The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-28
OFFICERS KILLED WHILE
 SERVING A WARRANT
Armed Men Are Being Modified
 for Action.
Dispatches says That The snAke Clan of Creek Indians Have Been Purchaslng Riaes And Am-
 munition for a Month.

Oklahomas Clty, Okld.s nAdrcn 1s0".hi . pitched battle at Hickory Grounds, at 6 o'clock this evening. between a posse of i've ofiicers and twenty Creek Indians Of the Snake clan. officers Ei- ward Datum, of Checotah and Herman Odom, of Cheeotah. were killed. Frank Jones and w A. Carr, other members of the posse, escaped without injury and fled to the settlements, where the news of the battle was telephoned to Sheriff odom, of Mcintosh county.
 Frank Swift. a member of the posse of officers sent to the home of Chitti Harjo, chief of the Snake clan of the Creek Indians, to serve warrant, on the chief was not killed, but probably , fatally wounded. Herman Odom. son of the sheriff, of Mcintosh county, and Edward Daum, city marshal of Checo- dragged himself from. the scene of the battle and was later picked up by William Carr, one of the escaping fof- fcers. and taken to Pierce, station one mile away. Frank Jones. another of the posse, who escaped, boarded a train at Pierce and went to- Checotah early in the evening, bearing some de- tails of the battle.
 The officers having heard that the Indians and negroes were again peaceable, after the battle of Thursday morning. approached the cabin of Harjo. near Hickory. Ground, without fear of trouble. As they were in the actsof entering the chiefs yard, twenty guns were leyeled upon them, from as many men In the house and around the corners. Odom and Daum fell dead and Swift was seriously injured Jones ran a few yards, and hid him. self in clump of trees. until the In- dians disappeared. Then he returned to the bodies of his companions Find Ing them dead. he hurried to Pierce.
 Within thirty minutes after the re- port of the battle reached Checotah a hundred men were armed. Every avail able gun and practically all the am munttion in town was takeus h an hour fifty men were marching toward Hickory Ground. When the news reached MusiSogee. oficers Immediately issued a call for men and in short time posse Of fifty was ready to ? march. From Henrietta to TeleAtka a the men Will also so tonight to Pierce. the place selected for mobilization.
 c.las fer Sziiitia.
 V At II o'clock tonight Adjutant Gen. erai Frank conton. of the Oklahoma National Guard. had wired Colonel Roy Hoffman of Chandler. to immediately call for companies of the State Guard for mobilization. Companies at okis- homa City. Chandler, Muskogee and Henrietta.
 A dispatch from Checotah says the Snake Indians have been purchasing rifles and ammunition for a month and that they are supplied with powder and lead enough to last two days.
 Harto, who has often within the pa st two years expressed his displeasure at the restraints of law and who has of- ten called his men into council. on that account. Is believed to have determined to make firm stand in behalf of his Ideas of liberty. His band have been. outlaws for years It required the ser vices of United States officers and the threat or call for the State militia. to queli his band last fall during a ses- sion of the council at Hickory Ground. When Sheriff Odom received from the District Clerk at Eufaula today a war rant for the arrest of Harjo the clerk admonished him that he would have trouble.
 The negroes are towards" said Odon. land there Is no danger"
 Ofiicers from Henrietta visited Hick- ory Ground today and found 1t practi- cally deserted. They returned late this afternoon and reported that the four negroes killed in the fight of Thurs. day morning were buried today.
 The Governor Acts.
 Guthrie. Ok, March 27.-At the tele- phoned request of Sheriff Odom of Mc- Intosh County, Governor Haskell di- rected Adjutant General Canton. to as- sume charge of the situation and or- der necessary militia to the scene of to. nights battle. at Hickory Ground be- tween officers and Creek Indians The Chandler company has been ordered to hold itself in readiness to march at an instant's notice.