Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-25
STORY OF AN INDIAN WAR
Facts About the Recent Uprising"
Led by Crazy Snake.
GRIEVANCE OF THE REBEL RED
n Scare Got Into over
the nor Snake hand and
the Alleged War I'm which
Not a Gun Was Fired.

GUTHRIE, Okl., April 24.-To restore
order and suppress an uprising" of the
Snake band of the Creek Indians, one of
the five civilized tribes, ITS men and
officers Of the Oklahoma State MALTA
were sent lately to the counties of Nc
Intosh and Okmulgee. Crazy Snake,
leader of the Snake band, whose Indian
name is Chitto Harjo, was portrayed as
q bloodthirsty savage, bent upon mas
sacring all the white citizens in that
part of Oklahoma Inhabited by the Snakes.
The militia were in the field ten days and
the demonstration cost the state 5000
or 5000. Not a drop of blood was shed
nor a gun fired.
That Is one phase of a war sensa-
tional accounts of which have done much
harm to the reputation of Oklahoma, es-
pecially in eastern states, where the false
hoods We're accepted as truth and where
there is difficulty in refuting them. The
truth about the affair involves the re-
cital Of the efforts of misguided fullblood
Indians to save themselves from the flood
Of white civilization that is beating In
upon them and to maintain themselves in
the simple life of their ancestors.
1t should be known that none of the
five civilized tribes the plains
or reservation Indians, save in color,
physiognomy and temperament. For
generations they have been surrounded by
white men, but in sparsely settled regions
where they nave been able to live iso-
lated in their log cabins, cultivating a
few acres of ground for corn and vegeta-
bles and getting their meat from native
hogs run wild and such game as they
could find.
Not BInnke Indians.
They abandoned moccasins. and blank
cts so many years ago that their Oldest
men now living cannot remember their
use. Their hair is not worn plated, but
In the fashion of white men. TheiI
clothing is made i'm the factories OF New
York. as IL has been for generations
They do not paint their faces, and theii
only personal rnm are earrings
worn by a few men and combs and bead
necklaces worn by the women.
The Snake Indians are perhaps less su
perstitious than the average negro, They
still maintain their clan organizations anC
have some dance ceremonies, few of then
with any religious significance. There ar,
more than forty tribal towns among TN
Creeks,
Intense rivalry Is shown IN their. bal
games, and in the contests the forty town
are about equally divided between tn
c~ontending teams. this alignment pr0babl!
having an ancient. origin. They are skiile,
in the use of herbs in the treatment o
disease. and their native doctors have re
markable success in the treatment of gun
shot wounds with embrocations of herb:
The ~favorite food of the Snakes /
''sofky,' the product OF flint corn. Tn
corn is dampened and pounded in n nor
tar untl 1t is broker and the husk re
moved. 1t is then boiled until soft an
edible, seasoned with ash I've and place
IN a large jar, one OF which may be foun
always beside the fireplace in a Snak
cabin. Sofky seems TO be wholesome an
nutritious. but a steady diet of It pail
upon a white mans palate. To the bes
sofky hickory nut kernels are added.
OF all the bands or clans of the Cree
nation the Snakes have been the lea'
progressive and the most intolerant
white men. Crazy Snake, their leader. NJ
their clan chief. was conspicuous in lea,
ing their opposition to the allotment
their lands in severalty and the abandon
nent OF tribal government.
Crazy snake an Orator.
Crazy Snake has an ideal Indian fac
Is strong and sinewy of frame and is pc
haps the most eloquent orator in the Fl,
Civilized tribe He Is now about IS. 7
believes with his whole heart that q
Creek treaty with the United States so