Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-17
EXECUTION OF INDIANS.
CREEKS WHO NEVER MISS THEIR
ENGAGEMENTS TO BE SHOT.

A Point of Honor with Them and Th''r
Families to lie on Hand nj I'll" Time
Set for Their Taking on Case of Waiia
Tonka, the Ball Player.
lack Mulhall, the most extensive
farmer in the Indian Territory came
IN 10 st. Louis the other day on buSl-
ness connected with his stock inter
ests says letter to tho New YORK
Sun. He left his 10000 acres OF
wheat land, much of which was planted
in dollar wheat last season, to look
after the sale of q lot Of cattle, anu IN
cidentally to observe the movements
of n stable of horses on which he
has been making and losing money by
turns for several months. While he
was in St. Louis Colonel lack, "a
nearly all the Southwest calls him,
stopped talking about the farming fu-
ture Of his part of the world long
enough to discuss the approaching ex-
ecution of Walla Tonka, the Creek In
dim who has been going about the
country as member of n baseball
team in face OF the fact that he is I'M
der sentence OF death, and may he ex-
ecuted at any time in the district
by the legal authorities. Walla Tonka
was released on parole in order that
he might help to win ball game nj
Kansas City against team of college
players that had long been rival OF
the Indian club of which Walla Tonka
was an important player.
Walla Tonka's situation did not
seem odd to Colonel lack. Indeed,
he was astonished that thing so
commonplace to him should have been
considered worthy Of sending about
the country as piece Of news. He
said that it was very common occur
renee among the Creek Indians for a
man TO receive death sentence, and
at the pleasure Of the court resume
regular duties and continue at them
until the date OF execution. On that
day the convicted man, unaccompanied
by an officer, never failed to be at the
execution ground in good season TO
receive the death bullet. What was
more remarkable, nobody of his kin
ever interposed an objection. His
sauaw might shed few tears over 1t,
but that was all.
IL seems that there is some tradi-
ton that instructs the full-blood Indi-
an along these extraordinary lines.
There is a well-rooted belief that the
buck who balks at the conditions inn
posed upon him by the constituted au-
thority of the tribe is unfit to traverse
the happy hunting grounds. 80 he
walks alone TO the place of execution,
4 uxsl..a.-.sisx -frs--rs<enSss ,-sawss ssss-f;I
ly, and If there is anything TO drink,
he drinks. There is line Of men, all
sure shots, either with bows or with
modern guns, and they point their
weapons at him. But the shot does
not come from any one of these.
There is, somewhere else, sure-shot
Indian who sends the fatal missile
when the condemned man is not look.
ing for it, Sometimes the gun is fired
from tent, so that the relatives of
the dead Indian have no way Of know.
ing the identity of the cxecutioner.
Not so very long ago there was q
brave missing on the day of his exc
cution. Later he was found with O
broken leg and half starved in ra
vine. In trying to reach the execu'
ton ground he was riding at rapid
gait across the couitry and his pony
|, fell on the young Indian. Wher
he was brought into the village there
!, was general suspicion among the
enemies of his family that he was no
/, clean strain, and that the breaking o
, a leg was an intentional effort to es
. cape punishment, whereupon the
brave insisted upon. q speedy resen
tence and execution. This FOLLOWED
Mt once, and with his broken leg tn
buck was led forward and shot.
I Colonel lack Mulhall says that tn
: Indians who were sentenced to dealt
by hanging by the late Judge Parker
: at Fort Smith, were never in tn
;. slightest degree affected blythe fact tina
= they were about to die. The fearles
manner in which they went to tn
scaffold was proof of that. But the
. loathed the manner of death. The
never felt pride in going 10y tn
white mans strangulation route. Il
die by bullet or arrow is an honorabl
ending. Yet many an Indian dangle
!. at ropes end by order of Judge PA
|. ker, who will one day be written dow
!, as one Of the greatest ministers fC
|" good that the Southwest has ever haC
= He sent scores of men to the gallow
= but the very vigor of his methoc
70 sometimes cruel to all appearance
:, tended to prevent crime in that wicl
~ eldest portion of the country.
v Probably no better proof of Il
y ] G.,ol InI,ania laratian 70 tho trnd