The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-08

be useles TO attemp to locate the heirs
of Incompetent and pay it to them,
citing the attempt and failure that had
occurred in 1889, ana asked that the
money be paid out per capita The gov
erGment hesitated, ard finally provided,
in the act of May 81. 1000. that the heirs
of "incompetents" might have an oppor-
tunity the same together with their
proofs. before November 81. 1866. and. as
before mentioned 24 Of such claims. with
proof in the form of affivdavits. were
fled. for the alleged children, grand
children and great grandchildren. and all
other lineal and collateral relatives and
descendants Of the old people of seventy
years ago.
Feeling that these claims were unjust.
and that 10 entertain them would be but
to put a premium upon fraud and perjury,
and cause to be repeated the practices
of 1850. Governor Johnston directed the
attorneys to resist these claims, and to
develop the true character Of the testi-
m0ny filed. ana the methods employed
to procure it; and this bring Us up TO
the last chapter of this very Interesting
dnancial story
Something like three months ago. Mr..
Cornish, on behalf of his frln. undertook
this work. Ills first move was to 20 TO
the Office OF the United States Indian
agent at ELuskogee. and have made copies
of an claims fled. Nearly O month was
spent ia the Chickasaw nation securing
a competent Interpreter and notary pub
lie. ard he Travelled by team ana buggy
through every couatry ard fan blood set
Element in the CAickasaw nation, and
hunted up these Witnesses in their homes.
and cross-examine6 them upon the facts
suted in their original afidavits; anG
then it was thet the gigantic nature Of
the frauds about to be perpetrated began
to reveal itself The witnesses were all.
or nearly all. old and ignorant fun blood
Indians. Many of them disclaimed all
knowledge Of the affidavits they were al
legged TO have swoIr to and others admit
ted swearing to something which they
declared had never been read or inter
preted TO them. and disclaimed al knowI-
edge of the person they were alleged to
have fully identified.
The itinerary of 1Ir Cornish in pursuit
of these frauds extended over nearly
thousand miles. and nearly a month was
spent in the interior wilds Of the Chick
assw nation, where the fun bloods make
their homes, and every effort made TO get
at the bottom.
The testimony of each witness given IN
cross-examination was written out in
fun. was then re-interpreted to them, and
made fully understood before it was
sworn to. In his search the most sur
prising results were attained. 1t was
found that the great majority Of the
witnesses did not know what they had
sworn to. and had never heard OF an
Incompetent" the Incompetent roll, nor
the "incomptent fund" and were used rs
mere tools designed to draw the 'incom-
petent fund" from the Goals.
Another thing the investisa ton devel-
opened was that very few Of the present
claimants were claimants when the prin-
cinal sum Of Seao15 was distributed in
1899. Tho testimony ct that time having
developed an entirely di6irent relation
shin.
Armed with this mass Of testimony and
the records Of The 1859 payment. the st
tornev went To work upon the case with
clear road before him. and prepared
two hundred ana forty-four briefs. one in
every case. suhrafttirE not atone The tes-
timonv adduced in the cross-exar1iration
OF the original witnesses above referred
to- bat much other evidence IL re0utt7l
of the evidence of the claimants. These
have been fled with the United states
Indian assent at 1Tuskogae and the task
is an but completed. when this evil
deuce is examined ard f,flly understood
th=re is scarcely e Doubt bat that TIE
a3ocel heirs 90 tincomre eterts" VIII Zee