The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-27
HAS $50 LANDLORDS.
Troubles of the Miller Brothers With
the Indian Ranch Owners.


Suppose you had $50 landlords in
stead of one. Having supposed that
much, go step farther and suppose
the $50 were in the habit of dropping
in on you at unexpected times to get
breakfast or dinner.
That's the predicament of Miller
Brothers, proprietors of the 101 ranch,
Bliss, Okla. 4-+t-
The Miller ranch embraces $1,000
acres. Only about 10000 acres are
owned outright, the rest being leased
from the Otoe, Ponca and Missouri In
dams, whose lands were allotted
number of years ago. In their tribes
are the ESQ landlords.
If you are a guest at the Miller
house, your curiosity is bound to be
aroused by the constant file of Indians,
in wagons and on horseback coming
and going. They go around the house
to the Office, and you follow presently
to ascertain. what is the trouble. Spot
ted Tail, fat and dirty, has just come
in. He seems to be a cigar sign, gaz-
ing fixedly at a little torn place IN
the wall paper in the northwest corner
of the Office. After what seems an age
he moves and looks at George Miller.
the office manager, who appears as un-
conscious of Spotted Tails presence as
Spotted Tail seemed unconscious of
yours. Then, for thirty minutes more
he scrutinizes the south wall. after
which he grunts. Mr.. Miller awakens
to the fact that there is an Indian in
the room.
lease money. Mr.. Miller gets down
the books and proceeds to show that
Spotted Tail has been paid already.
The Indian grunts but says nothing. 1t
isn't his time to talk, and he knows
it. He resumes his favorite cigar sign
attitude.
Spotted Tails allotment has been
leased at a figure which permits Miller
Brothers to be generous to him. Mr..
Miller hands him 81.
With his eyes riveted on a newly
discovered defect in the wall paper,
Spotted Tail automatically slips the 50
into a pocket concealed beneath his
blanket and then he sits again. The
performance is not over Hoinka
Shoinka meaning Little Boy of Lit
tie Voice." the Indian name for Joe
Miller, president of the ranch corpora
ton, is his father, and a father should
feed his children. After awhile he is
told to go over to the cowboy dining
hall and get his dinner.
Hardly day passes,'' said George
Miller, that we do not have twenty.
five or thirty Indians in to dinner.
Sometimes there are more, seldom less,
and on unexpected occasion they all
come. We never can tell when or
how many are going to call for a meal.
They keep our Chinese cook on the
ragged edge of nervous prostration. &
THE heaviest strain on our hospital
ity is right after there have been a
number of deaths among the Indians.
The bereaved Indian always gives
away everything he possesses to show
his sorrow, and then he comes to us
for food and a financial lift. It's the
sort Of thing you must expect when
you lease Indian lands. The land we
lease produces enough to enable US to
treat the Indians handsomely. This
year we have 1000 acres of wheat and
$500 acres of corn. There are on the
ranch 900 head of cattle, 500 hogs
and 500 sucking pigs, and the daily
take of eggs from the poultry yard is
about 100 dozen. So we are never
pressed for want of things to feed our
Indian landlords. New York Sun