Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-07
ENJOYS FOR PEACE BR|BE STORY GROWS
maorH Agents Coming Here Aged Chief of the Choetaws
10 negotiate Offered Immense Sum.
SOJOURNlNG IN NEW YORK COULD HAVE HAD FOURTH
Will Explain Their Mission Proposition Made Him bv nr
department George W. Scott He Says
OFFICIALS TO RECEIVE THEM INDIANS WANT THE MONEY
Policy
Dealing With the Factions Faith Through
Aged Chief of the Choetaws
Offered Immense Sum.
COULD HAVE HAD FOURTH
Proposition Made Him by One
George w. Scott, He Says.
INDIANS WANT THE MONEY
McCurtain Says They Are Losing
Faith in Government Through
-!
Broken Promises.

MCSkOGEE, Okla. August G-Not only
Jake l.. Hamon but ]. F. McMurray was
named as a wouid-be briber In the in
vestigation of the 3o0o0.Ooo Oklahoma
Indian land deal before the special con-
gressional committee today
Mr.. McMurray is the holder of the
contract with the Choctaw and Chicka-
saw Indians to promote which In Con-
sress. Senator Thomas T. Gore charged
he was offered a bribe
d. e. McCurtain. ChOctaw Indian. and
a delegate to Washington for his ter
ritory, charged that McMurray in 1906
offered him a bribe of $4,000 to withdraw
opposition to the old tribal McMurray
which subsequently were dis
approved by President Roosevelt
Aged Chief on Stand.
Green McCurtain, chief of 1900 Choo-
taws, and a venerable Indian of sixty
two years, with gray hair and brown
plump cheeks. then took the stand and
told the committee that one George w
Scott, who he believed acted in the in
terest of McMurray. had offered him
one-fourth of the profits to be realized
the tribe to withdraw all opposition to
the deal. This offer referred 10 new
contracts held by McMurray, which are
the cause of the presena investigation.
The amount of the bribe mentioned By
d. c. McCurtain, who is son of the
chief, is the same as that which Senator
Gore alleges was offered him May q last
by Jake Hamon to put through the
pending contracts. which, according to
Senator Gore, would result in the selling
OF 45ooo acres of coal. asphalt and
timber lands owned by the Indians to
New York syndicate on a basis that
would give McMurray and his associates
an attorneys fee" OF 10 per cent, or
S3,OO0OOO.
The presentation of the charges against
McMurray followed another day of SEN
sational testimony, during which Sena-
tor Charles Curtis of Kansas and Rep
resentative b. S. MCGUIRE of Oklahoma
appeared on the stand to refute state
ments that they were Interested" in the
deal.
Conference at White House.
The name of Vice President Sherman
again was mentioned, and conferences
held by President. Taft over the McAlur-
ray contracts were referred to.
Both President Taft and Vice Pre8-
dent Sherman, according to Senator Cur
tbs, had declared that the 10 per cent
The opinion was unanimous at the Prest-
dents conference, he said, that In tho
sale of the land no attorneys assistance
was needed and the government by treaty
had stipulated to sell the land
on its own responsibility.
Something Of a spray Of an Indian war
council was presented when Chief Mo
Curtain, known as the governor.
squatted himself in a chair before tho
committee and, brushing the flies or his
head with a large handkerchief. gave his
testimony.
"A long time ago." he said, many Of
the Choctaws protested against the big
fees that would be allowed under the Nc
Murray contracts / myself sent a pro-
test to the Secretary of the Interior. Just
before the adjournment of the last Con-
gress George w. Scott came to my house
and asked me to sign letter. l refused
to do SO.
One-Fourth Of Profits.
"Then he came again and told mo he
wanted me to write letter to the Sec
retary of the Interior, withdrawing my
protest against the McMurray contracts.
When 1 said 1 would not do that, then
he said ne was authorized to agree TO
give me one-fourth of the profits il /
did. Yes he said, We are going to
get 10 per cent fee out of it and you
will get one-fourth OF the tenth. Now
you sign the letter and 1t will be a great
bargain / absolutely refused to do II
and he went away"
"A good many of your tribe did sign
the contracts with McMurray. didn't
they?' asked Representative {. B. Miller.
"Yes. they did that because they are
losing all faith in the government. They
have lost all faith in the government Of
ficials and in their tribal officials. too. 1t
is because they have been given so many
promises and the promises have not been
kept. The government promised IL would
sell the land and distribute the profits
in 1906. 1t has not done yet. The
Indians are becoming disheartened over
the governments promises and that's
why they signed the contracts. They
it would be better to get some
of the money than none of it,
Living on Promises.
Are they in hurry to get money?''
Eyes, they certainly are. They need It.
They are poor. for they have been living
on promises for long"
why do you Indians have so many
lawyers"
Because we want to get the money"
'Can you estimate how much your tribe
has paid out in attorneys fees in the
last ten years?"
"Our tribe in that time has paid out
Among the developments Of the day
were:
Senator Curtis told of having been sum-
moned by telephone to the White House
to discuss there with President Taft and
Vice President Sherman the merits OF the
McMurray contracts. President Taft had
expressed the belief that the 10 per cent
fee was too high and his visitor agreed
with him. This, the senator thought.
sufficiently refuted the imputation that
he was interested in the land deal
The senator knew McMurray for years
and had never known of his attempting
to Influence legislation.
Gore Resented "Meddling."
Senator Curtis also testified that he
knew of no animosity existing between
himself and Senator Gore. except that
Mr.. Gore had remarked that Curtis was
'.meddling too much in Oklahoma affairs,
by fair means and by foul.
Representative G. l. Creager of Okla
homa attacked the testimony previously
having suggested that he might obtain
an interest in the contracts, but which
Hamon denied. HamOn had asserted that
before the conference at Washington
Creager had called him up on the tele-
phone and made the appointment. Crea-
ger in a long, circumstantial narrative
Of riding on street cars, meetings at a
restaurant and going to the Occidental
Hotel, emphatically asserted that Hamon
had called him up and that the meeting
was at lannon's solicitation.
Representative Mcguire denied he ever
CONTINUED on Second ,PagaI
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