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 WIN 1hch M" '"''
Families to BE ON Hand at the Time
Set for Their Taking OF Case of Walia
Tonka, the Ball Player.
lack Mulhall, the most extensive
farmer in the Indian Territory came
up to ST. Louis the other day on bust
ness connected with his stock inter
ests says a letter to the 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 lot of cattle, and IN
cidentally to observe the movements
of 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, as
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
dian who has been going about the
country as member of a baseball
team in face Of the fact that he is UNI
der sentence of death, and may be 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 at
Kansas City against team of college
players that had long been a 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 a 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
squaw might shed few tears over it,
but that was all.
1t seems that there is some tradi-
ton that instructs the full-blood Indi-
an along these extraordinary lines.
There is well-rooted belief that the
buck who balks at the conditions i'm
posed upon him by the constituted au-
thority of the tribe is unfit to traverse
the happy hunting grounds. SO he
walks alone to the place of execution,
He chats with his friends, eats hearth
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 a tent, so that the relatives of
the dead Indian have no way of know
ing the identity of the executioner.
Not so very long ago there was q
brave missing on the day of his exc.
cution. Later he was found with n
broken leg and half starved in IA.
vine. In trying to reach the execu.
ton ground he was riding at a rapid
gait across the couatry and his pony
tell on the young Indian. When
ne was brought into the village there
was a general suspicion among the
enemies of his family that he was not
clean strain, and that the breaking of
\ leg was an intentional effort to es.
cape punishment, whereupon the
brave insisted upon q speedy resep.
tepce and execution. This followed
1t once, and with his broken leg the
buck was led forward and shot.
Colonel lack Mulhall says that the
Indians who were sentenced to death
by hanging by the late Judge Parker,
1t Fort Smith, were never in the
slightest degree affected by the fact that
hey were about to die. The fearless
manner in which they went to the
'caitold was proof of that. But thew
oathed the manner of death. Thew
never felt pride in going by the
white mans strangulation route. To
lie by bullet or arrow is an honorable
ending. Yet many an Indian danpled
It ropes end by order of Judge Par.
ier, who will one day be written down
IS one of the greatest ministers for
rood that the Southwest has ever had
lie sent scores of men to the gallows
'ut the very vigor of his method
cruel to all appearances
ended to prevent crime in that wick
'dest portion of the country.
Probably no better proof Of the
Creek Indians devotion to the trodi.
ion OF his people has ever been piven
han is furnished by an instance in
which some circumstance or otber
,eDt a sentenced bucl ouo, f.