The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-05-11
NOT ANSWERABLE
TO COURTS
Police in Indian Territory
a Law Unto Themselves

Muskoeee, !. T.. May 1.-THE In
dian police department is a great in
stitution It is monarch of all it sur
veys 1t IS a law unto itself. In many
instances It cannot be controlled by
any judicial writ or other process. Its
acts are final and cannot be reviewed.
It has more power in some directions
than any other department Of the
United States government The ex-
offlcio chief Of police is Indian Agent
J. Blair Shoenfelt. He has control Of
the police In the supplemental agree
ments the Indian agent is authorized
to put allottees in peaceful possession
of their allotments. He shall remove
all persons Objectionable to the allot-
tee "and the acts of the Indian agent
Hereunder shall not be controlled by
the writ or process of any court"
When Colonel Shoenfelt wants an OBJ
jectionable person or intruder remov-
ed from sn allotment he simply issues
an order to the Indian police and they
execute it without interference from
the courts.
It was evidently the intention of con
gress and the trainers of the agree
ments to make the law so that the In
dian agent would not be hampered OF
restricted in connection with the dis
charge of his duty in placing the allot
tee in possession Of his allotment by
any court.
This is a remarkable provision, that
an executive officer of the United
States government cannot be restrain
ed in his official acts by writs oi
courts. Doubtless nowhere in th.
world, except in foreign countries
under the most despotic government
has such a law as this been enacted
It practically gives the Indian agent
through his Indian police, unlimited
uthority, and woe betide the unfortun
ate who is in possession of an .allot
ment and the Indian police have ord
-ers to remove MIN.
The Indian police force is composed
of one captain, two lieutenants, thre'
sergeants and twenty-five privates
making a total of twenty-eigh mem
bers outside of the ex-officio chief
They are stationed as follows: Chero
kee nation. 6; Choctaw nation. 9
Creek nation. 8; Chickasaw nation 4
Seminole nation. 1. The pay is insie
nificant The policemen only get iron
$40 to SIS a month. However the,
do not work at the business all tn
time. They can do other work bu
must hold themselves in readiness L
go on a moments notice from the In
dian agent. Their duties are about tn
same as a volunteer fireman in a smal
town. While the police have to dea
with a pretty hard set of people ye
their work doesn't seem hazardous
Only one Indian policeman has bee
killed in the past ten years. The prir
cipal work of the police now is to r.
move intruders. run down bootlegger
and timber thieves AMI enforce the co
lection OF tribal taxes Agent Shoer
felt has recommended that the fore
be reduced to eleven memberC, an
that the pay be raised to from $50 t
s75 a month.
Bootleggers are given special after
tion by the police Captain John Wes
says he has captured and spilled a
high as 100 gallons Of whisky in da,
Scarcely a day passes but what tn
police round up one or more bOotleI
gers and throw them in jail and seiz
their liquor. 1t is also the duty of th
police TO enforce the laws agains
hunting and shooting in the territor,
Outside hunters who are not acquain
ed with the laws frequently get in lin
DO and have their guns and ammun
ton and all other paraphernalia col
fiscated. a few weeks 60 some bi
officials from Oklahoma came owe
here TO hunt. and lost all their vail
able gums. The police seized u
dozen live quail at Purcell during on
day last winter and released then
They had been trapped and were &
the depot, billed for New Zealand. tn
police are uniformed and so armed
the teeth. In addition to their heav
( revoivers they always take Winches
ers along wheu they start out afts
game"
Washington The Investigation