Appointed.
WASHINGTON, Nay 15-Attorney- Gem
eral Miller has received a report from
United States Marshal Jones, Of Kansas,
in regard to the conduct of himself and
deputies upon the opening of Oklahoma to
settlement He says that he thought he
appreciated the in fux 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
cessfully-to organizs a force Of marshals
at different points where it was supposed
there wo uld be a concentration of people
sufhc 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-
rie, Captain Rarick, A. s. Payne. J. O.
Severens 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
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 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 !, 200 to Is, 600 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
a new man. Ed F. Madden. At Darling
ton and Fort Reno / made no change,
leaving Jack Stillwen in charge who had
been located out there for three years,
and at Oklahoma City I ordered ]. B.
Koonce, Asa Jones and Ewers White; also
had st that point G. E. Thornton, who
had resided there for over q year and was
appointed marshal six months ago
Koonce had been a deputy for
Overton three years and Jones was
appointed last January. At the re.
quest of the officer commanding the troops
at Alfred for a marshal to capture horse
thieves, I appointed a couple of deputies
and sent them to that point They were
old experienced deputies from the West.
ern district of Texas. I also appointed, at
the req uest of an officer of the Atchison,
Topeka g. Santa Fe railraad, eight of
ductors constantly passing through the
Territory, in anticipation Of lawlessnsss
on the trains.
''The full number of deputy marshall.
in Oklahoma appointed by me is nineteen,
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 know many of them
ha1e not and while instructed them not
to do so, when they saw themselves sur.
rounded by from 500 to 700 persons al
Guthrie and at least one-half that mum.
Der at Oklahoma City, waiting for the
hour of twelve to come, / 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 a Homestead
As to myself I have never attempted to
homestead foot of land either in Okla.
homa or other Territory State"
In a postscript Marshal Jones says:
''The country is absolutely quiet in Okla
homa and 1 am astonished at the false re-
There has not been a single person killed
by violence in that territory since April
D."
The report is dated May 9. 1t is under
stood that the Attorney General is not
satisfied with the report and that he viii
call upon the marshal for a 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.