Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-06
LIQUOR AND INDIANS
New United States Courts in the
Indian Territory.
Two JURISDICTIONS RECOGNIZED
Difficulty in Securing Titles to the
Land Under Indian Ownership.
PROSPECTS OF THE FUTURE
JURISDICTIONS RECOGNIZED
PROSPECTS OF THE FUTURE
spondeacc of The Evening Star.


NINITA, Ind. Ter, August p, 1888.
There was an interview published In The
Star few days ago with Judge Kilgore
in which he stated that he liked his posi-
ton as judge of the United States court
for the southern district of the Indian
territory, because Re runs it." He is all
powerful. Such is the fact, not only with
him. but with Judge Springer in the north
ern and Judge Stuart in the central dis
trict. Their duties are executive as we'll
as judicial. The towns are not Incorporate
ed, have no mayors or other officers, and
the Judges do run things, but it pleases
them to run them to suit the people.
Judge Springer is as much the mayor OF
all the towns in his district as judge OF the
district, and are Judges Stuart and Kill
gore in their respective districts The lack
of incorporation, however, in these towns Is
a great detrfment to their Improvement.
Going into the territory on the Frisco line
from the north the first town of any size
is Vinita. in the Cherokee nation. They
say it has 2,500 inhabitants, but surely 1t
is not of PEOPLE. The streets and side
walks are of the same material-dirt. And
it is very dirty dirt.
The only place where there are any walks
IS in front of two blocks of stores, ana
these walks are wooden platforms two feet
above the ground. with steps at the end
Of each block In way these platforms
are great convenience; they afford very
comfortable place on which the Indians sit
and lazily swing their feet and while the
hours away, their ponies being tied to the
posts which support a roof above the plat
form. Waste water is thrown into the
street at several places, and the hogs find
them convenient. But in respect to ami
mails running at large Vinita Is no worse
than the rest of the territory towns, for
there Is no stock law in operation in the
n c he Aylya ;,,c
90 not contain any law against stock rum
ming in The public streets
ANA then there are no trees in Vinita-
yes. there are about dozen trees in one
aoor yard How l did long for shade in
that town. Some of the other towns are
better off in that respect. but SO far as
paVements and general improvements are
concerned. they are all alike. 1t does seem
strange that in a town at the junction of
two great railroads. the ST Louis and San
Francisco, and the Missouri, Kansas and
Texas roads popularity known as the "Frs-
CO. and the Katy" respectively, there is
no attempt made to beautify 1t. But there
is a reason for it. The people do not own
thelr dwellings, or business houses.
n" Title to the Property.
Although the white people there may
make a living. they naturally do not use
their surplus to improve the landscape, for
they have not and cannot secure a perma-
nent title to that which they occupy, and
no great development will or can come to
that country until they do. The best a
white map can do is to purchase the privi-
lege of using a piece of ground on which
to erect a dwelling or store from the ma
ton, or the Indian who happens to have the
property he desires. The Indians claim the
right to take such land again. but they
have never exercised it, and the United
States courts now established in the terri
tory, it is reasonable to say, will never per
nit them to do it.
Rents are excessive in the territory towns,
probably because the white landlords repre-
sent that the Indians may take the build
ings at any time, and, consequently. claim
that returns on Investments must be MAJ
quickly. A cheaply constructed hVe-room
frame house in Muskogee. the headquarters
of the court for the northern district. cost
ing not more than seven hundred dollars.
rents for SIG to s1S month, or sl92 to S2l6
a year, and then the owner pays no taxes.
These houses have no modern improvements
whatever, and in many cases there is not
even a well on the premises. water being
purchased from men who make the hauling
of water their business, ana sometimes d
very lucrative one it is. The houses are al
mcst invariably one-story frame structures,
being SO built on account OF the Wlnos
which prevail a large part OF the tlme, am
the studding, instead OF peills latiea any ~
mastered, is covered with canvas, which Is
papered. .,s, . L., +ho
y.rritory is Fort Gibson, the OLD military
while a lieutenant in the United states
army. It is reached by a drive of about
seven miles from Muskogee through
grazing country. The roads through the
territory are generally wide being often as
much as $50 feet. A popularity with them,
however Is that they are often changed.
When the occupant OF large tract Wlshes
to change a road running through ms
land he simply moves the wire renee 10
any other place he chooses. On going
horseback riding one frequently finds
road changed very materially from the
rlace where it was a week before.
About four miles from Muskogee we
we're ferried across the Arkansas river
in an old boat by three Indians. The ferry
is about 100 yards below the Junction or
the Grand and Arkansas. The two streams
remind one of the Mississippi ana the MIS-
souri, the Grand being clear and beauti-
full and the Arkansas muddy. like the Mis-
souri, The valley Of the Arkansas Is very
fertile, cotton and corn growing there In
great abundance. The hne oak trees m
this river bottom have all been gtrdled.
and another year will find them dead, the
occupants wishing to make full use of this
rich bottom land.
Fort Gibson is on an emlnence around
whose base on the south and west flows
the Grand river. Under the treaty ceding
it to the United States for military post
it was provided that in case OF abandon
ment it should revert to the Cherokee ma
ton, and so this reservation with the stone
buildings thereon, costing fully 100000,
constructed by the government, now be-
longs to the Cherokee nation. The bar
racks, with several other buildings, front
On the south and west of the parade
ground, which is still outlined by trees.
The view from this hilltop Is superb. The
Grand and Arkansas are in sight. The
hills in every direction rise to greet the
eye, and a delightful breeze sweeps across
the hill.
AS one sits on the veranda of the bar
racks he may see the stars and stripes
floating from flagstaff in the national
cemetery at the northeast corner of the old
reservation, where there are buried 2,421
persons, only 215 of whom are known.
While on the veranda my attention was
attracted to a full-blood Cherokee by the
Grand Army button which he wore, and he
seemed delighted at being noticed. Nearly
all of those old soldiers have passed away.
Five thousand and fifty-six Indians from
the Indian territory enlisted in the Union
army. Their officers numbered 1S2, one
third of whom were Indians, the others
being white.
Enforcing the Liquor Laws.
The judicial proceedings in the Indian
territory are peculiar. The United States
courts there have jurisdiction of cases in
volving white men or white men and In
dams, but in cases in which Indians alone
are concerned the Indian courts have ju-