The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-01
Wary Old Indian Offers To Surrender If Guaranteed
 Protection
CRAZY SNAKES FOLLOWERS
 ARE BACK HOME FLOWING
Only Thing That Looks Like Warfare Is the Uniform of Soldiers Who Are on the Trail of the
 Indian Leader.

Pierce, Okla, March 31.-(By courier. from Checotah) Reports that chitti liar jo (Crazy snake) is hiding in some se- cluded gulch in the Tiger mountains about six miles from Pierce were confirmed to- day. His surrender, it was said, might be expected at any time. It was learned today that Crazy Snakes inquiry as to protection in case of surrender was not official, but was communicated in round about way. Monday night an Indian boy went to the home of Dr. M. c. McIlhenny at Burs Hill, six miles from Pierce The boy said the old chief had suffered q slight gunshot wound in the calf of his leg last Sunday, but was able to move The lad declared that the fugitive wished to surrender If Dr. McIlhenny would guarantee free treatment. Then the mes senger disappeared leaving the physician, an old resident and friend of the Creek leader, to wonder how to reach the latter with an answer. The inability of Colo nel Hoffman to find where to deliver his assurance of safety has prevented the sur render of Crazy Snake. Even Crazy Snakes sister could not, or would not, indicate his whereabouts.
 Today was raw and wet, and the severe weather is expected to hasten the further scattering or surrender of the Creeks. They are not well clad and have no pro- vision store.
 Colonel Hoffman today authorized a re- speeted Creek of Cheeotah John Thomp- son, a hardware dealer to promise nis friend. chit.i Har1o. ssfety. and faif. trial if he would surrender.
 Detachmenls of troops and squads of deputies today secured the country in every direction for Crazy Snake, despite rain and short rations.
 A further food supply is expected to- morrow from Checotah. as it is almost impossible to bring heavy wagons over the broken trail of the Tiger mountains over which the soldiers marched. It also abounds in jagged rocks, deep ruts and inclines and it is with difficulty nego- tiated with light vehicles drawn by sturdy ponies.
 A newspaper man who made the trip from Henryetta today found good Tn. dians calmly at work, blowing for the spring sowing of corn and cotton. So thoroughly have the fugitive followers of Crazy Snake taken to cover that the scene would suggest anything but warfare were it not for the scurrying posses of mount ed citizens and the khaki-clad Oklahoma guardsmen.
 The town of Pierce, if it may be called a town, is the base of present operations. The majority of maps do not indicate it. It consists of a general store, the store keepers cottage and barn and that is all. The store is twenty-five miles east of Henryetta and fifteen miles west of Checotah.
 The formerly well stocked shelves look ed as if they had been through an earth quake when the guardsmen finished eating tonight. Tine barn was crowded with horses and many overworked animals had to be herded together in a corral in the open.
 Belief that the Indian lads message to pr. McIlhenny is authentic Is based not cnly on the friendship of the chief and the physician, but on an older friendship which existed between the red man and Dr. Mc1lhenny's father, who was a mis- sionary among the Creeks of an earlier generation for many years.