The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-09-05
OLD PIONEER
TElLSSTORY
Of EARLY DAYS
AN OLD DhRkEY TELLS OF
HAVING CAUGHT BUFFALO
CALVES WHERE ARDMORE is
NOW LOCATED.

| days In TINS country 81 was with BOD
Love and from the famous Love fam
lily of the Indians he took his name.
He was born near Colbert 81 years
ago. He has spent the most of his
years about where Marietta and Ard
more are new. He las with other
boys captured buffalo calves where
the city of Ardmore now stands He
has chased and captured many wild
turkeys in this state.
But Uncle 81 has aided in the cap
ture OF bigger game than the buffalo
and it is this game that he likes
most to talk of. He knows a dozen
different tribes of Indians. He lived
here with the peaceful ChoctawS and
Chickasaws and was their friend and
they were his. But when the wild
tribes made their raids In here it was
then that 81 shouldered his gun and
went with the other men in defense
of the tribal estate. Some of his rel
atives were slain by the Indians and
his mother, who is now 100 years
old, and who contenteGiy lives with
her son south of Lone Grove two
miles, bears the scars of the arrow
of the Indian which was aimed at
her to snuff out her life.
81 says he has been over many
fresh battle ground He has helped
to gather in the dead white men, and
bury their bodies. Dut he never
found on the battle field the body of
an Indian. 81 know now why it was"
said the old darkey. "When the In
dian went into battle he was tied
to his horse. If he received fatal
shot his horse often escaped and took
the body of the dead Indian away"
The way to fight the Indian says this
old warrior is to shoot the horses
down. The Indian depends upon his
horse for protection, he is so skilled
at riding that he can lie on the side
of the animal and shoot over his
back With the horse out of the way
the Indian is a poor fighter.
In the early days the Indians here
sold many cattle. There were no
banks close where money could be
deposited and if there had been any
banks the Indian was afraid of them.
He took his pay for cattle in gold and
that gold was kept about the Indian
cabins. Uncle 81 says there should
be some day some valuable deposits
of gold found near here. At a place
two miles south and little west of
Ardmore a vast sum of money was
buried and that money is there today.
For 13 years Uncle 81 has lived
near Lone Grove. He owns an so
acre farm and for six years prior to
that time he lived in Ardmore All
the old timers know him. He knows
as much of human nature as a man
of the prairies can know and he knows
more than any of the college profes-
sors can ever learn. He is a child of
the prairies, he was brought up in the
early days when men had to be men.
They had to look TO themselves for
their own protection. Those were
times when only the stout hearted
braved the wilds and remained here.
There were no soft spots of living.
Those were times when men sat
peacefully and contented in their own
cabins except when there were raids
made by the wild tribes and when
they were all minute men and went
to their arms with a stubborn resolve
to drive the intruders back into the
mountains.
There are but few people living
now who went through those times
that tried the souls of men. And
these men are entitled to the respect
and admiration OF those living here
now. 1t was the spirit of adventure
that grew in their bosoms that con-
quered the wild west, that made il
inhabitable. The work OF those men
paved the way for the school. for the
church, for civilization. Some one
had TO undergo those hardships that
a peaceful country might be handed
down as heritage to others. They
did their work we'll and just how well
is shown by the civilization that has
followed in the wake of the Indian
raids. When this class of old heroes
are gone much OF the history of the
country will be buried with them.
They will have no successors. When
their candles are snuffed out there
will be no class OF men TO relight
them The traditions of the early
days will largely pass with them.