The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-11-24

| @s a. x4
u Claimants Il
HUI NRlzenship Are
rom Commission.
Harry Hazelrig aud Mary
AAsnrs 4 ], hers claiming as Cher.
ei was on trial before
BlN ,ommisslorsdtl,is week in
trollment dis Ion a. d le.
is Is 2 celebrated case because
applicants for enrolment are the
krs 81 improvements on valuable
and immediately north Of the
Of BaFtlesyie and hsfe heen
10 secure the help OF oil com.
es who want leases on their land.
y sMese people claim through Thomas
- 4ley, VINO was s. imes called
IA Nrhomas Waite and Il mas Ridge.
Frhomas Riley was slave 3 General
stan Waite, general In the Southern
a Aarmy and was q citizen OF the Chero-
kee nation az the beginning Of war
af the rebellion. There was, therefore,
no dispute as 70 the ownership Of the
slave, Thomas Riley, az the beginning
fsaiiNWar but the question involved
W 10 the casA was as TO the return OF
sid Thomas Riley, who was the hus-
sand Of Mary A. Riley and the father
Of Mary Hazelrlg.
HI Mary Hazelrig and her mother
claimed that they came te the Cher
skee nation IN 1896, as all freednen
claim, that they were about Fort Glib
ton and went up on the Yerdigrls
about Vinegar creek In 1866 and lived
q there awhile and then went Bartles-
4 vile or rather where Bartlesyille new
sand settled az the places where they
now reside Mariab French, a color
ed woman, saw them living in a tent
/ on Vinegar creek IN 1866 on the right
had side OF the nad leading 10 Old
1sster, now Coffey lille, Kansas.
Later the applicants abandoned
their claim Of returning In 1866 and
claimed that Thomas Riley came down
10 the Cherokee nation in 1856 and
located place and went back TO Kan
ns. They also contended that during
the war they went TO Fort Scott Kan.
sas and as soon as peace was made and
they could do 50, they returned from
faft Scott TO the nation arriving
acre I'm 1896.
The Cherokee nation In order 10 as
certain the truth In the matter sent
its representative, ]. e. Starr, % Fort
Scott, Kansas, 20 start an inquiry Of
these people.
Two days we're spent IN Fort Scott
where many OF the old people who had
lived there since 1861 were interview
ed but no trace Of the Riley family
could be found Inquiry was theH
made at Kansas City, Kansas, and 30
trace there could be found; the uext
inquiry was made at Ottawa, Ka1sas,
where the nations representative
found two people, one minister Of
s,ffe gospel, Who knew Thoms Riley
ls.nd his family and knew then on the
Delaware reserve In the yayey Of the
Kaw river, north of I.awreace. These
people said that ThomasRiley lived
Ia the Delaware Resepe from 1852
xntll 1863 when he mowd TO Lawrence
Kansas and resided ln South Law
renee for twelve years.
The nation representative went In
tD tire Kae valley and found three
nrom b. North Lawrence VINO lived
mlthln stones throw of Tie Riley
BONO dfirg the time they lived 10
ee VALLEY 81 the kaw river aud knew
Ben Nhen they moved t0 South Law
fsnee In The latter part Of 1862 Two
efhsf people were found Who lived
withlu eight steps ot Thomas Riley
fFam 1889 until 1881 rheg an agreed
tat Thomas Riley and The flasslflgs
sh Laefeuce, Kansas for the Cheo
se uation IN 1851 or lss2.
"A The natlou's representative vent
through all the court rsenFds Of Law.
renee. kansas. and found vile E
Thomas Rlley, MAR Ann Rilef Elaz-
elrlel Mari 4. Riley Joe RILEY, Allen
Rlley and George llalelrig had figured
= eoaft proceedings from lss2 70 1851.
aare tlan forty transcripts Of court
se0rds we're procured BY The nations
representative These records we're
theea nom the district court, police
mart ahd Justice court IN the police
ndess 8n.co tie marriage record 4
Nary Haeifg and 3eorse Hazelfig
a IT, Fl =