The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-30
in OKLAHOMA TERRITORY
INDIANA MAN THROWS LIGHT ON
AFFAIRS OF CIVILIZED INDIANS.
Some Are Anxious to Throw OF
ment on Most Advanced of Them.

James II. McNeelys Muskogee Letter in
Evansville Journal.
l had the pleasure of passing a couple
of hours one day last week in the rooms
of Col. Frank c. Churchill, who is con-
nected with the revenue department of the
Indian service in this city. He and his wife
have a cultivated taste for collecting In
dian curios compiling scrapbooks and max
ing Photographic pictures of interesting
people and scenes of this compare lively
unknown country. They have a verita-
bic museum of curiosities in these lines,
which they have collected in their varied
travels in the Indian and Oklahoma Terri
tories. For instance, they have picture of
the scaffold at Fort Gibson, near this place,
which twenty-three criminals have been
hanged after sentence by an Indian court.
Also several pictures of Chitto Harjo or
Crazy Snake and his band of Creek agi-
tators, who terrorized this Territory I'M
til they had to be subdued by military
force. other gruesome pictures aud to the
interest of this collection. Their assort-
ment of Indian blankets, baskets, pipes,
etc, is very large for a private collection.
They related to me the remarkable story
of Sequoia, the Cadmus of Cherokee lit
erature, who worked several years in Sc
clusion while inventing system of letters
by which the language Of his tribe could be
reduced to writing. He was a native genius
as much as Cadmus was to Greek ele-
mentary literature, and quite young, I'M
educated Indian.
| have copy of the Cherokee Advocate,
published at Tah-le-quah accent the
first syllable), the capital of the Cherokee
IL
with four pages, five columns to the page
half in the Cherokee and half in the Eng
lish language. Seme of the letters resemble
ours but most of them are like HERO
glyphics In looking over the paper a per-
son is amazed at the infinite patience and
ingenuity of Sequoia.
BY the way, the language. or rather dia-
lects, of these five civilized tribes vary,
but are Observation-Disclosures, to coin a new
word. They are quite euphoniouS and some
words have musical sound. man who
has lived in the Territory many years re-
cited the numerals lately for me. They
were different in the five dialects, yet there
a resemblance, showing a common
origin.
INDIAN CIVILIZATION
The government is about to make an i'm
portant experiment TO complete Indian
civilization and independence. The Kaws
or Kansas tribe numbers about $50 members
and are living on a reservation in Okla
homa. They have 100 1877 acres of land and
have a trust fund in the United States
treasury of 100000. They so far civil
lied and industrious that Congressman
Curtis, of Kansas, a member of the House
Indian committee (who has Indian blood in
his veins), has introduced a bill providing
that the lands shall be divided into home
steads of leo acres each and allotted To
members OF the tribe, the remainder OF the
lands TO be either apportioned amongst the
members or sold at public auction, and the
proceeds placed TO the credit of these In
dams The bill sets aside l60 acres for
school purposes. twenty acres for town
site twenty acres for a cemetery and five
acres on which Will be located the tents OF
the INDECENT members of the tribe The
trust fund is 10 be apportioned and the
amounts credited 10 individual Indians. At
the end of five years the secretary of the
interior will relnquish 10 each Indian who
Is considered capable of managing his own
affairs, the amount of money due him
With this transfer of the trust fund the
government will cease all guardianship and
control of the Kaw Indians. They have
been selected. for the purpose OF testing the
merits of this favorite government policy
on account of their advancement. industry