The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-15
M.o. DAVIS, LETTER.


The following letter will be pub
lished in the Gainesville Hesperian
tomorrow morning and will prove
interesting reading to our people
at this particular time:
Gainesville, Tex, Oct. 14.-For
the information of the public and
OF those interested deem it not
amiss to give an account of Satur-
days proceedings of the Indian po-
lice and Indian authorities at Ard
more. A number of business men
in Ardmore, as well as in other
portions Of the Chiekasaw nation,
have suits pending in the courts
seeking to ascertain il they had
any rights that any one was bound
to respect, and especially to learn
whether they were compelled to
pay money to the Indians when
ever demanded. 1t seems that
these suits unnecessarily stirred up
Wright, the Indian inspector. Sho-
enfelt, the Indian agent. Jones,
the commissioner of Indian affairs,
and Secretary Hitchcock of the in
terror department. 1t appeared
to anger them that any one should
presume to 60 into the courts and
question the legality of anything
they saw proper to do. During
the pendency of these suits the
newspapers were filed with COM
munications threatening these liti-
gants with coercion if they failed
to comply with the demands of the
Indians, and warning that the en-
tire power of the government
would be used against them. The
gross improperly Of threatening
litigants in order to force them to
abandon proceedings begun and
prosecuted in good faith seems
never to have occurred to these Of
ficials. Even the attorney general
Of the United States, not to be
outdone by his interiors, gave out
an opinion containing similar
threats. The opinion was widely
published throughout the Indian
Territory, and was well calculated
to intimidate the private citizens
who were seeking to have their
rights adjudicated in the courts.
AS might be expected, these threats
produced much uneasiness in the
minds Of persons concerned; for
il those clothed with brief author
ity have so little respect for the
courts, and for the settlement of
controversies in a lawful and ord
erly way, as to threaten litigants
with coercion, no one could foresee
what they would next attempt.
On October 10, Jones, the com.
missioner, with the approval of
Hitchcock. the secretary, addressed
to Shoenfelt, the Indian agent, a
telegram, reciting that the contin-
ued presence of Sig Simon, j. B.
Spragins. r. W. Randol, A. Klos-
XII, j. Bodovitz. John Fielder and
Y. b. Lynn in the Indian country
is detrimental to the peace and
welfare of the Indians, and direct.
ing Shoenfelt to remove the per-
sons named from the Chickasaw
nation in accordance with Sec.
2l49 of the Revised Statutes, and
to close their places of business and
their business. This was accompa-
MED by copy of the old law of
1884. comforting upon the commits.
sioner OF Indian affairs the right.
with the approval of the secretary
Df the interior. to remove from any
tribal reservation any person being
there without authority of law, or
whose presence within the limits
of the reservation may. in the
Judgment Of the commissioner, be
detrimental to the peace and vel |
fare of the Indians.
Shoenfelt, the Indian agent, with |
he approval of Wright, the in
'pector, thereupon addressed let
er to ]. w. Ellis. captain of the
indian police, commanding him to
lose the places of business of the
Ibove named merchants, and to
emove them from the limits of the
;hickasaw nation.
Now. these papers were not is
ued in good faith. Secretary
Hitchcock and commissioner Jones