davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
FORT SMITH LETTER.
Many Appeals Filed-AnOther Of the
Bland -McElrOy Witnesses Killed.

The November term of the Unit
ed States court began Monday.
The grand and petit juries were
empannelled and Judge Parker de-
livered an excellent and most fore
ible charge to them. The docket
is very heavy but does not con-
tain as many noted cases as either
of the two previous terms.
The Dawes commission was noti-
fed today that Gov. Mosely of the
Chickasaw nation had appointed a
committee to meet a delegation
from the Choctaw nation TO agree
upon the terms upon which they
would accept the offers made by
the commission.
Capt. J. NJ. Baxter, late United
States jailer, was struck in the
face today by a man named Wal
lace and his nose was broken.
Capt. Baxter was trying TO collect
debt and Wallace used a cane.
The news of the shooting of an
other of the prosecuting witnesses
in the Bland McElrey case reach
ed here Monday. DR.. Breggs of
Ingalls,, o. T., is the last victim
and his son, John Breggs is under
arrest for the crime. Mrs. Viola
Miller, Bruce Miller's widow, is
also said to have eloped.
Henry Starr, murder, time for
perfecting appeal extended to Nov.
10.
Bob Brown. manslaughter; 5
years at columbus, and $500 fine.
John Brown, murder; petition
for writ or error filed.
Ed Wiikey, rape; same.
Alex. Allen, murder; writ of
error and stay of execution issued.
Jake Nelson, violating inter-
course law; plea guilty; 90 days
and $500.
Pierce Brandon, larceny; SEN
tence reduced to months in Jail.
Frank Martin, introducing and
selling; plea guilty; 90 days and
s120.
Jack Preston, violating inter
course law; jury trial and verdict
not guilty.
Sandy Locust, violating inter
course law; plea guilty; 80 days
and 500.
o. II Reed. passing counter
felt money, on trial.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

able feelings and tendencies. The
means of education have been sup
piled only to be neglected and de-
rided; the opportunities of pros
perity have been provided only to
demonstrate that the Indian will
not work, even for himself, unless
he is compelled to do SO. In all
essential respects, the civiliza ton
of the Indians has turned out to be
costly and miserable failure.
The vast sums of money spent for
that purpose have yielded poor
er return than any investment that
our government has ever made.
An honest, dilligent, persevering
attempt has been made to convert
the Indian into q profitable guam
tity, and the result is a grievous
disappointment. 1t is useless 10
conceal truth. The part of wis
dom is to acknowledge the mistake
and seek a more feasible and ef-
fective way of reaching the desired
end, instead Of prolonging policy
that should never have been
adopted.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
A Red Letter Day.

Claremore's first genuine circus
day (they had two circuses the same
day) is thus described, in part, by
the Progress:
With the shows Monday came
more or less bad whiskey and sew
eral of the boys became somewhat
hilarious and telt little inclined
TO take the town in as well as the
shows. a new marshal in the per
son of VIM. S. Miles had been
elected by council Friday night,
and John Mcdaniel thought that
afternoon to try his nerve and grit.
and he carried his by-play with
his six-shooter a little too far and
Marshal Miles having every right
TO believe that his lie was in dan
ger and getting the drop on HIM,
shot him through the head. The
shooting occurred near the stock
yards Of the Valley road and Just
before Lemen Bros. circus was
over. Mcdaniel was riding horse
at the time OF the shooting and he
fell TO the ground and soon lost
consciousness which he never re-
gained. dying that night at tie
residence of his mother at a little
after II o'clock. immediate ely
after the tragedy Miles gave him
self up to the sheriff and he now
has practically his liberty. The
burial of Mcdaniel took place the
next day in the cemetery.
The excitement ran high for a
time after the tragedy and several
arrests were made and the Gala
boose began to fill up rapidly,
when one of the prisoners set it on
fire and all those confined in il
were turned loose. Qnietness was
soor restored and the city was un-
usually quiet that Light consider
ing the crowd that was here.
During the excitement Alex
Cochran's horse ran over Uncle
Joe league, backing his eye and
brIising him on the breast and
side.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

A Washington dispatch of the
third says the petition for leave to
file a writ of habeas corpus in the
supreme court of the United States
In the matter of the two men i'm
prisoned by Judge C. B. Kilgore,
of Indian Territory, for contempt
of court, which led to the filing of
charges against the judge before
the department of justice, will not
be presented to court, and it is
probable that no further proceed
ings will be taken in the matter OF
the charges. The men imprison-
ed were ]. S. Addington and W.
II. Featherstone, the alleged con-
tempt consisting in their refusal TO
pay marshals' fees in a suit of the
Armour Bros. Banking Co. VS..
Featherstone ct al. Information
was received here yesterday from
Mr.. Davis, attorney for Feather
stone and Addinglon, that Judge
Kilgore had receded from his po-
sition and discharged the men from
custody. There was, therefore, nc
reason for presenting the petition
for a wit of habeas corpus.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
NEWS OF COUNCIL.
The editor of THE CHIEFTAIN. ID

The editor of THE CHIEFTAIN.D d.
NJ. Mars, has gone to Tahlequah
to report the doings of council and
some highly interesting Tahlequah
letters may be expected. If THE
CHIEFTAIN is anything it is inde-
pendent and fearless. Periodically
the word goes out that the paper
can't or dare not do or say this,
that or the other. The CHIEFTAIN
dare not do wrong, knowingly, and
will not, but aside from this it has
Just oceans of courage. If you
want an intelligent and truthful
record oe affairs at Tahlequah dur.
ing council it will be wise for you
to subscribe for THE CHIEFTAIN.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
Indian Affairs,

The following very discouraging
view of the Indians condition is
taken by the Globe Democrat; it
would seem as though a doctor
who is able TO so thoroughly dag
nose a case should be able to pre-
scribe the specific or antidote, but
in this case none is ventured:
The report of the commissioner
of Indian affairs for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1895, is the sixty
fourth annual statement ofthe con-
dition and prospects OF the various
tribes of the red race. There are
over a quarter of a million Indians
in the United States" this report
SAYS, land the unquestioned
policy of the government is their
civilization and tinal absorption
into the great body of the nation. "
But to what extent and with what
results has said policy been APP
piled? What proportion of the
Indian population has been civil
lied and absorbed? How many of
the adul. male members OF the
different tribes are sel,-supporting,
and how many are capable of per-
forming the ordinary duties of citi-
zenshlp? In short, what is there
to show for these sixty-four years
efforts to solve the Indian prob
lem? We know that the expense
has been enormous, aggregaling
more than $1,000 apiece for all the
Indians in the country; but in
what respect has ;hiS great expen-
diture served to justify the theory
and methods of the government in
this important matter? We are
assured from time to time that
progress is being made in the
work of modifying the Indian char
acter and fitting it for usefulness;
but the practical proofs of such
progress are not at al. satisfactory
to any one who makes a personal
Investigation OF the subject. or
gives careful study to the official
statistics for a series of years.
1t is true that the bloodthirs,i-
ness of the Indians has been re-
strained in a sense, but it has not
been eradicated All the tradi-
tional vices of the race are still in
existence. 1t has not advanced
step so far as the substitution of
good qualities for bad ones is con-
ceIned. In few isolated cases,
some improvement has taken
place; but generally speaking, the
original defects remain, and the
savage instincts have not been
subordinated to human and credit
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
The Acknowledgements Report.

The report of the attorney-gen-
eral of this nation is a chapter OF
blood that is appalling, when we
consider that but about $4,000 per-
sons are amenable to Cherokee
law. BeginningJan. s, 1895 he has
prosecuted, up to Oct. 8, the fol-
lowing murder cases:
Bill Chuwee, charged with the
mulde- of Jos. Slower, in Going
snake district; acquitted. The Of
ficer was prevented by this case
from posecuting a murderer in
Delaware district whose trial oc-
Cured at the same time.
George Paris, for numbering
Taylor Sixkiller, in Tahlequah;
acquitted; killing accidental.
Sam Roach, numbering his cous-
in, Sam Coody, Illinois; acquitted;
another accident.
Charles Beck, murder of Jess
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

North American continent.
The old red brick council house,
surrounded by its grove of stately
locust and walnut trees, has wit
messed the coming and going of
three generations of statesmen,
some of whom have challenged the
world 10 surpass them in natural
ability and rugged honesty, while
others have distinguished them
selves by their cunning rascality,
and brought discredit and disgrace
upon the venerable old walls.
Yesterday we talked with a
grizzled old Indian grandfather
who came west in 1888 with the
Eastern Cherokees who crossed the
continent, leaving the graves of
their lost loved ones far behind.
The good old man marked out
with his hickory cane on the
ground under a tree in the Capitol
yard the route with minute details,
from the old home in the east, out
through Georgia and Alabama ,and
portion of Tennessee, across the
turbid Mississippi-the most re-
marksble spot De Soto found af-
Ter lifetime of travel-how they
came through the swamps and
over the hills of Arkansas, foot
sore and weary, to what was to be
their home and hunting ground
"as long as grass grew and water
ran." There was tinge of sad
ness in the old mans voice as he
recounted the history of his peo-
pie. 1t was by military force that
this removal was made, and cost
the United States government
more than a million dollars. And
now it seems like the Irony of
fate" that the tribe that had re-
sponded so readily to the way :
of civilization, and had become
amalgamated and almost lost in
the Anglo-Saxon race should fall
first before the mighty tread of
nineteenth century civilization. .
There is nothing more patent to
the keen observer of men and
things, than that the average In
dian loves his nation, especiall y
the capital town of Tahlequah, the
most noted and ancient town in the
whole Indian country. Ah, what
a wealth of Indian lore, of tradi-
ton, of legend, and of glory clus-
tiers around this peaceful old town.
No wonder it is here is fostered
and kept alive the sentiment that
burns in every real Indians breast
the sentiment that. be it called
prejudice or whatever else it may
is the thing that chiefly distin-
guishes an Indian from a white man,
and it is the indefnable something
that causes an Indian to prefer
death to the REIMBURSEMENT of
what has so often been designated
"Indian autonomy"
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
ThankSgiYirg Proclamation.

On the 4th inst. President Cleve-
land issued his proclamation as
follows:
"The constant goodness and for
bearance of Almighty God, which
have been vouchsafed to the
American people during the year
which is just past, call for their
sincere acknowledgment of de-
vout gratitude. To the end, there
tore, that we may with thankful
hearts, unite in extrolling the low
ing care of our Heavenly Father,
II, Grover Cleveland, president
of the United States, do hereby APP
point and set apart. Thursday, the
2Sth day of the present month of
November, as a day of thanksgiv-
ing and prayer, to be kept and OBJ
served by all our people. On that
day let us forego our usual occu-
pations and, in our accustomed
places of worship, join in render
ing thanks TO the Giver of every
good and perfect gift for the boun-
teous returns that have rewarded
our labors in the fields and in the
busy marts of trade, for the peace
and order that have prevailed
throug hout the land, for our pro-
lection from pestilence and dire
calamity and for the other bless
ings that have been showered upon
us from an open hand. And with
our thanksgiving let us humbly be-
seech the Lord to 90 incline the
hearts of our people unto Him that
He will not leave us nor forsake
us as a nation, but will continue to
Us His mercy and protecting care,
guiding US in the path of national
prosperity and happiness, imbu-
ing us with rectitude and virtue,
and keeping alive within us
patriotic love for the free institu-
tions which have been given to US
as our national heritage. And let
us also, on the day of our thanks
giving, especially remember the
poor and needy, and by deeds of
charity let us show the sincerity
of our gratitude.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

JOHN d. ROCKEFELLER, the Stand
ard Oil magnate and who is con-
siderable owner of NJ, K. & T.
railroad stock, has just donated
s3,000,000 to Chicago university,
$1,000, 900 of which is uncondition-
al, the balance being conditioned
upon the raising of a like amount
from other sources. Mr.. Rockefel-
ler's previous contributions to this
institution reach s4,600,000; he
has also been liberal patron of
the Baptist university at Mus =
kogee.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

Bibles, in Cooweescoowee; acquit-
ted.
Runabout Askwater, murder OF
John Wolfe, Tahlequah; mistrial
twice.
Coowee Boiling, murder of Chas.
Ross, in Tahlequah; mistrial.
Sam Lacey, Saline; convicted of
manslaughter and sentenced to
eight years.
Sam Squirrel, murder of Jos.
Dirtwater. in Delaware; man.
slaughter, six years.
Stoot Sequoyah, Tahlequah dis
trlct; manslaughter; five years.
John Rhine, murder of Ellis
Whitmire, Going,nake; acquitted
Joe Bunch, murder of Frank Ne
Lemore, Flint; acquitted
Frog Davis, murder Of j. I.
MusgrOve, Coowoescoowec; cOn
victed and executed.
Yet pending two murdsr cases
in Tahlequah, two in Illinois and
one in Cooweescoowee, most of
which have been on hand fo- quite
awhile and been continued for sew
eral years. These continuances
are most always caused by some
witness failing to attend court,
sometimes just because he does
not want to attend, and other times
because some sheriff or deputy
fails to do his duty. | think our
law ought 10 be amended so as to
give our judges power to imprison
for contempt. A fine for a man
who has nothing more than the
clothes that cover his back, is d
very inadequate means for com
pelling his attendance before a
court of justice.
1t appears that we need some
legislation OH the subject of acci-
dental killings, and | would most
respectfully recommend that there
be law passed making it penal
offense for a person to playfuliy
point a gun or pistol at another;
and also that our murder and man
slaughter law be amended so that
the careless aud negligent killing
of a person be clearly defined
to be manslaughter SO that men
will not be allowed to trifle with
the lives of their fellow men by
the indiscrete and criminal
careless use of firearms and other
dangerous agencies. This charac-
ter of homicide was manslaughter,
and in some instances, murder, at
common law, and so far as my in
formation goes it is made man
slaughter in nearly all, if not quite
all the states of the American
union, to cause the death of anoth-
er, when by the exercise of due
care and discrete means, one could
have prevented It. Our law does
not at present describe this char
acter OF killing and it leaves room
for discussion as to whether it is
criminal or not. Our judges too
frequently leave the Interpretation
of the law to the lawyers, or to the
jury after they hear the lawyers,
and that Interpretation very fire.
quently is on the side of the ab'est
lawyer.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

THE town authorities are now
"playing horse, "the last break be.
ing The advertising of c. NJ. Nc.
Clellan's house and lot on south
Wilson street for sale for taxes. II
might be exceedingly difficult fol
them to deliver the goods. They
are making superhuman efforts
now, well knowing that what tax
money they do not get in by the
first Monday in December will not
be disbursed according to their
method.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

The question as to whether the
tax payers of Vinita are to pay an
unjust debt incurred by an inef-
ficient and corrupt administration
is one on which every voter of the
town should have a chance to ex-
press himself at the polls. But
the mere fact that judgment
does hang over the town has been,
for ten years an excuse and SUBJ
terfuge for hiding the funds of the
town out of sight.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07
A Letter From the Commission.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. !
COMMISSION To THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES. :
Fort SMITH. ARK. Oct. 80. -.
To the honorable. the principal chief ot the
Cherokee nation. Tahlequah. Ind. Ter.
The undersigned commissioners
appointed for that purpose by the
United States, propose to negoti-
ate with the Cherokee nation for
the purpose Of exchanging by said
nation upon terms that shall be
Just fair and reasonable to all con-
cerned or interested therein, the
present tribal title OF said nation TO
its lands and other property for
an equal division among all citiz-
ems of the tribe entitled to share
therein, and an adjustment and
full settlement of all demands,
claims and other unsettled matters
of any kind existing between tae
United States and said nation, so
far a. may be necessary and proper
for the ultimate creation of terri
torial or state government under
authority of the United States,
embracing said Cherokee nation
and such other nations in the Ind
ian Territory as NAV desire 10 be-
come part thereof.
The United States TO put each
person in possession of the lands
to which he is so entitled, without
expense to him, and the tribal gov
eminent TO remain in authority un-
til the completion of the changes
herein proposed, and as much
longer as shall be agreed upon in
such negotiations.
HENRY l.. DAWES,
FRANK G.. ARMSTRONG,
ARCHIBALD S. MCKENNoN.
THOs. b. CABANIss,
A. B. MONTGOMERY.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

The secretary of the interior is
not sure that the leases made by
Poor Lo to his white brother for
the use of the formers lands in
Oklahoma are as advantageous as
they should be, and so has sent an
officer out to look into the matter.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

The secretary OF the interior
writes that no legal talent is re-
quired to be provided by the
Shawnees to get their money. The
department of justice has taken
upon itself to have certain changes
made in the decree by the supreme
court and an early payment is
anticipated.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

DR.. FRAzEE says he has Hon.
w. P. Boudinot to beat for the
editorship of the. Advocate. That
is an ambiguous way of saying he
is beaten.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

HOLMES at Philadelphia and
Durrant at Sar Francisco were both
convicted last week of atrocious
murders and their punishment
fixed at death.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

THE editor of the advocate has
published his report, but unfor-
tunately neglected TO first have ii
translated.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

THE Republicans had an election
Tuesday and appear TO have got
most all the poultry in the yard.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

THE daughter of w. K. Wander
bilt was married yesterday to the
young duke of Marlborough.
Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-07

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. !
COMMISSION To THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES. :
Fort SMITH. ARK. Oct. 30. 'a5.
To the honorable. the principal chief ot the
Cherokee nation. Tahlequah. Ind. Ter.
Graham guardian., 1895-11-08

THEODORE DURRANT was convict
ed of murder in the first degree
without any recommendation for
mercy. The jury was out only
20 minutes and when the verdict
of the grand jury was read Mrs,
Durrant became hysterical and
Theordore Durrant's face became
CHASTITY pale, and he attempted to
rise to his feet. His excitement was
but momentarliy, and he regained
his accustomed composure. Never
in the history of a California court
has there been such extreme ex-
citement as was manifested when
the decision was rendered that was
to end the career of Durrant
Men cheered and women wept and
became hysterical. The general
opinion is that the verdict was q
just one.
Graham guardian., 1895-11-08

Stafford is rapi dly growing and
the need of tenement houses con-
stantly increases. At present
there are no vacant houses in our
town and should any person wish
to locate here they would be com
PEELED to build before doing so.
This is not as it should be. We
ought to have two or three houses
at least, which could be leased out
at any time, and by this means We
would induce settlers instead of
having to tell them that there are
no houses in town for rent. The
proper way to induce settlers in
our midst is by offering them ad-
yantages, and the erection of seve
raj tenement houses would be an
excellent beginning.
Graham guardian., 1895-11-08
PRESERVE THE TIMBER.

There is nothing new in the fol-
lowing item, but it is one that
ought to be printed in every news
paper in the United States, and in
the timber regions it ought to be
printed in great letters and posted
on every dead wall, that every
man might read and appreciate it.
Professor Runnebaum, of Berlin,
sent by the German government to
examine the timber resources of
our Pacific coast, expressed amaze
ment at the waste he witnessed
there. He says that the end of
American forests is near at hand
unless they are protected by law
against reckless cutting and con-
flagrations
While the leading countries OF
Europe are trying to make trees
grow, the Americans are sweeping
away not only the mature trees,
but the saplings, which are the
rightful heritage of future genera,
tions. "If nothing is done by your
government" in his opinion, "you
may live to see lumber shipped
from Germany to Puget Sound"
When the Professor was in Oregon
and Washington, the whole coast
was darkened with smoke from
fires devouring enormous tracts Of
timber, unsurpassed in the world.
His remark that the life of the for
est is the life of the people is nc
flourish of rhetoric. 1t is a veri
fed law Of nature, but trifed with
or ignored as yet in AmCrica.-S.
L. Tribune.
Graham guardian., 1895-11-08

There are men who plunder by
night and pollute the sacred cham
bers of innocent women; there are
men who like towards they are,
will fire from ambush at a hated
foe; there are men who will abuse
themselves with self-crime, and
those who will rob helpless women
of their virtue; there are men who
live only TO plunder, loot, steal
destroy; there are perjurers, adult.
ercrs, blasphemers, robbers, mar
derers, liars. But in all the cate
CORY of evil, including the low
minded, the worthless, the desti-
tute, the contemplate, the vulgar
the meanest man who ever cursed
the world is one who pretends to
be a friend and who, while slobber'
ing feigned friendship in your face,
is sticking the stilleto of slander
and treachery in your back,
Compared with Judas Iscariot,
Guiteau was man of honor. The
sooner man finds out who his
Judqscs arc, the better off he will
4, Ia.