The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
.JOHN WATKAS EXECUTION.
,-11eR sroRY or n oRBBE Ia
nrIW GUILTY or MURDER

--Ann ureo00 toE ItV0 AShsA
.,ss r.r MIA - Ran AWAY
WICHITA. Kan, Nov. 6.-This IL to give 70
,hs roaders Of THE SUN q study in rcd mani
-. ,omeybat similar 70 q study in white
assperndoes that was sent from q mine camp
a. co,orndo some time ago. And 1t may Do
,,,d IN advance that few moro remarkabie
.,,diea I'm wild life In America can BIO found
.h.n the picture presented by the facts In this
one.
John & watka was . citizen Of the Creek
Nation OF Indians living in tho Indian Terr1torys
inst routh of this place. 1t In q matter OF Con-
mon knowledge among the people Of tho Dor
deriand that the Crooks arc the toughest on an
the tribes in tho Territory, and John WatheS
while not noted as . tough, was . thorough
Crock In his disregard for human life. Early
last summer, when tho first grecn corn OF the
season was largo enough to cat host o. -
tribe gathered on tho banks Of the DoeI ESSG
of tho Canadian River near ocmulgos tSS
picnic and the annual green corn dance.
the Crock habit to go to these picnics the day
before. so to speak. Many gather at the picnic
ground ON the day before that got for tho dance
and camp in the natural park found on the
banks Of the river. They bring with thsm ~
only abundant supplies of green corn, but alse
chickens, young pigs, sheep and calves, with
salt pork and bacon for o rolish. They bring
guns and bows and ARROWS and fish lines and
fish nets and Hsh spears, with certain vegetable
products, which, whom thrown into tho water,
serve to. stupefy tho fab, but not TO kill them
or render them unfit for food. Tho forests OF
the region abound in small game, and the Deep
Fork is noted for it's catfish and for trout ~
well. while other varieties abound. The ma.
terials for O feast at to tempt white as well a.
red appetites can nowhere be found In greater
abundance than In the Indian Territory at the
season Of the green corn picnic, and tho quanes
ties brought to tho Ocmulgee grounds annually
are 80 great that enough food to feed Q thous
sand men is wasted.
To the picnic Of last summer came john
watka with his sweetheart, and Jonas DeoP
came also. The people Of the East who think
that the Indians are taciturn and gloomy in
their dispositions should have attended this
| picnic to see the young folks caper and dance
and hear them shout and laugh as the fun grow
boisterous. Incidentally they might have seem
good time, for the sweetheart Of John Watkns
sist the temptation to firt with Jonas Deer.
VINO had for some time tried to %supplant WatkA
To make matters worse, there was a quantity
Of liquor on the ground-the smuggled white
usually become familiar, Both watka and
Deer drank some. 1t Is said, and so when in the
sing "He.yaS.hi.yah. Sooyah.hi.yah."" stamping
to the tum-t1m music the while. and the
o of With Wa sGSs % e P1fGe M 'n iFf IN a Of m DHis le eondi.
ton to take mortal offence;
demanded that Deer leave the line. Deer 70.
fused to do go. and Watka left it. but only to
shoot Deer with as little conjunction as he
ended the fun Of the picnickers, and a funeral
was held the next day over the body of Jonas
the quarrel, or watka would have had a place
beside the dead man instead or among the
funeral Of the man he had killed. but when il
was over he also led the girl for whom he had
S Some. I'D a sns f mnrrieS & s SaillRf bride i'd the to on ai.
toms of his tribe. A week later he was ar.
rested. and after a very brief trial. in which
ceal the facts of the homicide, the chiefs found
Watka guilty and sentenced him to die,
The reader has already observed that the
Indian manslayer, instead Of running away
after the crime, as a white desperado would
although as a citizen Of full are he know very
well that he was likely to, be convicted. New:
convicted. a chance Of justifying the Killing.
and SO the most remarkable part of this story
instead Of showing any concern one about his fate.
Watka was anxious only for the girl he had
they already knew. a young man and poor. He
had, of course. his right in the common property
II he had had time. AS II was, he had been
married so short a time that he had been able
to provide nothing for his wife. This was
not right. The chiefs should allow him time to
gather such comforts for her as she would need
when he was. gone. When this was done h0
should be ready.
10 The minds Of the Greeks, and for that mat.
ter, to the minds OF all the Indians in the terri.
tory. the request OF John Watka was entirely
reasonable. and 1t was readily granted. Tho
gee was named as the place. Then Watka was
told that he was free TO go and work where and
solutely and unguarded.
With the certainty Of death at the hands Of
the p4blic eNecutloner staring him in the face
| what NnnS the FaAda or RnnnOaa the Indian Cripni-
nal did He went away TO q comfortable log
house owned BY his mother. 1t was standing on
the main highway leading across the reserva-
population. Here. with capital that was readily
get rich in five months.
What is more. he succeeded, according to the
knew that he was under sentence OF death and
everybody knew VIII he was in trade, Every
vide his wife and an heir that is yet unborn. So
his trade flourished.
Maika ':gan 20 make preparations for the
hnsl event. The business accounts were settled
Tfrn he ~cn, around making farewell visitS
anu then went way TO OcmuIgec.
Hoyi ! was a beautiful day through9at the In
this Inflated, pair had arrived the town Was
, q Q With pfSP Hc WHO ioD h hI s,s gsthered to see
Wasaa haa reported to him: led iae way. With
grassy and with oaks, hickories, peans.. and
other nut-bearins trees scattered around. lying
along the bank OF the North Fork. Pointing TO
a spot at the foot OF a broad.iimbed oak the
Sheriff bade Watka kneel there. WRtka at once
threw OFF his coat and kLclt down facing the
crowd. Then the sheriff pinned tho paper over
Watka's heart. stepped back a few PAGES, took
aluick am at the paper and fired. The ball
pierced Watka's hoari, partly turned him to one
side, and stretched him out on the grass. dead.
Inc wife o. the dead man covered her face
with her hands and walled aloud, but her cry
was overwhelmed in the applause of the stout
hearted mon who had seen him go unhinchinRly
to his fate.
That a man should roam free while under sen.
tence OF death and make no effort to escape
seems we'll nigh impossible to the white people
Of the West as IL no doubt does to those of the
East, but 10 people who know the Indian well 10
is in no way a matter of surprise. And
vet this 10 only one instance out Of many
exactly ike II that might be quoted,
Every student OF Indian character. from Pierre
lie Joune and Champaign to George Bird Grim
nell, has observed the fortituGe OF the red race
in the face of death. As for me, while my
BODY Is strong and while my eyesiGht is clenI
my head. ] would like 10 die In hattle said