The Cairo bulletin., 1909-04-25
INDIAN TROUBLE [ | OLD.
CRAZY SNAKE OUTBREAK is RE-
SUIT OF LAND DIVISION.
When Government red 70 Present
Band with Farms, Chief Went
Bad" ard Is Not Coed
indian" Vet.

| indian" Vet.
Washington. Tho trouble in Okla
homa started BY Crazy Snake, the In
| dian chief, and his followers. whict
! eliminated in the killing OF two depu
! ty sherilfs and several other persons
while they We're attempting to arrest
crazy Snake. near Checotah. is OF
| many years standing, and grew out
of differences between full-blooded
| Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and
( Cherokees. and Crazy Snake and his
/ band of nondescript Indians There
is a strong strain OF negro blood In
Crazy Snake and his followers.
The trouble started by Crazy Snake
and his band ohjecting to Uncle Sam
presenting each and every one with
fine farm ranging from / 60 acres up
wards. When the allotment act ad-
ministered by the five civilized tribes
commission became effective about
ten years ago. Crazy Snake went bad,
and gathered about him band of
blanket Indians in opposition TO the
divisions of the land. and while he
Of course lost out lie has kept up his
opposition ever since, and had been
an endless source of trouble to okla,
homa officials and the Indian bureau.
Crazy Snake is a crafty Indian, and
his power for evil has never been I'M.
derestimated by the indian bureau,
whose eye has been on him for several
years Among large proportion of
the Creek Indians he has welded the
same influence that Sitting Bull did
among the Sioux and Red Cloud
among the Cheyennes, leading their
respective bands against overwhelm-
ing odds in order to retain tribal gov
eminent and their old customs and
live apart and separate from the white
man.
Last summer Crazy Snake started
to make trouble near Hickory Grove,
but he was overawed by strong
showing of state militia
When the government about ten
years ago determined to divide the
land in Indiana territory and Okla
homa among the Indians, start thCm
in the world as agriculturists aud
teach them to be sclf-supporting,
Crazy Snake. whose Indian name Is
Chitto Ilarjo gathered about him 1G
kindred spirits IN opposition and
started to make trouble. Before they
were subiugated several lives were
lost, aud Crazy Snake and his "cabi:
net" were taken to Mnskogee in irons,
Since then there have been minor out
breaks from Crazy Snake aud his fast.
dwindling band, but none has been
serious
Crazy Snake or IIarjo, has pleaded
many times with federal officers for
the restitution of what he believed to
be the rights of himself aud his tribe.
A notable instance of his oratoIical
efforts In behalf of his band was made
at Tusla, Okla, on November %, 1906,
when he addressed committee OF
United States senators that was in.
yestigating matters connected with af
fairs in Indian territory
II am here aud stand before you
to-day. my fathers" eloquentty
pleaded Crazy Snake, las man Of
misery. am here appealing to you
to have the laws carried out" D..
He rccounted the loyalty and al
legiance of himself and his followers
to the federal government in the civil
war. He said that the Indians were
not concerned in the question of negro
slavery and that none of their treaties
was involved, yet, because of the sa-
cred compact with the federal govern
ment, he Joined with the latter against
the confederate states.
Il never agreed said HarJo, Ito
the exchanging Of lands and never
agreed to the alloting Of my lands. |
and my people, great masses of them,
are unenlightened and uneducated
am notifying you of these things be-
cause your government officials have
told me and my people that they
would take care of my relations with
the government, aud | think they
ought to be taking care OF then as
they promised The great father said
that If anyone trespassed on my rights
or questioned them, to let him know
and he wonld take care of them and
protect them. always thought that
this would be done. | believe yet 1t
will be done"