The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-08-18
!, II It It It :; u u u Il Il u u u Il II 8,


There was no race or tribe OF In.
dians that inhabited the primeval for.
ests, valleys or mountains of the New
World, without It's oratorical or poet.
ical goniuscs and the Chickasaw ma.
ton Is not an exception to this rule. /
The poetical genius OF the Chickasaw
immigrants to the Indian Territory
was represented in the person of
James Harris Guy. brother of cX-
Governor William Malcolm Guy. of
the latter we shall hdy, something to
say later on.
The historian of that day repre-
sents James Harris Guy as man of
magnificent physique and eminently
handsome. the noblest looking repre-
sentative of his race \ full life-size
portrait of the poet now In the pos
session Of his brother. Ex-Governor
Guy. gives one the impression that
the biOgraphpr has not over -colorcd
the description of his subject Brief
sketches only of the sublime poctical
visions Of this native poet have been
presented, so far as the writer 4. In
formed although It Is stated that
Harry +. o lleiruc, newspaper writer
and former warm personal friend of
the dead poet has in his possession
the original manuscript OF number
OF his poems
The genius OF - he Poet of the Ar.
buckle Mountains" can perhaps not be
better told than in the following poem,
Fort Arbuckles." which is here re
produced and with the hope that 1t
will be thus permanently preserved.
Fort Arbuckle.
The day has been long and dreary.
halt with tn" setting sun
To gaze on the open world.
And the work that the years have
done:
Aud vision rises before me,
or the past as 1t hath been,
And all that the rolling hills have
heard
And the bright-cycd stars have
seen.
Fun many a thrilling story
Could the echoing rocks repeat.
And methinks | hear In the forest
The tramp of hurrying feet,
The yells of the Comancnc
Ring once more In my ear,
And files of the ghostly warriors
Appear and disappear.
see the dusky phantoms
Rise from their graves today
with the war paint still upon them
As they started for the fray:
They scorned the white mans prom
Use
And refused To be his slaves.
But their ranks were few and feeble.
And the sun sets ON their graves.
Once more from the hill above me
The painted warriors ride,
And fan upon Fort Arbucklr
Like rocks from the mountain side
But now the bow and the Quiyer
Give place to the plodding plow,
A bible. a hut handful Of corn
And Christians broken vow.
Oh mystical Fort Arbucklc,
The sun Us falling aslant
And a friend stands out in his door.
way.
God speed, thee Thomas Grant,
For thou hast ever seat at thy
board.
And In thy heart place.
For him who would sing the wide
world DER
The songs of a ruined race.
James Harris Guy might have i'm.
mortalizcd himself in verse had not
death al 'hc hands of an armed
mob of despcradoos cut his career
short The story Of his death, rs
briefly related by his brother, is as
follows. The poet owned a farm on
the Washita river, about eight miles
north Of Ardmore. This was along
in the seventies He held an ap-
poinmout as a deputy t. s Marshal
and was also a member OF the Indian
police, under appointment, by au'
thority of law written in the Chick
asaw state, or code OF that nation
During his incumbency OF these ap
pointments, the notorious Jim Lee
gang OF cattle and horse thieves had
become the terror of the farmers and