Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-04-23
INDIAN TROUBLE OLD.
CRAZY SNAKE OUTBREAK is RE.
SUIT OF LAND DIVISION.
When Government Tried to Present
Band with Farms, Chief "Went
Bad" and Is Not "Good
Indian" Yet.

WaSh1ngtOn.-The trouble In Okla.
homa started by Crazy Snake, the In
dian chief. and his followers, which
eliminated in the killing of two depu-
ty sheriffs and several other persons,
while they were 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 objecting to Uncle Sam
presenting each and every one with
fine farm ranging from 100 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 a band of
blanket Indians in opposition to the
divisions of the land, and while he
of course lost out he has kept up his
opposition ever since, and had been
an endless source of trouble to Okla.
bona officials and the Indian bureau
Crazy Snake is crafty Indian, and
his power for evil has never been un
derestimated by the Indian bureau
y whose eye has been on him for several
years. Among a 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 a 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 them
In the world as agriculturists, and
teach them to be self-supporting,
Crazy Snake, whose Indian name is
Chitto Harjo, gathered about him 16
kindred spirits in opposition. and
started to make trouble. Before they
were subjugated several lives were
lost, and Crazy Snake and his "cabi.
net" were taken to Muskogee in irons.
Since then there have been minor out
breaks from Crazy Snake and his fast.
dwindling band, but none has been
serious.
Crazy Snake or Harjo, has pleaded
many times with federal officers for
the restitution of what he believed to
be the rights of himself and his tribe.
A notable instance of his oratorical
efforts in behalf Of his band was made
at Tusla, Okla, on November 20, 1906,
when he addressed a committee of
United States senators that was In.
vestigating matters connected with at.
fairs in Indian territory.
81 am here and stand before you
to-day, my fathers" eloquently
pleaded Crazy Snake, las a man OF
misery. am here appealing to you
to have the laws carried out"
He recounted 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, and | think thew
ought to be taking care of them as
they promised The great father said
that If anyone trespassed on my rights
or questioned them, to let him know
and he would take care of them and
protect them. always thought that
this would be done. believe yet II
will be done"
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