The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-11
INDIANS LEARN
 ABOUT LAND DEAL N''ee Testimony Is Given on : sSssa,e McMurray Contracts v g 'B|G DIVISION OF PROFITS
Congressman Carter Testifies Concern ing n Washington Attorney Who Was to Receive Five Per
 Cent of the Profits

McAlester, Okla, August 10.-"Io, the poor Indian learned few more things about the proposed sale of $So,ooo,ooo worth of his land in the hearing before the congressional investigation committee today said Chairman Burk after the examination.
 Congressman Carter of the Fourth Oklahoma district testified that at an in- terview at the home of Richard c. Adams, an attorney at Washington, Adams had said he had had an arrange ment by which he was to secure per cent of the profits to be derived from the Me- Murray contracts.
 He also sold me- testified MT. Car ter, that Congressman B. S. Mcclure was in on the deal and would get his share. He also told me that Dr. Wright a. delegate for the Choctaw Indians at Washington with salary of $60OO, was in on the deal. He also said, We've got some others, but he did not mention other names"
 Did Adams say he was going to get 5 per cent of all the money MT. Me Murray was to realize on the deal?" ask ed Chairman Charles H. Burk
 ''Yes, he said he was going to make sure of it as McMurray had double crossed him at other times. but this time he was going to fix it so he would not lose and when McMurray got his 10 per cent or $3.0ooo0o. or whatever it amount ed to, he (Adams) was going to get 3 per cent of the proceeds" Conference With Hnmon
 T also met Jacob l.. Hamon at Wash ngton,' he continued. He told me to go to that old man Gore to get him to withdraw his opposition to the McMurray contracts"
 Congressman Carter who part Chero- kee Indian and who was for two years member of the House committee on h. dian affairs, was then asked
 Do you think majority of the In-. dians are in favor of these contracts giving 10 per cent to McMurrayG' ''There Is no doubt ttst ~lieS are,'' he replied, but there is also no doubt that in signing the contracts many were in- fluenced to do so by person who had an interest in them.'
 MT. Adams was described as a Della ware Indian who frequently has been mentioned as having called on President Taft in matters pertaining to India af- fairs.
 It was Adams to whom the Indians in this state were asked to address teIe- grams urging President Taft to approve the sale of the lands. 1t is declared
 McMurray Is the holder of the con- tracts by which according to Senator Gore 10 per cent or ss,OOo.OOo attorneys fee would he allowed
 McGuire's Attitude
 Before MT Carter left the stand MT. McMurray's attorney obtained from him testimony tending to show that McGuire in previous Indian matters had support ed measures in Congress opposed to the interest of McMurray.
 Carters appearance on the stand fol- lowed another day of lively testimony.
 E. B. Latham, an attorney of McAles- ter, related a meeting with McMurray two years ago when McMurray. he said, offered him present of $O.O0o if the old tribal contract would go through
 These contracts were afterward dis approved by President Roosevelt What the present one was for the witness de- Iclared he never could make out He said he was not asked to support the con tracts.
 At another time Latham testified he WdS OleISu d slldTe Ol tHe Sf0U,uuU lIlOr- neys fee which McMurray subsequently, obtained in an Indian land deal, after the amount of the fee had caused much dis cussion In Congress.
 The last offer. the witness said, was made contingent upon his aiding Me- Murray, who was then trying to become a delegate to the republican convention at Chicago. McMurray did not go as a delegate and Latham said he never re- ceiyed anything
 Town of Robbers Roost
 Incidentally, the Indians, many of whom were present in the committee room, learned of Robbers Roost, town in the southern patr of the state. From Rob. bers Roost there emerged one day an emissary representing McMurray. who went to a war council of Indians to get them to sign the contracts, 1t was testi fed
 time, testified J. H. Godfrey. They also signed tax contracts by which McMurray was to get $1O a head for fighting the taxation of the Indians, he said.
 Was Robbers Roost the headquarters of McMurrays agents?' asked Congress- man c. B. Miller
 'I don't know" replied Godfrey Tt was where a man named Bates lived. Bates arranged with me to go to the In- dian meeting and get the contracts signed
 Taking the stand. Congressman Carter related meeting Jacob L. Hamon on May last Hamon is accused by Senator Gore of having offered him $25000 or SEQ 900 bribe in connection with the Me Murray contracts on May last
 Advised to See Senator Gore
 Tt was the day after the one which Senator Gore said the bribe was offered him." said MT Carter when I met Hamon in the capitol and we sat on the steps. Hamon said: You go to old man Gore and get him to withdraw that fool bill of his against the McMurray con tracts I replied: If l should mix up in those McMurray contracts the people would think l got part of the fee or they would think did not have sense enough to get part of 1t, which would be disas- trous to me politically in either case. I asked IIamon why he did not go to Gore himself He replied that he was not in terested in the contracts.
 Seeing Senator Gore afterward the witness said he told him what Hamon had said about not having any in terest in the contracts. That was not what he told me" said Senator Gore, according to Carter.
 The senator then told Carter about the attempted bribery.
 Ut was last January or February that Carter and Adams met continued the witness. Adams invited me to his home in Washington and I went to see him During the conversation