Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-29
HOLD BELIEF
IN WITCHcRAET.

IN WlTCHCRAFT.
Witch hunting and witch killng sti
prevail among the Indians of India
territory, even tho these are general
supposed to have been sufficiently i'm
oued with the white mans knowledge t
have cast off these old superstitions
The extent to which the fear of witch
craft dominates these people was Illus
trated in the trial and conviction of Rev
Solomon Hotema recently. Hotema l.
a full blooded Choctaw and was tn
central figure in witch hunt that re
suited in the killing Of several innocen
persons Men, women and children VIII
came under the ban OF the witch docto
were shot down in cold blood. The tria
Of Hotema occurred recently at Parls
Texas, in the federal court.
/ Hoteman. who is As years old LIVED
at Grant, T. T. and had been judge,
member of the nations council and
regularly ordained Presbyterian minis
ter graduate of the Presbyterian Col
lego at Roanoke. Va He had just re-
turned from a meeting of the Presby
terian general assembly In New Orlean!
when he killed the so-called witches.
Hotema's witch killing feat vas
great shock to his white friends 1t is
striking instance of the force of heredi-
/ ty. In early childhood he was inbuee
with a belief in witches by hearing his
father, Capt John Hotema, speak OF
| them The latter was for forty-hvs
years a ruling elder In the Presbyterian
church and was captain of light horse
men. but was firm believer in witch
craft. His son, Solomon. being asked
I why 1t wac white persons and half-
breeds were not troubled with witches
| If there were such things. replied that
| witches can't shoot balls Into them De-
cause they eat so much salt, and the
bullets won't penetrate and don't have
| any effect" History shows. he says
that when the white people first came
to America they discovered witches
among the Indians. and that they have
been among them ever since.
Tarnatubby having declared that the
witches must be killed to stop the
rlague, Hotema, as the chief man In the
community, summoned Tobias Williams
ard Sam Frye. young full-bloods, to MS
assistance. They got in Hotema's bug
gy. armed with a Winchester and shot
gun, and started on their th-dealing
mission They first called at the house
of Nina Coleman, the sister-in-law OF
Hotema, and shot her down without
computation while she was holding a lit
tie 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 Hall
Greenwood, who came out to meet them.
They inquired where his wife was, in
forming him that she was witch, and
that they had come to kill her Green
wood began to plead for her life. Hote-
MA bade him be still or they would XIII
him, but that IL he would keep quiet
they would not kill him until the next
day. After he got his wife buried they
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. From the house
Of Alfred Morris they drove to the house
Of Eastman Mississippi. who was away.
:. little boy living with him saw them
coming and fed. As he ran away several
shots were fired at him.
The murderers were arrested and
lodged in jail at Antlers and from there
were carried to Atoka, the hold-over jail
for the Antlers court. While incarcerated
there Tobias Williams died. Hotema.
Frye and Tarnatubby were granted a
change of venue to the Paris federal
court and were transferred to Jail there
pending trial.
They made application thru habeas
To- r I
ant for bail Hotena and Frye were de-
MED bail, while the offense of Tarnatub
by, the witch doctor. was held to be
he having advised the killing,
but not being present when the tragedies
We're enacted.
During his imprisonment Hotema has
written a biography and sketches in
which he makes copious citations from |
the Bible to prove the existence of
witches.
The tragedy was enacted in the vicini-
~ of Cold Springs Church, six miles
northwest of Grant There had been a
lumber of sudden deaths in the commu-
city from spinal meningitis. A little son
II Solomon Hotema was among the |
number. Hotema was the pastor of the
.hurch and was the head man and lead
II among his people as well as their spir-
tual adviser The Choctaws were great
j disturbed by the sudden deaths, for
y hich they were unable to account. The
manner in which the disease worked up /
N the victims caused them to attribute
he malady to the evil charms of
witches.
Meetings were held at the church to
liscuss the matter and to devise means
If allaying. the plague. Sam Turnatubby.
vho lived fifteen miles east of Grant.
lad the name among the full loods of
icing great witch doctor. He was sent
or. His diagnosis of the patients con-
imed the suspicion that they had been
,ewitched By the occult methods of the
fitch doctor he located the witches, and
eclared that the only way that the
'lague could be stopped and the patients
eleved was to kill them. Some of the
imposed witches were relatives of the
efendants, and had sat up with the sick
cembers of their families.
PRUSSIA USES
HEADsMAN's AK.