Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-02

'.thc Federal government. the state Of
Acinls OF Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas.
Oklahoma Territory and Texas, the
press OF the country at large, the coun-
~ officials OF said states and territory
also the city oincials of all cities within
the sgid stittes and tsrritorr and an
boards OF trade and like organizations
"a thoroughly Investigate the present
state OF affairs IN The Indian Territory,
as has been outlined aud published by
the press OF Wichita county, Tex"
Then with the air and coniplaisance
OF masters IN the didnctics Of nlisrepre-
sentation they summarily dispense with
all investigation and outline the condi-
tlon in a way that Is peculiar TO them,
as follows, to-wit:
Il THAT the Indian Territory II
rendezvous for outlaws and criminals
from all parts OF the country.
20 That said outlaws made raids
from time to time at will on the unsus-
pecting public. roDbing and killing law
abiding citizens, outraginE women,
holding up trains and clmmittlng high
crimes generally.
"s we believe that Just so long as
the Federal government provides re-
treat for criminals Just 10 long win
crime be committed and outlaws go UNI
punished"
I0ty lunUk IUt DFtNA WHICH mas ~
literally assisted them in promulgating
the false and slanderous stories about
the people and the conditions in the
Indian Territory 1t IS expected that all
the people TO whom this appeal was ad-
dressed viii accept. without question,
the stories they have told and the false
hoods they have uttered: for Il appears
they do not tolerate any difference OF
opinion. The following clipping from
the ''WeciSly Press Column of the Dali
las Morning News" OF recent date. will
Illustrate my meaning;
"The Wichita Times wants a few
newspaper men strung up. The Times
says:
Some rrow-constructed, clay
Drained newspaper men most emphatl-
cally condemn the action Of lynching
the robbers. who got their just dues
AT the end OF rope In this city lately.
In our opinion, II some OF these fellows
were swung to the same telephone pole
the country would be in much better
condition.
1.-THE Times seems to be somewhat
hlgh-strung itself"
Now the foundation for all this I'M
Just ana inscnsate olamor against the
people OF the Indian Territory" Is
that q citizen of Texas. an outlaw, and
a Missouri outlaw, slew the cashier and
robbed bank at wichita Fails, and
thereupon the people OF that town slew
the murderers. There has not been a
particle Of testimony presented to the
public TO the effect that the outlaws,
| Crawford and Lewis were Indian
1 Territory" criminals. One was n Texas
man, the other was from Missouri. Not
| "a particle Of evidence to show that they
! were ever connected with any Indian
/ Territory gang" or plyed their vocn-
/ a
single unauthorized statement, In a
| newspaper that Lewis had spent a
/ year In the Indian Territory" No
I body else ever heard OF g. And this
/ unsupported declaration Is the founda-
I tlon FOR all this unjust attack upon the
I people OF the indian Territory
/ In the resolutions promulged by the
I called session OF the mob, Oklahoma
| and her people are honored as n law
| abiding and law-enforcng people; and
/ the authors Of these resolutions and
| the people who have been Influenced
| and excited by these Wild stories over
4 look the fact that Oklahoma extends
| south to Red River and covers all that
| portion OF Texas lying north OF Wichita
I county and Wichita Fails and all the
| eastern border OF the Texas Panhandle
/ country. They overlook the fact that
| congress gave the Oklahoma court and
Oklahoma officials jurisdiction over all
| this country named Within these limits.
! They ignore the fact that the Indian
! Territory Is the legal des gnRtion of
that country occupied by the FIVE civil
| lied tribes, to-wit: The Chlckasaws,
| Choctaws. Cherokees, Scmlnoles and
| Creeks. They overlook the fact that
! the western border OF the Indian Ter
| rltory IS near the point where the Rock
/ Island railroad crosses Red River,
\ some thirty-hve or forty miles east of
! Wichita Fallsi and that the Chickasaw
Nation beginning at the point named.
| and for u distance of 100 miles or more,
| north OF Bonham, in Fannln county,
/ Texas.
Now we hive seen what meagre
! grounds there are for the charge that
these crimes at Wichita Falls nv due
TO the conditions In the Indian Terri
tory" The story watch Inns been told
In the efforts TO Justify the outrages at
I Wichita Falls is 50 palpably absurd
4 that no Just and fair minded man who
| will give a cureory Investigation 10 the
| subject. can for n moment credit a.
Speaking OF the Chlokasaw Nation
which constitutes the southern district
OF the Indian Territory desire 10 give
To the public a brief analysis OF the
situation here, There are some ten
or dozen banks, private and national,
In this district, md there has never
yet been an effort made TO rob bank
In the Chlckasaw Nation. II this coun-
try was infested with outlaws, with n
burning desire 60 rob banks, they need
not 30 to Texas for that purpose.
There iE scarcely town IN the Chicka-
saw Nation OF thousand inhabitants
which has not one bank or more There
has never been In the Chickasaw Ma
ton train robbery, or an attempt Ia
rob n train. but once since the courts
were established here. seven years ago,
and that took place some ave or six
years ago And there are three great
railroads in operation In this district;
the Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific,
having some ninety miles Of road: the
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, with
about eighty miles Of road. and tho
Missouri, konsaa and Texas. having
about thirty miles OF road; all within
the limits OF the southern district.
MODS and mob violence constitute no
part OF the history Of the people OF the
Indian Territory while many chapters
mivht be devoted to tho horrible af-
fairs which slgnallzed the law-abldlng
spirit Of rhe people Of Paris and
Wichita Falls,
II there are Indian Territory" out
laws IN Texas they are there because
they found the Indian Territory too
hot for thcm and Indian Territory
courts and officials too vigilant and ag-
grcsaive for outlaws IN this section.
In 1889 congress provided for a
1TNlfnH Gfnfau rnttrf NJ iN th.