The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-15
AND ALL BECAUSE OF OIL
Own Lands Where Fortunes Spring Up
In a Nisht-Indian Children Reap
ing a Harvest In Leases While
Retaining Interest In Land.

Wiltltu III many a. bahh bvoh III ~
dian Territory. An Indian child OF gen
erous fortune IL another term one Just
as frequently hears The key to all this
Is oil
Many an Indian has been arbitrarily
given an allotment which he had new.
er seen, and many another has select
ed land because 1t looked good to raise
cotton and corn who have gotten up
some morning to find oil spouting over
the top OF derrick within sight Of
their land Such persons become chill
dren OF fortune, and the oil speculator
their door to deliver the golden re-
suit
Outside OF mining camps there have
been more fortunes made in Indian
Territory within the past five years
than in any other new country in the
United States. This is the direct re.
suit OF oil or townsites.
During the past ten months there
have been sold by the courts in the
Creek nation alone leases for minor
Indians in which the bonuses amount.
ed to over a quarter n a million dol
lars This does not include the title
TO the land nor one-eighth OF the oil
wich all Indian lessons receive. Nor
does It include leases sold on adult
lands nor on decided land.
c. W. Bliss came to Muskogee from
Fort Scott. Kan. lie did not have any
money and was having a hard time
making n living. He bought a piece OF
cheap land in the Gleen pool district
and brought In four good wells on It.
lie sold his interest for $4,000 and
has that much more in other oil dis
tricts.
Harriet Crabtree was an Indian girl
who five years ago selected an allot-
ment OF 160 acres just south Of tMus-
kogee. oil men came along, leased
land adjoining and drilled well. II
was a big producer. For a bonus on
eighty acres Of her allotment this In.
dian girl received $4,000 and one
eighth Of all the oil produced. She
decided the land to her husband so that
the leases could be sold She has been
offered an additional $4,000 for q
lease on another forty acres and re-
fuses to sell.
Bates b. Burnett, banker at Sa-
pulpa bought n tract of land not far
from that place and paid $4,000 for II a
short time ago. The Texas Oil Compa-
ny saw oil under It and offered $4,000
Burnett was game and told them to
double the offer and he would talk.
They paid over $4,000.
The Creek oil Company at Musko-
gee has 2,lO0 acres leased and had
drilled well 200 feet and quit, ready
to give up. pull their casing and tear
down the rig. Morning came and wnn
It renewed courage and they decided
to drill another 100 feet, within a
week they were offered s250,000 for
the holdings they were ready to fJr'
felt.
living at Eufaula. married a Creek In
dian girl and to them one child was
born. Both mother and child died
but the two allotments went to Brook
They were in the Mounds district and
were very good farm land. Robert
Galbreath brought in first big gush
er in the Glenn pool not half mile
from the Brook allotments, and Brook
sold his holdings for 100000 cash.
The other day there sat in the court
room Of the western district a slender
lilly clad Indian girl OF years. BE
fore court were able lawyers prepar
ing an order for the court to sign Civ
Ing lease on the allotment of an In
dian minor. The bonus paid was $50,
900 and one-eighth Of the oil. "Wherc
is the owner OF this land?" said Judge
Lawrence, and the lawyers told th'
little girl to stand up. What! $4,000
FOR this child" said the court in grea
surprise. But the sale was regular ant
the lease was signed The child hat
no more idea of the fortune beinl
transferred to her than she had OF tn,
procession of the planets.
Fifteen years ago in a small shant,
that hugged the hillside near Muskc
gee there lived alone an old man, Ill
business he kept to himself, and hi
labors were a mystery to the few pei
pie who in those days passed his way
One day the old man died. The onl
person with him was faithful frien