Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-16
ldian Territory, for the following reasons,

to-wit:
l. Because members and citizens of said
Indian tribes are now compelled to leave
their homes and places of nativity and go
into Il foreign court, in foreign jurisdic
ton, before 4 strange and foreign jury,
among people who are unacquainted with
their surroundings and circumstances, and
who have no sympathy for or in common
with them, and be tried upon charges for
otTenses committed at home, among such
people and before such juries, far from
their friends and their homes.
. Because, contrary to the genius,
custom, usage and policy of the United
States government and 4 vital principle of
the Declaration of Independence, viz:
THAT citizen of the United States shall
be tried at home by 4 jury OF his peers, y
citizens of the United States residing in
the Indian Territory are taken from their
homes and friends and their home court,
and into another and foreign jurisdiction
for trial upon charges of violation of the
laws of the United States, and not tried
before jury of their peers III the courts of
their OWE country. as IS provided by the
constitution.
,. Because the enormous and unparalleled
expense incident to and unavoidable in the
trial of parties for offenseS committed in
the Indian Territory, i'll said foreign courts,
resulting, in the main, from the necessity
of taking parties and witnesses such great
distances, in many instances Of hundreds OF
miles, for trial, and many times away from
their friends who would give bond for them,
and compelling them to lie in jail for months
to await the action of the grand jury, and
the inconvenience to the thousands of wit
nesseS. is alike an injustice TO the govern
ment, witnesses and parties, and your
memOrialists show that they believe such
trials could be had III the United States
court in the Indian Territory for from %
= Of
the government therefor, and that much
more speedy and exact justice can be done
by such court in the Indian Territory than
by such foreign tribunals.
L. Because the United States court in
the Indian Territory has all the necessary
facilities for administering justice and pun
ishine violatorS of the law; that said court
is no longer an experiment, and that as in
telligent, honest and efficient grand and
petit jurors are empannelled in said court
as in any court in the United States, and
that such jurors are here in sufficient num-
berS for all purposes.
s. Because the taking of defendants and
thousands of witnesses into such foreign
jurisdiction where liquors are to be freely
had, tends to increase rather than retard
crime in the Indian Territory; that having
partaken of the forbidden fruit many of
them yield to the desire to convey portion
to their homes, and thus is the crime of in
PRODUCING liquors in the Indian country
multiplied. This is especially true as to the
Indians who are required to be in attend
ance upon these foreign courts.
g. Because of the great confusion
and uncertainty resulting from contrary
and conflicting rulings and conStruc-
lions of the law by the United States courts
for the Eastern district of Texas, the
Western district of Arkansas and the Indian
Territory, insomuch as persons convicted of
crime by one of said courts, have been re-
leased and set at liberty on writ of habeas
corpus to another of said courts, and specific
acts are held by one of said courts to be
violations of law. and the grand jury is told
to indict therefor; and by another of said
courts the same acts are held to be no viola
ton of law, and the grand jury is so in
Structed.