The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-17
ge lalieta Daily Eagle: Sunday gprio septebe T. sss
will some day have 600 acres of land-more

/ time before this country viii be ready for
| an thrush of whites; then it will be al
| least a few years before title can be secur-
ed from the Indians. hence 1 would adj
! wise anyone contemplating this country
to settle down in Western Kansas and dc
his best, and by the time this country is
ready for him he won't want to come.
The appraisers OF the Choctaw Indian
! lands live in tents. I have not slept in a
house, except when on my way TO and
! from home and while at home, since en-
| tering upon the work. Each camp has
! six tents-fve 9x9 and one 14x14 The
| large tent is the cook tent and has a
! 14xl4 fly to eat under. Four Of the small
! tents have two men each. One small tent
! is occupied by the clerk as he has more
| plumber in the way Of books, accounts
| reports, etc, than any one else. The
| cook sleeps in the cook tent. Thus il
( will be seen each camp has ten men
! seven appraisers, two teamsters and a
! cook. One appraiser acts as clerk and
/ does not go into field except when one
/ Of the field appraisers is sick, absent OF
/ for some other reason is unable to work
| Each camp has two appraising parties
! Of three men each in the field. The three
| men are expected to agree on the classif-
cation Of ach piece OF land they inspect
! but two men-or a majority-rues. How
| ever, if dissenting appraiser feels aggreived
he has privilege of putting in a minority
/ report. SO far we have had no trouble
! on this score in our party.
| This is not a we'll watered country and
E-r,
not so good as in Kansas and hunting
about the same. Quail and squirrel are
. rather plentiful, but deer are scarce. Have
| seen but one deer since beginning work
| and 1 am the only person in our party
! that has seen cne and we have been over
| some very rough and sparsely settled
| country. However, I understand there
are many deer in the mountains IN south
/ est part of nation. There are a few wild
! turkey in this section and I understand
they are plentiful in the mountains.
The Indians have a peculiar way OF
| fishing. They dig buckeye roots, bruise
them and place them in the creeks OF
rivers. The roots poison the water in such
way as to intoXicate the fish and start
! them down stream. AS they pass over the
shallow places the Indians shoot them
with bows and arrows or spear them A
large party of ENTHUSIASTICALLY Chick
| asaws-held such a fishing bee on Clear
Doggy creek about six miles from our
! camp on Tuesday of this week I was
! unable to attend. but understand they
got all the fish they wanted and the day
following many white people secured sup
plies. The buckeye roots kill many Of the
smaller fish and is surely quite destruct-
i've. Clear Doggy is considerable of a
stream and catfish Weighing 10 and L
pounds are not uncommon, with occa-
sionally much larger ones.
1t is not uncommon to run onti horse
race tracks almost any old place in this
| country where a good, level stretch OF
land makes it possible. They are all
straight-away paths, side by side, usually
a quarter long and are for pony races.
Pony racing is quite popular in this sec
ton. We were to have had pony race
near camp tomorrow, but I learned this
evening that it would not occur
The most prosperous appearing persons
in this country, as a class, are the doc
tors. Doctors here are almost five times
as plentiful, in proportion to population.
as in western Kansas, and every one
seems to be busy and prosperous. Indian
Territory malaria has virulence peculiar
to itself and is no respecter of persons.
A genuine attack calls for calomeI. oui-
nine, strychnine and iron, with a few liver
pills and seidlitz powders thrown In on
the side. The doctors Of this section all
understand malaria and like the doctor
who was death on fits, if they can throw
their cases into malaria they can cure
I them.
This is a great country for dogs and
children. The dogs are a necessity, as the
hogs run at large and a dog is worth al
most fortune if he is good to keep hogs
out of the cotton and the corn.
1t is sprinkling a little tonight. and as
1 write the drops patter occasionally on
the tent roof. This Is the first rain in
this section since the middle of July and
fear it comes too late to benefit cotton
very much-and that is the only crop. but
is surely past help. Snug in our tents
we say; Let 'er rain" and hone Kansas
is enjoying the same blessing.