The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-09
BAD INDIAN TRIBES.
REPORT OF THE COMMISSION FROM
THE TERRITORY.
AtroeIou, Grimes Go Uppunishsd-unc ie
Sam will Have to AID pit an Lntif"T
New systsm.

Tho commission appointed to investigate
NO nre.eut lawless state OF affairs IN lllc
InotIu Territory has Just fetdtt'eu ~
wa, hington. IL Will lay before Oo'l5 $50,
IN december a startling report ID "hion
r. viii he shown that the system ddoptT
bv the limited States Government ~ deaf
ms, with the so-Called nVc HVliHeu ll.I'
has proved a gigantic lnlS axe anu =,
tai failure. \ radical alteratlo ol
o,iil have to be male. AlredIy ~
conditions are ripe for an outbreak M ,,,,
NAV cost thousands of lives ana IhIl''"'
of dollars worth Of property. $500, thor
The recent train robDeries ana o'ho .a
denredations by the Bill COOK gang al :
80 r1",ifestot ions of the generally as
tulbed state of things In the Iersi'opy
The tribal governments are parllyZeu' dHu
are unable to enforce the laws my a" .,b
mere travesties Of governments. SUN
cfsed bv a ten mixed bloOds. VINO nave
appropriated the resources OF the hauVi
and hold the common lanu as PlNa ~
propprtv The courts are larCe, anu ~
has become notorious that tie only way 10
get Justice I'm the Indian Nation ~ 10 ell
force II with revolver.
MURDaRERs 90 FREE.
A, nresent there is a veritable reign OF
,.r,oF In The Territory. In the Cherokee
tribe. which has only 1900 population
there were fifty-three murders III seq
tember and October last. No steps nave
h1an taken TOW nus lhAliShA+io my W 80
rnurderers Not long ago man St"le
number Of hogs. lie was prOsecutel Dy
the person who suffered from the depre
dalton The thief and his friends there
upou attacked the house OF the piaihIlIl
al night. They burned his barns ana
havstacks, and riddled the dwelling WIN
bullets. The family hid uadef Il Deu' anu
almost mirdculously escaped Win turH
lives. one girl was WOUNDED in Inc arm
The assaiants tried 10 murder Two n
dlyiluals who Glanced To witness the
crime and succeeded in killing one ol
them. no action mas been taken asalhsI
Yhe Federal courts in the Territory
have jurisdiction only over crimes com
mitted by Indians against whites, by
whites against Indians or by whites
against whites They cannot punish IN
dams for perpetrdttnB murder, arson tyD-
berry or any other offence upon Other
u.ui4ts !he mantenance OF bniltc
States courts In the domain OF the fiVe
existing treaties by which Uncle Sam Is
bound to permit the Indians 10 govern
Themselves without any interference. But
the courts are necessary for the protectoh
Of 10000 whites. who would otherwise
have no protection whatever. In tAe
Indian courts hearing is not allowed by
white people.
VIRTUALLY A FOREIGN NATION.
To all intents and purposes the FIVE
tribes-Cherukee, Choctaws, Creeks.
C,hickasaws and Scmmol, constitute 4
foreign nation in thu midst OF the ChlIed
states The whites are only there on
sutfarance Their children Cannot go 10
the Indian schools. They have inVest2-
"a vast amount If capital Ia the Terri
tory AMI have built large towns without
POSSESSING a right 10 foot or the lana.
They have no authority 10 enforce oiu7l
or 10 appoint police ihcerS.
Musk1eee, which has been threatened
recently By Bill Cooks gang, IS IN the
Creek nation, and has 800 INHABITANTS
II was built by white men. Th0uSh
thriving community. ii has no town gov
ernment and no police. 90 Inc same Is true
OF Ardn.ore, in the Chickasaw nation.
further TO the south. II was buit by
whites, and has 300 Inhabitants, with
worth 900 and $4,000 each The own
ers OF the property have no title 70 the
ground. From Ardmore 1000 bales Of
cotton were marketed last year.
In case of an outbreak the whites in
the Indian Territory have no defence;
tbev will be at the mercy OF their assail-
ants So far as the land is concerned
the five tribes have no power TO grant
accepted from the United States the title
deeds for the entire domain in trust for
the common use OF all the Indians. The
working of the system has been 10 reduce
~ f,ii- hloOds 10 poverty, while the mix
81 blood and adopted whites have alb
sorbed the fertile acres. They hold the
1ower and leglslate for their own ex-
elusive beneft.
Under the Indian law a person be
comes the owner OF a track by simply
running a furrow around IL with a plow.
II the area thus marked out covers a
public highway, the road must be changed
so as TO pass around 1t. Abandonment
OF the track for two years throws u
hack into the public domain. Enormous
araaa-in some cases as much as 59,W9
arres-are now held by individuals under
this plan.
THE ADOPTION OF WHITES.
The adoption OF whites into the tribes
10 acccmnIIshed by marriage. IL an In
alan marries white pers a., the latter.
Under the Law. becomes an indian. and
has all the rights of an Indian. Not
long ago a thrifty Scotch woman married
a Cherokee That made her an Indian.
The Cherokee died. and his widow mar
ried a white man. That made him an
Indian. SO they were both Indians though
neither of them had drop OF aboriginal
hiand- At present they hold l0.gD an"~-