The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-28

Soutn McAlhSter, l. t, Feb. 2I--
Walla Tonaka, the Choctaw Indian
who achieved national notoriety by
touring the west with a baseball team
while under sentence Of death, is in
peril for the third time
Unless a United States deputy sheriff
who started from here to serve a writ
of habeas corpus granted Saturday af-
ternoon by Judge Clayton, of the Indian
| territory federal court. reaches the
scene of execution in time to prevent,
| Walla Tonaka will be shot at noon to-
/ day in Alikeni, Wolf county. IN the
heart of the Choctaw Nation.
] Twice before Walla TOnaka has been
nearer to death than he is now. hit
the roads were not so bad then and the
/ courier who carried his salvation could
make better time.
The crime for which Walla TOnaka
is to die is the murder of his uncle,
Lampson Young, who was an Indian
| deputy sheriff a year ago last sum
mer. Tonaka and two companions were
carOusing and became so bOisterous
that Tonaka's uncle attempted to ar
rest them They resisted and in the
melee that followed Young was shot
dead. All three We're arrested. but as
there were no witnesses to the murder
and none Of the trio would testify
against the others the guilt was not
fixed A ChOctaw jury, however con-
victed Walla Tonaka and he was SEN
fenced to be shot Aug. 6, 1897. But
Walla Tonaka had another engagement
on that date. He was member OF the
Choctaw baseball team, which was I'M
der contract to play in Kansas City on
the day for the execution and was TO
follow this with a tour of the west
Walla Tonaka was the best player on
the team and could not be spared, so
it was arranged to postpone the exc
cution by appealing to the supreme
council of the tribe. A respite was cas-
lily secured and the meantime TOnaka
was free to play ball. During all this
time he was absolutely free. so far as
physical interests were concerned, and
only his pride of the tribal honor was
depended upon for his appearance for
rehearing and for execution. The faith
in him was not misplaced. as it is said
1t has never been in the case of a Choc-
taw, and when his case came up for re-
view in the department council he was
on hand to hear the decision. The re-
view was merely formal. as it was eX-
pected it would be- The sentence of
the lower court was affirmed and the
execution was set for Nov. in Ali
keni
Slll no restraint WdS pldCtu Oll w ana
Tonaka, and he appeared in Alikeni,
ready to be shot by his two best
friends, as the Choctaw custom re-
quired. Had he failed to do so, the
Choctaw that met him would have shot
him and his memory would have been
reviled for generations.
All positions had been made for the
execution and great numbers of Choc- |
taws from the nation. some of whom
had been on the road for three days |
were there to witness il. Half an hour
before the time set a reprieve came |
from the ChOctaw capital and Walla |
Tonaka had a new lease of life.
The execution was then set for April |
10, and again Walla TOnaka seems to |
have been on the brink of the grave, |
but again a reprieve was received just /
in time to save his life. The case was |
then delayed for months. because CT the /
clash between the federal and terrific |
rial authorities. and the execution was |
delayed until today.
The chief was appealed to again. but |
refused to interfere and as a last re-
sort d writ of habeas corpus was asked .
for in the federal court here It was /
granted and a deputy sheriff started /
with il for Alikeni. but it is doubtful .
if he can make the eighty miles over
land in time to stop the execution.