The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-08
CHARGES DENIED
BY TAMS BIXBY

N lAMS BlABY
Continued from First Page.
conduct or to authorize the plural
marriage. 3.i III
What did he say?'' asked MT.
Worthington.
He said it could not be done, as all
that had been done away WITH said
Mrs. Kennedy.
Mr.. Worthington called attention
to the Inconsistency Of the statements
and he asked why she had said she
did not know a request had been made
to another to perform the ,ceremony.
Il, Contradicts Herself.
ST don't know how I happened to
say that said the witness. Continu-
Ing, she said with some emotion: 1T
was not pleasant for me to think about
those things and tried to put them
aside, triedto forget all could
In response to further questions
from Mr.. Taylor, the witness said her
mother told her Of the request to
Apostle Teasdale and that she had no
other knowledge Of the attempt to get
him to perform the ceremony.
Charles F. Merrill son of Apostle
Merrill, wax then called to the stand
He said he was the son Of his fathers
third plural wife, and is himself a.
| polygamist. it0 ~.
In answer to questions concerning
his own marriages, Mr.. Merrill said
he was married first In 1887 toIa wife
that died in 1889, and that he married
his illegal wife," Chloe Hendricks, in
| 1891, and had five children by her.
He married another wife in 1888,
the ceremony being performed IN the
Logan Temple by M. O.. Edwards 9.
the oldest Of whom is years and the
youngest az years old. Their moth
ers name was Anna 3. Stoddard.
1.-THE marriage to, my legal wife in
/ 1884," said Mr.. Merrill, was solem-
nized by my father.
| Stoddard when you married the wo-
man you call your legal wife" was
asked.
Lived With Her Parents.
IT was. altho she had no, house. she
stayed at the home Of her father and
her mother and lived, with my
mother answered the witness.
In answer to questions from Chair
man Burrows, Mr.. Merrill said he now
has two wives and Is cohabiting with
4 both.
mission can be abolished with adYan-
tage the remaining work to be done
by the Indian inspector and the 'citi-
zenship court. 55
The report is accompanied by let
ter from Secretary Hitchcock to the
president, asking for a conference at
: the earliest practicable moment, and
saying he will later consider the pro-
Eposed sweeping changes in the nego-
table and administrative methods,
. which require much new legislation,
and possibly the negotiation Of sup
I Elemental agreements with the In
dams. &
Commission to End.
He, says it is confidently expected
that the Dawes commission will finish
it's work not later than year from
4 next July, In view Of which the gov
Z ernment: should hesitate to enter OF
. radical changes Of a more or less ex'
: perimental character. ~. IS. s.s
The report says; that the system
: adopted by the commission for the
q allotment nof lands Is faulty and thai
E many trust companies operating In 1ns
territory are little more than asso
: Citations of individual grafters, whose
6 questionable operations are the more
ell objectionable because they discredl
4 the reputable corporations.
I'll This statement is made in SUSTAINING
a the Brosius charge that the trust com
r panies are manipulating Indian lands
: and often, in collision with excessive
S holders" Gndians), buy out the lat
ter's rights and get ignorant member
X of. the tribes to make proper fling
e on the lands at the land office.
). The report says that Mr.. Brosius
a charges appear to be true wherein
Tribal Development company @
= Chickasaw nation,is a stockho1der;ith
e organization Of the MuscOgee It'll
e and Trust company; Tams Bixby,
e stakeholder and vice president, and J
h George Wright, Indian inspector 1
4 charge Of Indian territory, one Of tn
It directors; organization of the Cana
nj dian Valley Trust company Of Mus
= cogee, Tams Bixby, president an
le stockholder; organization Of the In
E ternational Bank and Trust compan,
h Thomas B. Needles, a member Of tn
.e five tribes commissions vice presider
ia and Director. G. r. Breckenridge {
:. the commission, also credited as be
is ing interested as a stockholder in tn
e Eufaula Trust company; that Tam
81 Bixby is understood to have been owr
# er Of real estate in various section
8. of the territory.
70 Acquit Breckenridge.
le The report says:
we lul1y dHu CACCI1u1ly cISNo
Commissioner Breckenridge Of " an
knowing deviation from official pro
prie4y, but we find that his consider
- able investments in the stock sof col
porations such as those described
his testimony have seriously 1mpafre
his public usefulness
$ Speaking of the present situation
le the territory the report says that.sth
: real Indians, constituting scarcel
IS one twentieth of the whole numbe
If of the inhabitants. are rapidly dc
N creasing in numbers because the II
1t ture holds out no prospect for them.
le The report expresses the opinio
#<;I that. it was an error Of policy so t
~ frame the statutes providing for a
ID lotment in severalty among the fly
4. tribes as to permit any. Indian to Ok
r tain more land than he could occup
j. personally with profit and to fail AIDE
le quately to recognize the difference be
4 tween a real Indian and a white {
I'd black man having the legal rights {
an Indian
'e Tt is recommended that the India
ie territory be divided as soon as prat
9 lsticable into districts which may here
after become counties Of a futu1
e. state, and in every such distri,
as have an officer appointed to super
is wise Indian leases, perform probat
~ and notarial duties, and to serve 8
st a committing magistrate and jude
p |tof petty cases, ETC., in order to reliev
(fl1- ~