The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1916-02-03
Warren Johnson Writes
Drumright, Okla, 1866.
Editor Chronicle:

lines for publication. Perhaps it
may not be of much interest to
many residents of the county,
but | wish to let them know that
| have not forgotten my friends
of other days.
L am yet in Creek county, in
the oil-fields in the eastern part
of the state of Oklahoma, and in
the greatest oil-feld in the Unit
ed States. The field is in. what
Is known as the Blackjack"
country, being rough and mostly
covered with lack-jacks, among
which the Indians hunted the
wild animals as well as the white
man not many years ago. When
Uncle Sam" gave the Indians
this land as their allotment they
displeased, but now they are the
happiest people in the state, many
receiving large royalties and
spending it as they please. Some
are using it with care and good
judgment, others are spending il
thinking only of pleasure. They
are peaceable and quiet, as much
so. ar least, as the white inhabi-
tantS, Notwithstanding the fact
we have here some people as fine
as are to be found in any state.
Yet we have many of the worst
characters here that could be
found anywhere, consisting of
murderers, robbers, gamblers and
drunkards. In fact all crimes
that can be committed are prac-
ticed here. have been in this
town about twenty months and
in that time there have been
over one hundred people held up
and robbed and some shot dead
in their tracks, and not one of
the robbers has been caught.
Some of the robberies were on
the streets of Drumright, some
in the gambling dens and others
on the roads leading to and from
the town. We have in the town
many joints where they sell all
kinds of booze and carry on all
other violations of the law. The
officers fail to find them, but any
other man can find them along
both sides of the main streets of
the city and the general opinion
of the honest people of the town
is that the officers are partners
in the business regardless of
what they say under oath. We
cleaned the slate once, as we
thought, but found later that we
only changed the names of the
officers and that new ones are as
bad if not worse than the old.
The matter is now up to Uncle
Sam" to try what he can do.
This oil-feld is putting millions
into circulation and making many
poor and rough tracts of land
which otherwise would not be
worth the taxes, bring in thous-
ands of dollars in oil and gas.
Yet we doubt in the end whether
this field will be considered a
blessing or a curse. There are
thousands of producing wells now
and in the south there are three
thousand more slated for this
year, besides many in other parts
Of the field.
There is town called Sham
rock in the south field, about two
months old and now has two
banks, two hotels, two barber
shops, many boarding houses and
a half-dozen booze joints and OF
her houses not to be mentioned
in print. lin the last four weeks
one store there has been robbed
three times. So you can see that
money does not always tend to.
ward making men wiser and bet
ter.
OF course there are people here
from all parts Of the world, but
| am of the opinion that the lead.
ers of this meaness are those
white renegades who joined with
the Indians years ago and commit.
ted the depredations charged tc
the Indians, and they have mol
been fully civilized yet.
We have more laws in Oklaho