Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-21
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING

Indians, white men and black men are
being made into millionaires almost over
night in Oklahoma these
Enrlchlng days, and Uncle Sam ia
r,a;.., acting as treasurer in this
fascinating game Of getting
rich without doing a stroke of work. The
| money is pouring in golden stream into
the hands Of people who a few years ago
were as poor as the proverbial small
rodent in the sanctuary.
The discovery of oil several years ago
is the cause Of all this. and already a
number of Indians. blacks and whites are
in the millionaire class. with the money
still coming in by the barrel Uncle
Sans part in this is to see that the In
dams and the freedmen who own the
lands get their royalty for the oil taken
out. The commissioner of Indian AFFAIRS,
Cato Sells. has direct charge Of this get
rich-quick game, as his office looks out
for the leasing. of the lands belonging to
the Indians and freedmen.
The freedmen mentioned were negro
slaves held by the Creek Indians until
they were freed by the civil war. Later
treaty was made between the United
States and the Creek Indians whereby
slaves belonging to the Creeks and their
SAA~sA
with their former owners on the govern
ment allotment of the old Greek lands
in Indian Territory.
This is how Danny Tucker. q ten-year-
old negro boy. came into possession OF l6o
acres of land which has produced and is
producing as much oil as any other SINH
lar area of ground in the United States, II
not in the world. The 100 acres of land
were allotted to him in, 1906 for farm pur-
poses. 1t is rocky and billy, no ten acres
slanting the same way. and Is pracucaily
unfit for farming: Two years ago one OF
the big oil companies obtained a lease on
the allotment, with the result that the
apparently worthless land has become
one of the richest spots in Oklahoma.
At first Danny received $500 a month In
royalties; in March last it had Jumped
to 5000 a month and now it Is 1901
month and still going up. The pro-
duction Of oil on the land owned by the
little negro now amounts to z, 4OO barreis
daily. The wells completed give promise
of long life, and If they do keep up, II
will not be long before 1t VIII De u..eIy
impossible for Danny to count his money.
Although the colored boy Is prospective
millionaire. he is paying little attention
to anything but the feeding Of his chick
ems and pigs on his fathers farm.
Another romance that seems even more
wonderful than the strange luck OF the
negro boy involves Sarah Rector: an
eleven-year- orphan Of the freedmen
class 1t is estimated that she is al
ready worth more than 100000. and this
amount is getting larger each month:
Sarah and her brother Sammy eient
wears old. came in for a quarter section
each. in the same way as did Danny
Tucker through possession Of worthless
farm land Several years ago the OIL
prospector came along and drilled welis
on her land The first months revenues
from her allotment were approximately
500 600. There are now eighteen wells On
her land and her income is about $4,000
a month But short time ago house
was erected for Sarah on the allotment
cost,nq 81 100. 1t is said that the little
girl is now Ill and that she may not
live to enjoy her wealth.
It is needless to say that the federal
government has seen to 1t that ootn
honest guardians who are looking after
their welfare.