Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-08-01

There is anOtner Dig suit pehulHB
that may involve more expenditure of
money than any similar suit in the oil
fields-that is Bessie Rowland.
negro allottee, and the land involved
Is an S0-aCre tract owned by Z. b.
Shaffer in fee, and one of the richest
in oil in the Cushing oil field. The
suit will be against Shaffer to restore
the land to the girl. and it brings out
very romantic story.
ON January /, 1897, in what is now
Creek county, old Tom Cobb and his
wife had daughter born to them and
named the yOungster Bessie Then in
the funess Of time and at the pleasure
of the Dawes Commission the chlld
was allotted on 100 acres of land in
Creek county, in the heart OF what is
now the Cushing oil field. The allot-
ting of the infant created no comment
and none seemed anxious to deprive
her of her estate. Then came life IN
all its intensity-and Bessie learned
things with astonishing rapidity.
Having reached the mature age or
! 3 years she was taken to wife by one
Clarence Rowland he being precluded
by the accident of birth from having
any part, parcel or interest in the
lands, tenements, hereditaments and
moneys parceled out by your devoted
Uncle Samuel to those of Indian des-
cent or to those of Ethiopian blood
with whom the Creeks were willing TO
share. Then guardian was appointed
for her and at his instance ana sug-
gestion her husband was thrown IN
rail. charged with perjury in swearing
20 her age in order to procure a mar
riagc license. That was shortly after
the opinion had gained ground that
her allotment might prove valuable,
after all However, he was released
and the then acting guardian DIS
charged, Harry Stein being appointed
In his place
Then Came Oil.
Now comes the bringing in of the
first well in the Gushing field and the
rapid development of the pool. From
a farm worth possibly $1,000 to ST.
600, the allotment of the little negro
eirl-wife jumped to u valuation up
toward a million. Then her guardian,
Stein, over her protest $50 1t is al
lcged) sold 80 acres of the allotment
for S3,500 with the money buying her
a rocky. hillside farm over near
Sapulpa. The 80 acres sold at that
time-fall of 19l2-now belongs to {.
B Shaffer and have thereon l6 pro-
ducing wells, among them some or
field For that action the allottee
tried to have the guardian removed
Gnd another appointed, but was un-
successful. Later. having removed TO
PAYNE county. another effort was
made to remove and appoint some one
here To act as her guardian, but again
the effort met with failure. She yet
owns so acres of ground in the field,
with five producing wells. and the
royalty from them Is making nice
bank balance against che day of any
business depression.
ON July 0 of this year. Bessie, liv-
ing in Cushing, received message
from her guardian asking that she
come to Sapulpa 20 transact business
affairs relative to his guardianship.
She refused. Next came an order
from the probate court of Creek
county. commanding her to appear,
and TO which order she responded The
next day her husband, Clarence Row
land, was arrested in Cushing by
Creek county officer on warrant
charging pandcring, and the two or
then, were thrown into jail at
Sapulpa. Tom Jackson. brother-in-
law Of Rowland. with his wife, went
to Sapulpa to find out what was
wrong. Arriving there they were un-
tremendously thrown in Jail and no
charges were ever preferred against
them Attorneys were employed to
procure their release but nothing was
ever done.
Gets an Attorney.
Then IN attorney in Gushing was
called into the case. He went to
Sapulpa and procured the release of
jackson. Rowland and Jackson's wife
on writ OF habeas corpus. the Row
land woman having been spirited away
between the time OF the filing Of the
writ with the clerk Of the court and Its
service upon the jailer. The attorney
loaded his clients into an auto and
drove To- Tulsa. Arriving there. he
placed them in residence in the
negro section of the city and drove OF
down TO the Hotel Tulsa. An hour
later he was surprised to learn that
his clients had been arrested by Tulsa
officers and were then in jail. trip
to the city lookup brought prompt
and strenuous denial that they we're