The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-07
if addressed to either of these banks.
c. a. NEWMAN.
TRIAL OF WITCH KILLERS.
Of the Choctaw Tribe is Now in Pro.
rrece

Of the Choctaw Tribe is Now in Pro
gress.
Guthrie, o. T., April 6.-The trial Of the
notorious witch killers in the Choctaw
nation is now on. A dispatch from
Paris, Texas says. Solomon Hotema ana
Sam Frye full blood Choctaw Indians,
known as the witch killers" were ar
raigned in the federal court here this
afternoon on the charge of murder. Sam
Tarnatubby. jointly indicted with them
as an accessory, was granted a sever
ance. The defendants are charged with
the killing Of two women and a man, all
fun bloods. The tragedy was enacted
April A. 1899. in the Choctaw nation.
The prisoners are represented by able
counsel When arraigned they pleaded
not guilty, although admitting the kill
ing. They claim emotional insanity at
the time Of committing the offense. A
large number OF physicians have been
summoned to give expert testimony on
insanity and the city is teeming with
Choctaws summoned as witnesses.
The indications are that the trial viii
last four or five days. Great bitterness
of feeling toward the defendants is mani
tested by witnesses from the scene of the
killing, especially toward Hotema. The
plea of insanity is expected to bring out
some interesting facts and arguments
concerning the race proeHvities, religious
fanaticism. etc, prompting the deed.
This afternoon proceedings were devoted
to the naked facts Of the killing.
The crime of murder for which the
v,vseorare Eo1orocu LIo4o.,,o T7-~v-a
and Sam Tarnatubby were arraigned, is
attributable to a belief in witchcraft,
which has possession of the more super
stitous fun blood Choctaws as complete
" today as it had 100 years ago. The
tragedy was enacted in the vicinity of
Cold Springs church, six miles northwest
Of Grant. There had been a number of
sudden deaths in the community from
spinal meningitis. a little son of Solo
mon Hotema was among the number.
Hotema was the pastor Of the church and
was the head man and leader among his
people. as wei as their spiritual adviser.
The Choctaws were greatly disturbed
by the sudden deaths, for which they
were unable to account. The manner in
which the disease worked upon the vic
tins caused them to attribute the malady
to the evil charm of witches Meetings
We're held at the church to discuss the
matter and to devise means of staying
the plague. Sam Tarnatubby, who lived
fifteen miles east of Grant, had the fame
among the full-bloods of being a great
witch doctor. He was sent for. His
diagnosis Of the patients confirmed the
suspicion that they had been bewitched.
by the occult methods of the witch doc
tor he located the witches and declared
that the only way the plague was to be
stopped and the patients relieved was to
kill them. Some of the supposed witches
were relatives of the defendants and had
sat up with sick members of their fam
lilies.
Tarnatubby having declared that the
witches must be killed to stop the
plague, Hotema, as the chief man in
the community, summoned Tobias Will
Jams and Sam Frye, young full-bloods,
to his assistance They got in Hotema's
buggy; armed with a winchester rifle and
a shotgun and started on their death
dealing mission. They first called at
the home of Vina Coleman, the sister-in-
out compunction while she was holding
little child In her arms. The babe was
wounded, but not killed. An older child
attempted to run away when the shoot
ing began and was shot in the back
They next went to the home of Hal
Greenwood. who came out to meet them.
They inquired where his wife was, in
forming him that she was q witch and
that they had come to kill her. Green
wood began to plead for her life. Hotema
babe him be still or they would XIII him,
but that if he would keep quiet they
would not kin him until the next day.
After he got his wife buried he said,
they would kill him, and for him to be
sure to be on hand They then killed
his wife before his eyes.
The last victim was Alfred Morris who
was deliberately shot down without any
kind of warning.