Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-01
MILLIONS PAID TO INDIANS
Incidents Connected With the Disbursement
Of the Cherokee Strip Money.
The Willy White Man Wants a share
but the Red Brother 10
Quite Cunning.

Quite Cunning.
Correspondence Of The Evening Star
FORT GIBSON, l. T., July IS 1891,
The fourth of the great payments Of tie
| Cherokee strip" money 10 the hLdians has
been in prog ress here several w,eks Treas
urer Starr will distribute more than 81 oo-
600 in cash TO the CheroA ees of this district
each man, woman ami child receiving $50
The same fakirs. robbers, horse TRADERS and
gamblers are here who were present at the
/ former payments at Tahlequah. Niniu and
ClaramSre. Catchpenny devices Of every
dcs criptiOn are being worked TO secure some
Of the money that now flows so abundantly.
Naturally the distribution Of nearly $780,
! Vo-the amount paid by the United States
for the ''st-ip'-iirectly 10 in ilyiduals would
| BE- an irducement to laWlcssness and crime
anywhere, particularly in this region OF
| country. Since the first payment began at
Tahlequah. on June ], nine killings ave re-
suited from quarrels and robberies growing
out o. these disbursements. and robberies
| OF the Indians after their return to their
homes in the country districts have been
common.
The last six weeks have proved a golden
! harvest time for the merchants OF This ma
l lioai' VIII nave LOT Two years given The IN
dams credit upon strip claims OF course
! the prices charged have been cxorbitant vet
| the dealers have justified them selves in view
OF the long delay and great risk incident to
| the payment: the spcndthrift Indians We're
| lndiferent 80 long goods and supplies
| were furnished. These loas-lelayed COL
| lections have Teen pressed with far greater
| success than many anticipated. The mer-
| chants erect their booths near the place Of
| payment and tackle their debtors as soon as
| lney are seen TO emerge with their money.
| Trouble Is seldom experiei.ced in securing a
| settleinent and when IL does come the un-
| willing debtor is generally an Indian of
white blood The fullbloods" said a dealer
TO me- rarely enter any protest but as a
| rule pay up well, but just let them appear
/ with white blood in their veins and N seems
| they Immediately begin 10 cast about TOR
delay aud evasion"
The ConGdfns Red Nan.
| whether this is TO the credit or discredft
oil the whites is not quite plain. IL may be
the evidence of their independence and pro-
test against the outrageous overcharges that
have been current here, or IL may be IN evil
dence Of an Unborn aversion to the dischar-.
OF debts. The Cherokees at times. through
| Their simplicity, throw themselves one. IN
! be defrauded. An instance came uader INV
observation. An Indian hal just drawn
| more than slo". representing himself and
family All OF inns he carried in mis- hat.
| which he held between his arms AMI body
| 80 that IL was fully exposed 10 view. Walk
ing up TO the first merchant, whose booth
was near: he asked; Got COUNT
| Yes. sir. Responded the merchant
| How much was the Indians next cues
| ton.
One hundred and thirty-five dollars :"
| came the dealers reply.
| Whereupon the contding debtor turned the
| nat TO his creditor with the in iunctisn to
take out. and stood there until the merchant
satisfied his claim. This Indian then visited
| other dealers and paid them IN the sar1e
| peculiar manner. He has receipts in full.
but is wholly ignorant as to just what he
| paid for each of them
In contrast TO this was the conduct OF
/ another Cherokee. This one had become
| strongly impressed. evidently with the no.
| non that he had agreed TO pay too much for
| his supplies. and sitting as his own chancel-
| Tor, mad agreed that the contract should be
avoided for failure of consiiera ton and for
fraud. After receiving his money he APP
| preached merchant. How muchg" ne
asked in that characteristic gruff tone SO
free from any Infection.
The dealer ran through his books and
said; ''one hundred and sixty dollars"
| III pay eighty-five-no more" was the
| Indians cool comment, and without a
| change OF expression he counted put that
amount and passed IL Is the collector The
latter gave a receipt i'm full without a word
OF protest which shows Row true must be
The runors of cxorbitant prices.
Parents as Trustees.
Aside from the more serious side OF these
|
amusing. Parents receive the portion due
they children. and are supposed to preserve
the funds as trustees for their offspring I'M
til II shall become of age. This is the spirit
Of the law, but no bonds are given. and
everyone knows that the fiduciarfes are
| dealing. and viii deal. with the trust funds
| in a manner calcula ted TO exhaust very soon
everything OF benefit TO the little Cherokee
| cestui que trusts. 1t is true they will have
equitable claims against their parents after
while. but they would be just as well or
with the equities OF redemption OF 80 many
| average farmers
The law regulating the payment con-
tained a clause providing that in cases
where husband and wife had separated and
had minor children the money due these
children should be held back until the In
dian courts should decide who of the par
ents should have charge Of the children
and. therefore. receive their mon,y Hum
dreds OF Indians were then living apart.
each deeming life with the other out of ali
question. But they were anxious 10 secure
all money possible. the DEGREES of the courts
were uncertain. and a long DELAY being al
last assured. this provision, il seems. inn
mediately charged the feelings of the es-
tranged parents in all cases where minor
children were living. and negotiations were
quickly begun for family reunions. TIE re-
| suit Is there are doubtless more reunited
families In the Cherokee nation ioiay than
can be found In ;he same popula ton any
| where on earth. How long this Will be SO
| oepencs largely on the time occupied by the
payments.
The Ba bfcs Are Numcrous
| The Cherokees have also made themselves
the rivals OF the earth's most prolific peo-
pie, though IL is doubtful IL any nation ever
before gave its parents such an incentive an
s265 for every baby born within two years
This is what the law regulating the .'strip"
payment really did. however. and il is cyi-
dent now that IL was generally so construed
| III provided that every Cherokee man.
| woman or infant living on March l. 1894
should receive his or her pro rata share OF
the S.Oo,oOo the infants part going to the
| trustees. who. In this case, We're their
| parents. AS a direct result or very re-
markable coincidence of this provision Is the
! estimate that more than 5000 babies have
| been born in the eighteen months preceding
| last March. which gives a birth 10 almost
| every married couple in the nation. In
fants. mewling and psIking in their nurses
| arms, are being presented constantly to
| establish their claims and secure their por-
| tons to the parents.
| The fact that all Cherokee Indians OF this
| nation. wherever found. were entitled to
| share in the disbursement caused a great
influx of prodigal sons and daughters Hum
dreds OF those who had disagreed with their
people or married outside the territory, or