The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-08
SHIFTING QUICKSANDS
ETERNAL RESTING PLACE
Loved the Stream Whose Rag
Ing Torrents Claimed Him
For Their Own

Special to Daily Leader.
Eufaula, okla, June Somewhere
in the shifting quicksands OF the Ca
madam river lies the body of Alexan-
der Posey. His life is but another
sacrifice to this treacherous stream
that seldom gives up its victims, and
the chances are that the body viii
never be found. This is indeed the
bitter irony Of fate. for Posey loved
the Canadian river to the extent that
he selected his homestead on a great
hill that gives a grand view of the
river and the peaceful valley for miles.
His favorite recreation was to take a
small boat and drift for miles down
the river leisurely absorbing the
beauty OF its picturesqueness.
A century ago before the Indian be.
came civilized this would have become
legend that the spirit Of the river
had loved Posey as he loved the riv-
er, and had taken him to it for eter-
nal companionship.
The tragic death OF Posey removed
the only Creek Indian who ever
achieved any degree of fame through
literature. This talent he probably
inherited from his father who was a
Scotch-lrishman, Hench Posey, who
was a deputy marshal and stockman
at Fort Smith until he married full
/ blood Greek woman, who is Posey's
mother, and settled at Bald Hill.
| Posey was educated at Indian uniyer-
sity, near Muskogee, and as soon as
ne could vote he became a leader OF
his tribesmen. He became a member
of the Creek council, and when the
white man came with q new brand
of politics Posey was an apt pupil.
When the first conferences OF the
chiefs OF the Five Civilized Tribes was
held looking TO the admission of In
dian Territory as a separate state,
Posey was present and was made the
permanent secretary of the orSaniza-
ton thus formed. Three years age
when the Sequoyah convention was
held, and a proposed constitution was
written looking to the admission OF
Indian Territory. Posey was secre-
tary of that convention.
II was when the white mans poll
tics began to absorb the Indian that
Posey commenced to write the fam
Gus "Fus Fixico Letters" that gave
! him a place in literature. These let
ters were humorously satirical views
entertained ~ the fullblood Indian
upon the events that were transpirins
and swiftly sweeping the Indian oui
OF existence and making this the home
OF the white man. Using the Indiar
dialcct he could cover a subject anC
drive home a point harder withou
the waste OF a word or syllable thar
. any writer that ever attempted Il
These letters were supposed to be th,
conversations that occurred wheI
, four Indian characters got together
The characters were Wolf Warrior
Hot Gun, Kono HariO and Fus Fixico
In the last letter that he wrote occur
red this sentence: But you can
make an Indian mad when the smoke
! Is coming out the chimney and th'
| dog is looking In the kitchen door
! In the same letter Kono Harjo ask
, Hot Gun III Sunnybrook and Senator
' Brook (in state senate, are related,
and the roply was, They may not b.
y kin but they was good friends social
I ly." Il was these characters tha
J gave TO the notables in Indian Terri
tory what was supposed TO be the In
! dian impression as well as the pro
! nunciation Of their nameh Tams
I Bixby was known as 'Tams Big Pie.
, Pliny Soper was known as "Plenty-so
I far" Secretary Hitchcock was "sec
! retary Its-cocked." Governor Has
l kell was Governor q. ~ Has-it
Senator Owen was "Col Robert L
Owcs-em."
I Five years ago long before ther'
/ had ever been any voting done in In
dian Territory, az a meeting Of thl
Territorial Press Association Pose,
= was on for a speech on The Indiai
} In Politics." Poseys time came an,
he arose aud said THE Indian vii
vote the democratic ticket" Tha
was all he said Il was characteristic
OF him, and ave years later the frs
time he had a chance, the Indian did
vote the democratic ticket. One ol
the remarkable things about him was
lover OF nature that he was, gentle
numerous and kind, he did not believe
IN the existence OF a Supreme Being
or the existence OF soul. OF this kt
rarely spoke and Il was only his init