The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-28
INDIANS ARE AFRAID.
Surveyors Tripods Brighten Them
They Won't Talk

Tahlequah, I. T., Dec. 2S.-The field
party at work in the flint hills is hav-
ing much trouble in rounding up the
lfullbloods and making arbitrary allot-
ments to them. The commissioner in
charge of the land office still insists
that the work of allotment will be
completed by July 1, but the Chero-
KEGS do not believe that it can be done
1t depends largely on the work of the
field parties and the one that is out
now is having much opposition. One
of the commissioners, Mr.. Brecken-
ridge says that soon after January 1
other field parties will be sent into
the hills and still more if necessary.
1t is evident at this time that a big
force must be sent out.
The worst trouble the party has is
/ the stubbornness of the Indians. 1t
/ does not require long for every Indian
| in a fullblood settlement to discover
that the fact that a field party to allot
land is in the country. After that
the rattle of blackboard will run
every ful1blood to cover with incred-
ible swiftness. The Indians know the
blackboard of the field men at sight
can tell by its tracks and by its noise
as far as they can hear it.
When the field men do find the In
dams they refuse to talk, even through
an Interpreter, and the government
men simply have to guess at the i'm
proven ents and the homes of the full
bloods they find. A surveying instru-
ment embodies all the elements of
wrath for an Indian, and they would
rather see a wild animal in their hut
than to see a tripod on, their land.
They consider it the emblem of their
undoing.
of all the unal1otted lands in the
Cherokee nation. 1t selects from this
land that is contiguous to the Indians
home and makes an arbitrary allot-
Tu-g-
and checked over and, if none of the
land has been allotted IN the mean
time to some other Indian the allot-
ment stands.
All of this land must be surveyed,
and in the mountains of the Cherokee
nation this is not an easy task, espe-
cially when the Indians will not give
any information. The fullbloods are
file. The field party found family of
persons, apparently seven
eighths white, who recently had not
filed and evidently did not intend to.
There are now $1,000 allotments
and part allotments completed. Filings
are now making at the rate of 100 a
day. If this can be continued the
work of allotting, except contested
land, will be completed by July The
contest work is assuming tremendous
There are already 2,200
contest cases filed and they are in
every day. This is principally
In the oil districts and there are some
times as many as five or six contest |
ants claiming the same piece of land. !
1t will require a long time to straight |
en- out such a lot of litigation.
The last 5000 allottees to receive |
their land will get most of it in the |
flint hills and the mountains. There /
hey will get 50-cent land and will get i
$40 acres of it. Those who get arbi- /
-rary allotments are getting them
here. The land is practically worth |
ess. The appraised value is so cents /
IN acre. The commissioners say that /
-hese allotments will be valuable in /
en- years. and the fact that there is so
much land will make it worth more
money than the average allotment of
arm land.
The fact that the mineral and the /
oil lands in the Cherokee nation were
never segregated from the other land
las caused more trouble and more
work in the allotting than anything
Use, and will cause more litigation for
many years.