The sun., 1895-05-19
CHEATING THE KICKApOOS.
HoCUs-PoCUs PLATED on THE UN-
IU1ORED RED MAN.



dispatches announcing that President Cleveland
will issue his proclamation opening the Kicka
poo Indian Reservation 20 settlement within the
next thirty days has caused general movement
all along the southern line OF Kansas among
those who desire a portion Of this rich and fer.
tile land. The announcement also that the
Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Re.
scrvations will not bo opened to settlement this
year serves to Increase tho desire among home
hunters to get slice OF the Kicknpoos' land
There are only 100000 acres in the Kickapoo
Reservation. !. tho white settlers could occupy
every acre. and their holdings he divided into
cighty-acre tracts. only $500 men could secure
homes there. Twice this number will be found
who % viii r"S maEe Il the f% race % for 6omsstead Ths
Is only one point out OF a dozen where the
boomers are beginning to gather for the race.
Kickapoo Dol land. nd Tie entire reservation is simply
amagniticent park. Along it's western border,
Canadian River. on the eastern Gank OF which.
IN The kickspoo country. is @ succession or rich
R9t"m nnds with sS as Snsk AND and rs
portions of the country arc high prairie land in
terspersed with timber. Amonf, the woods aro
sweet blue stem grasses wave in the wind. In
these alades bunches Of Indian ponies and cattle
raise % corn i and peanuts. and are content to yet
along with just enough to live on. Unlike the
osages and other tribes. they have no thought
" a maxim unknown in Kisskapoo land. %
There will be n greatru for this little strip
tion. Already hundreds OF bootners are camped
around the borders OF the reservation ready for
the Many have picked oIt Their - cams
army around the little strip of land 'sooners"
by the score VIII slip In and squat upon all the
most desirable tracts. and when the @ great eat army
di.appointmsnt Is lid hundreds who made the
race into the Cherokee Strip.
SO-Calleu ClerOke
Commission composed OF David Il. Jerome.
Warren u. sayer. and Alfred NJ; Wilson. went
lawyer BY the name of John 7. HIN: who is said
was employed by the Commission to act as at
torney for the Indians. The result Of the deal
ings which Occupied At s6ont % two weeks % VAS; was
Indians of the tribe by their marx and certified
to by the interpreier, Joseph Whipple, a mixed
contents OF the treaty in council assembled aud
that they ratified, and of their own volition
feet that the Indians are TO receive eighty acres
Of and zach of aye o sex and that
a body Of land i' moSe valuable. for agricultural
purposes. than my land so far opened for settle
j. T. Till, who acted as the attorney for the
Indians at the suggestion Of the Commission.
e Is 70 ss M as an a re
United States for about S1.50 an acre. For this
ernment>than to the Indians. Hill got an agree-
ment from the Indians to pay him about ST, 700.
bill ratifying the treaty withhoi!s mis- sum from
the amount due the indians FOR their lands.
Immediately after the meaning of the treaty
number to w nsliington to protest to the Great
Father IN whom. By the way. they have very
nokisn, a shrewd Kickapoo, who speaks a little
English, and Wershihoon, the Secretary and
and Is no match for the white man. AS the
story runs. Ocknokisa was instructed in coun-
to tell the Great Fnther that tho Indians had
been deceived In the translation OF the treaty,
ana that they did not want van. to sel their lanhs
pa: ina sha. the blind chief Of lilo Kickapoos
saess sSsSS: Sy
persons per & before he % left home Represented ed him.
Great Father that the treaty wa. ali right, and.
say t6s same thing; These ,tacts leaked out
Agency. who noticed that mail from Washing
ton ton was addressed t z 1"knokisa instead |f
nngered the Indians. and a zig pow-vow was
held, which was attended by 3O4 members OF
,6s 0 two ns"y sa . Ihs
ronndly denounced, A subscription Oi S62 was
raised to defrGy the expenses OF another repre-
young buck was delegated to make the journey.
He got as far as Kansas City. There he filled UP
was forced to beg sufficient funds to get back TO
The resel walton.
The Kickapoos were once warlike tribe. but
they are rapidly degenerating. They are the only
full blood. undluted tribe in the territory.
They have been great annoyance to the Gov
moved from their reservation Ia Missouri TO the
present site of old Kickapoo near Leavenworth.
Mexico rli ieI
Texas and Mexico. and It was ouly after the
Mexican Government had demanded of the
some wards that Gen. Cook went after tho rene
gades, captured them and brought them back.
and iocated them on the land they now occupy.
Many believe that they have no right to the land.
but as the Government has seen fit to treat with
them. 1t would seem to settle the question.
As an epicure and bon vivant the Kickapoo is
not success. He tsalways hungry. and has no
Uncle sam to look to for rations OF lean beef, fat
salt pork, baking powder and m,isty corn meal
and flour. lie, therefore. has TO hustle" for
IN and M oer ne m eats
Whatever he can get without labor. There is
plenty OF game In the country. and sometimes
hunger drives the lazy Indian out after It, The
brave is not ions about his dress.
pair Of leggins. cotton shirt--none possesses
which is added hat when he goes visiting. He
does not appreciate trousers. and when a pair is
presented TO him he cut, away the upper por-
from the United States Government,
they have never been enrolled.
Some time since Moses Neal. allotting agent,
and formerly agent at the Sac and Fox
agency, went out to enroll the Kicka-
poOs. They paid no attention to him. and
declined 10 give their names. They would
neither give him their own names nor the names
Of other Indians. In n recent count II was as
certained that there are now 81 Kickapo0s. OF
whom about fifty-fve are bucks: the rest are
Bquaws and papoUses The man who could find
Dut the names Of all the papooscs In the tribe Ia
al unborn genius. Mr. Neal wns patient man.
with n job that was improved by patience, for
he more consideratc an alotting ngent is tho
longer the job lasrs.
The rudely matched homes of tho Kickapoos
are well worth seeing The home Of blind Chief
ns all the houses are built on the
same general plan. The house proper Is OF one
room. about l5x2O feet square. The walls are
about eight feet high and he roof Is well pitch
rd. The most rabid crank for fresh air could
not object to the amount 0f ozone that gets into
the average Kickapoo cabin. as the walls are
nothing but cracks and willow saplings. After
The heavy corner posts. made from hewn oak
trees. are sunk IN the ground, stringers are laid
al around and fastened 10 the top OF the posts
with strips Of plant bark. The walls are then
made with willow saplings, which are sunk into
the ground and their tops lashed to the string
FRS: The ridgepole lies npon two notched trees
and long, straight saplings. as big around as u
mans wrist aro laid closely from the ridge To