The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1904-06-23
ROBBED OF LANDS
GOVERNOR MeCURTAiN APPEALS
TO THE DEPARTMENT
INDIANS ARE FlEECEO BY the CRAF1ERS

Worked-Mississippi choctaws Are
FIeeced Going and comins-Matter
to be Taken Up by Officials
MUSKOGEE: Governor McCur.
tain of the Choctaw nation has ap.
pcaled to the departments here to as.
sist In suppressing what appears to
be one Of the bodest CRAFTS In exist.
ence-a scheme by which the Missis.
sippi Choctaws are being absolutely
robbed of most Of their lands. as we'll
as the rentals therefrom. 1t is prob.
able that the matter will be taken up
by the officials at Washington.
From Governor McCurtain's state
ment, Choctaw Indians have been, dur.
ing the last year, imported by graft.
ers, who charged lem half Of their al.
lotments to bring them to the terri.
tory. and compelled the ignorant In.
dans TO give them a five-year lease
on the entire allotments for the patty
sum Of $50 year. AS an ;nducement
the grAfters who have worked the
scheme sent their agents to Missis.
propriated money to remove the In.
dians from that state. These agents
falsify reports and get charge Of many
who were entitled to allotments.
The scheme. which. according to
Governor McCurtain, these grafters
worked, was both bold and unique.
Their agents would tell the indians
Of the rich allotments that were await.
ing them in the territory, and con.
vince them that the government had
decided not to pay for their transpor.
tation. Then the offer to remove the
Indian for half his allotment and the
five.year lease would be advanced. and
in most cases readily accepted. Where
there was any hesitancy on the part
OF the desired allottee the agent
would assure him that In addition to
the land each Mississippi ChOctaw
would get $1,000
AS soon as the victim was landed In
the Choctaw country he would be
sent to the land office to file upon a
claim. and a contract would be en-.
tered into at once. This was not called
to the attention OF the authorities un.
I'll recently. when some OF the misled
Indians. realizing that they had been
cheated became dissatisfied. and then
began To complain. They soon real.
ICED that the land which they were
leasing for SEQ a year was bringing
at least 81 an acre to the CRATER who
had worked them. The average al.
lotment In the Choctaw country IL
800 acres. and the fact that thesa In.
dians were allotted on the best land OF
the country meant a clear profit Of
several hundred dollars TO the white
men. besides an assurance OF half the
land when the title became clear and
the restrictions arc removed.
Governor McCurtain has q number
OF affidavits setting forth schemes
similar to the one given above, and he
has detectives still working on the
matter. The affidavits contain the
names OF the persons who worked,
and are still working. the graft In
some instances 1t Is rctually shown
that the Indian was actually forced
to pay the white men for the priv.
ilege OF alloting and that In some
cases the allottee Is hireling In the
employ OF the man who is robbing
him. One affidavit states that the own.
er OF the land was not even permitted
to. rent from his lessee. who. by the
way. is white woman. and that he
was compelled to hire himself as a
farm hand in order to support his wife
and two small children.
The government appropriated $20,'
900 . little more than a year ago for
tha removal of the Mississippi