Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-04
cHICKASAW COUNTRY.
only.a Few Fuil-Bioods Left-Good Dep.
uty Marshals and Bad-Churshes
and Schools
Special to the Gazette.

Special TO the Gazette.
ARDMoRE, ]. T., Feb. LII have Just ar
rived in this city from the Lone Star state,
and am greatly surprised at the rush OF
business aud the appearance Of things gem
orally. The first thing that c Texan viii
notice here is the. absence of Indians.
There is but . handful. of full-blood Chick
esaws left, and they are huddled together
in the vicinity of Stonewall and
Tishomingo, living in small cabins and
living life of Incidence and poverty.
There are about seyenty-ive thousand
white people in the Chickasaw Nation,
They have opened farms, built school and
church houses, and it is difficult for one Il
realize that this is the Indian Territory,
ArdmOce has fine cotton compress. Hour
ing mills. 4 United States courthouse, q col
lege, ice factory, and more than hundred
business houses, and has received to date
about thirty thousand bales OF cot
ton grown by farmers in the sur
rounding country, every bale OF
which was grown by non-citizen tenants.
Immense quantities Of corn, wheat, oats
and barley are grown and marketed hers
also
The idea that the people of the Territory
are desperadoes, cut threats and thieves is
quickly dispe He'd by associating with them.
A more prosperous, enterprising and in
dustrious people have never met. and tho
old-time hospitality Of the pioneer days is
WITH on every NllulH lHc ElSl
five years this country has been completely
changed from stock growing to an agri-
cultural country, the soil yielding bouuu-
full harvestS TO the plowmau. The stock
business is relegated TO the past and can
never thrive again in the boundary of the
tve civilized tribes.
Two Federal courts have Jurisdiction
over this portion of the Indian Territory.
The Paris court has Jurisdiction IN all
criminal cases except petty ofenses. the
Ardmore court having concurrent jurisdic-
ton with that at Paris in cases OF
introducing whisky and few others. This
two courts are conducted oF United States
marshals and their deputies, the officers be-
ing paid fees for their labors The mar
shal's fees for arresting man for bringing
a quart of whisky into the Territory is about
$50. If the prisoner makes the required
bond IN some cases, which is usually from
$500 to $500 he is lucky, indeed, for II the
deputy marshal can spirit him away to
Paris before he has time to see his
several dollars to his fees. Many
farmeil living fifty or sixty miles in the
country, having occasion to visit relatives
in Texas, or having business in the state,
on returning home with flask OF whisky
for family use is arrested, taken before a
commissioner at Ardmore, his bond placed
at an enormous amount, and II he fails to
make it is hurried of to the Paris
Jail and blank bond forwarded on
to his home for his friends ia
fill and procure his release, Many OF the
deputy marshals are clever and accommo.
dating, doing what they can to suppress
crime, but there are Others armed with
Winchesters and six-shooters, who are the
worst type of desperadoes and will stoop to
anything for small fee. This class OF Of
ficers have done more 70 give the Indian
Territory bad name than all things elss
combined, and the people are Of
the opinion that complete jurisdiction
for the Territory courts is the only
remedy for this pernicious evil. And Il
requires but a short stay here for one "a
fully realize that their grievance is real.
Work is being pushed on the Rock Island
southwark from Minco. 1t viii cross Red
river near the Comanche line, and will 20
by way of Henrietta TO Fort Worth, and
viii be constructed as rapidly a. possible,
CHIcKAsAw.