The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-04
READY TO PROBE
CORES CHARGES
Investigation Of Indian Con-
tracts Is Set for Today
INDIANS TO Be DEFRAUDED
Senator Gore snys That He Was Of
fered Big Bribe to Aid Scheme
to swindIe the Indians Out
of Their Land
INDIANS TO Be DEFRAUDED

Muskogee, Okla, August 3.-Investiga-
tion of charges made in the United
States senate by Senator 7. P. Gore
that he and a member of the House OF
Representatives each had been offered a
bribe of $4,000 to foster scheme where
by the Indians of Oklahoma were to be
deprived of 100000 profits due them
through the sale of asphalt lands in this
state is to be begun here tomorrow.
On the eve of the investigation Sena-
tor Gore said:
II will tell the full details of the
scheme Matched at Washington to mulct
these Indians out of $30o0,0o0 through
the sale of their lands will give names.
dates and other data relative to the bribe
of $4,000 offered to me and to a member
of the House of Representatives to re-
move our opposition to the scheme which
would throw that vast sum of money in
to the hands of private attorneys"
The committee was appointed by the
house of representatives to Investigate
what is known in the west as the de-
murrage contracts with the Chickasaw
and Choctaw tribes of Indians. 1t Is
headed by Charles Burke of South Da-
kota as chairman, and will convene at
9 o'clock tomorrow morning.
Senator Gore will probably be the first
witness.
senator Cores Charges
The charges made by Senator Gore in
the Senate on June "a and which form
the basis for the present Investigation,
are that ]. F. McMurray of McAlester,
Okla, and his associates had obtained
10000 Individual contracts with Chicka-
saw and Choctaw Indians for the sale
of 10000 acres of land, estimated to be
worth $3,0OO,000 to $16,000,000; that the
profit to McMurray and his associates
was to be ten per cent of a sum rang
ing from $a0oo.0oO to s1s,oOo0oo; that a
New York syndicate already was pre-
pared to take over the land at $3,000,000;
that when opposition to proving the con-
tracts arose in Congress he was ap-
preached and was told that $4,000 or
perhaps $4,000 would be available to him
and that a like sum woulJ Unavailable
tc mem ber OF the s4oasesof Representa-
tives TO Investigate what are known as
the Murray contracts with the Chicka-
saw and Choctaw tribes of Indians under
the lease of McMurray and others
Senator Gore will probably be the
first witness before the committee un-
der the inquisition of Chairman Burke.
He further alleges that IL the con-
tracts had been approved the Indians
would have been deprived of 10 per
cent of the profits guaranteed them by
the government and the money would
have gone to pay attorneys fees for
which no material service would have
been rendered.
Senator Gore charges that a former
senator from Nebraska and a former
senator from Kansas were interested.
Others Are Involved
I'm my charges before the Senate
did not give any names concerning the
offers of bribes, and when the gov
ernment made it's treaties with the In
dams it agreed to sell the land 1t
agreed to hand over the full profit to
the Indians. 1t would be absurd for the
government to sanction reduction
of 10 per cent to be handed out in the
shape of attorneys fees. 1t Is especial
ly absurd since no attorneys services
would have been needed"
Beside Mr.. Burke other members of
the investigating committee are Phil
lip Campbell OF Kansas, Clarence B.
Miller of Minnesota. John II. Stephens
of Texas and e. W. Saunders of Vir-
ginia.
Chairman Burke said that the COM
mittee after taking evidence here
would visit McAlester, Oklahoma City
and other parts of the state to obtain
from the Indians direct information as
to how the contracts were obtained
from them
Dennis Flynn, counsel for j. McMur-
ray, said he would contend that the
contracts were valid since the Indians
were members OF what are known now
as the Five Civilized Tribes. and as
such they had the right of citizenship
and the right NO make contracts He
said he would assert, however. that no
offer of bribery had ever been made.
Cecil Lyon. chairman of the republi-
can state committee of Texas, who was
charged by Congressman A. p. Muir
ply on the floor Of the House of Rep
resentatives with having assisted Mr..
Murphy in working for the approval of
the contracts is expected here tomor-