The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-08
THE RING

WASHINGTON. Oct. I-COmnliSSiOner
Browning, OF the Indian office has taken
prompt and decisive steps to prevent the
ett-Fitzsimmons prize fight in Indian
territory. li2 has prepared a letter of in
struction to agent Wisdom at AIiscogee,
l. T.. directing him 10 see that the laws
are enforced and to eject forcibly any in
truders who enter the Indian country for
the purpose OF creating disturbance or
engaging in anything that may be detri
mental 20 the Indians. The commissions
eT says the statutes are ample to prevent
the tight. The agent will have at his
back not only the Indian police, but all
the United States troops necessary 10
eject the fighters.
The following is the letter of insuruc-
lions which Commissioner Browning
has addressed to Agent D. NJ. Wisdom
at Muskogee:
1T is stated in the press dispatches
of yesterday and this morning that ar
engagements are being made, or have
bsen completed, by parties interested,
to have a prize fight between COrbett
and FitZsimmonS to come off in the
ChickasaW nation, the plan being to
pay into the treasury of the Chicka-
saw nation the sum of S. 900, in consid-
Grafton for which the two fighters are
to be adopted into the nation with a
view to defeating the authority of this
department to prevent such fighting.
1T would be, in the opinion of this
Office, a, great detriment to the peace
and welfare of the Indians of the In
dian territory to permit q prize fight
to take place within that territory and
You are, therefore, instructed to use
every precaution necessary to prevent
any one from entering the Chickasaw
nation or any ether nation in the In
dian territory under your charge for
g IL.
off in that territory You will advise
the Indian territory that this office will
not permit a prize fight to take place
within your Jurisdiction, and you will
call upon the United States marshal
and if necessary report ITO this office,
and troops will be furnished you to
prevent the fight
Section 2,149 of the Revised Statutes
authorizes and requires me, with the
approval Of the secretary of the in
terror, to remove from the limits of
any Indian reservation any person
found thereon without authority of
law, or whose presence there would
be, in my opinion. detrimental to the
peace and welfare of the Indians.
I'm the United States VS.. Crook It
was held that the commissioner of In
dian affairs had authority under the
section above cited to remove an In
dian from the reservation. as well as a,
white man. AS have said it would be
in my opinion, decidedly detrimental
to the peace and welfare of the Indians
to permit amy one to enter the Chick
asaw reservation, whether he be a Cit
izen of that nation or not. for the
purpose of carrying on a prize fight..
and the whole force of this govern
menr that cam be brought to bear will
be exercised to prevent the same: and
you are instructed to keep this office
constantly advised in order that proper
steps may be taken in time to prevent
the fight, in case an effort should be
roadH 70 pull it Off in the Indian ter
ritory
You will make these Instructions
this fight may be advised of what the
government intends to do in the prem
ises if called upon to act"
Commissioner Brown ing was asked If
the admission of Corbett. F'itzsimmons
and Others Tier CONNECTED with the fight to
make any difference in the authority Of
the government and he said it would NOT
change the conditions in the least. The
government has the power to expeI a fuII
blood Indian from the territory if the
peace ana good order of the Indians re-
ouire it.
Inc government would be able to exer-
else great deal of discretion in the
affair The United States marshals. or the
Indian agent and his police, backed hv
the United States troops. can remove the
fighters as intrudcrs and keep them out
and then answer as to violation of the
law afterwards. IT is not case where
the fight might take place and the fight
ers thcn be called upon as to whether
ment will not even wait for the affair to
progress that far. The principals and
others connected With the fight will be
unceremoniously hustled off the Indian
lands, on the ground that they are intrud-
ers whose presence is undesirable. If
they make any complaint about it TIE