The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-07-22
MANY lLLIrERAres REGISTER

MANY tLLlTERATEs REGISTER.
Fort sill, o. T., July 22.-'I wonder
if there haint NJ in my name" said
strapping fellow vita a broad white
hat who had ju4t told a notary public
that he was born in Georgia and now
lived in Texas. as he signed his applt
cation to register. "A. Tomas was the
name he wrote. and in apparent un-
certainty he addressed a man behind
him. II think you better put it in
answered the person addressed. Say
captain said the man at the notarys
table, let me change that and put a
n in my name. think I spelled lt
wrong"
The efforts to register the applicants
from Texas, Arkansas and the Chick
asaw nation have brought to light a
new form Of illiteracy none OF the no
tarles and none of the governors
clerks ever heard Of before. The man
who can write his name and cant
spell it is a legion on this reservation
now. His given names and his sur
name are equally a puzzle TO him
Perhaps he has learned somewhere
to sign his initials; il so, he insists
upon signing them and is willing TO
swear that he does not know what the
full given names are. II his name Is
Johnson he spells il at the notaries'
desk with an n" and leaves IL out
when he enters the registration booth.
Not infrequently he makes his mark
ut the notaries desk and signs his own
name in rude fashion in the COVER
nor's office The number of people
VINO cannot ign their own names who
[ have applied within the last two days.
according to the estimates of the no.
tlries, is % per cent Of the total appli-
cants for registration. The proper
/ uon of illiterates has steadily grown
from the FIRST day when It was less
than five per cent TO one fourth Of the
7 applicants at he present time.
In several instances wnere a father
and son applied. for registration
blanks. the father could sign his name
and the son could not. one man who
could not sign his name owned 1900
head of cattle. He had leased graz
ing land from the Indians and made
a fortune without ever having to put
his name TO a document OF any kind.
- am entltled TO homestead II any
one is.' said this man Been wotnd.
ed twenty eight times hy the Comaa-
cine Indians A dozen Of his wounds
were conspicuous Tie had been shot
three or four Imos about the head
ana an Indian arrow had taken or
his middle finger of the left hand.
Still another surprising case of o.
literacy developed yesterday was that
of a widow with three grown daugh.
ters Not "a member OF the family
could write her name, and each wanted
o homestead. widow who gave her
age as IA years. and who carried a
baby not three months old in her
arms, took advantage Of the provision
whic hallows tho head Of family 70
enter a homestead no matter what the
age. She was the second woman
among those who registered to wear
widows weeds al the age Of "A.
This morning an emacated woman
whose face showed she had been a
sufferer for years was carried In the
arms Of a stalwart man 20 the regis
tration onicc. She gave her height as
feet inches, her weight forty eight
pounds and iyrote her name, Corda
Holland, in beautiful spencerian
hand. Her postoifce address Is Co
manche J. H., and her age Is 20 years