The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-02-03
Immense Graft
DAWES COMMISSION TO
INVESTIGATE
Two Thousand Lost ChGrO-
KEGS" to be Looked
After.

Mvsko5ec, J. T.. Feb. SIN am order
iust made by she pawcs comnissicn
10 send into the field 8 party OF govern
rnent men to SEQ what has become otl
300 Cherckees whose namcs appear
on the last payment roll Of the Cher
ckeo nation. IS an echo OF The famous
payment eft 1896 AT taat tire each
Cherokee was paid s265 as his share
ol the proceeds from the sale Of th
Cherokee strip.
Now that the commission Is abou toI
wind up the affairs of the Cherokee ma
ton. it mas hem found from The ecn
from which this payment was made
that there are 1000 nawes of Chero-
KEGS who have not made application
foc auo;ments. 1t is believed thar
most OF these names were fraudulent.
ly placed on the Cherokee roll anG
that such perscus never existed. To
be sure Of this. hawever the commits
sion viii send Into the field eyperienc-
ed men ard sec " aug Of these In
diaas can lie located. They are
termed the Lost Chcrokees."
The san:o condition arose in the
Greek nation just befoce the final roll
was closed It was found that on the
old Creek rolls there we're 410)
names which could not be accounted
for. The commission failed to find
more than twenty-five of the Lost
Creeks" In the Choctaw and Chick
asaw nation thcro are a few hundred
names on the rolls and many Indians
are missing. Field parties are also
at work in those nations trying to
find some OF the Indians
II Was a Colossal Graft"
when the strip payment was made
TO the CherolSees it was considered
one of the most colossal Indian
gratis ever rerpetratei among the
fve civilized tribes. At that time
however. the Indians were literally
starving 20 death and the payment
was their only salvation. Without Il
many OF them must have perlshed. It
is believed that at that time these
1900 Lost Cherokees" were padded
into the rolls for the purpose Of re-
ceiving their share Of the payment and
thereby there was paid out more than
half a million dollars TO persons who
were not entitled to a cent.
Tho persCls responsible for this gi.
gantio graft" were Indians. They
would come in and assert that thcy
were representing 60 many childgea
and INDECENT lnlianc who were not
able to appear in person for their
money, maze the necessary oath and
Introduce confederatcs to furnish evil
dence The money would then be paid
over TO them After the Government
had received the properly signed re-
ccip-s in the form, OF vouchers SIS worl;
was ended and while the Cherokee
nation was aware That the graft" was
going on. the "gafiers" had its official
machinery so completely under. control
that it was uttcrly powerlcss q act.
An Indian Official Caught
Sc successful was this form OF
grating" that some Of those who
participated in it attempted to steal
quite as colossal when the Dawes com
mission began TO make It's rolls e.
those entitled 10 alioments in the
Cherokee nation. A notable instance
was that in which AT Indian official
now in the penitentary appeared be
fore the commission and represented
that he was the righrful guardian OF
thirteen Indian children, who were
orphans and could not speak English
u0d that he wanted 20 enroll them and
solect their al,otmeuts SO cleyerly
cid he support this tale that despit,
the most searching examination bs
the commission lawyers ii could not D.,
disprcve1 The commission decide,
tc enroll the children and give then
allotments.
But tho CRATER" was not satisde,
He saw that these fictitious children
were about to be enrolled. so he pre-
sented another application in Whicl
he alleged that lhore was an o'd In
,lian woman who was blind and too
poor to 90 70 the commission office
and he wanted 20 enroll her also Tha
was TOO much The commission fore
ei the applicant 20 state exactly wher
the woman lived Then It sent a maj
cat 20 find her OF course. she coul
lot be found The CRATER was calle'
in. lie swcre that the woman had die
and he had he'red to bury her bodJ