Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-09
Story of the GOingsnake
Courthouse Bloody Fight
Advanced Firing They Approaches Killed

Cherokee, rushed from the surround
Ing forest. with pistols and guns in
their hands. came straight toward the
courthouse. firing as they came. Bull
lets whistled through the doors and
windows and men began to fall. dead
or desperately wounded. But those in.
side the courtroom were soon in ac-
tion and from the log walls the crash
OF flfearms was soon heard and then
men began to fall among the attack
ing party. who after several minutes
broke and fled into the woods
When the excitement died dow,i
and count of the dead and wounded
had been made it was found that ten
men had been killed or so badly
wounded that they died in few
hours. while nine were stretched on
the ground helpless from wounds The
dead comprised the presiding Judge
and the following Cherokees in at
tendance upon the court: Johnson
| Proctor, u brother of the defendant.
and Andrew Polone. while the follow
ing were wounded: Ezekiel Proctor,
Ellie Foreman, one of the Jurors:
Deputy Sheriff Joseph Chuwee: Isaac
Nann and John Proctor, a cousin Of
the prisoner OF the attacking party
the following were slain: Deputy
United States Marshal J. @. Owens Of
the Fort Smith court. James Ward,
Riley Wood. BLACK Sut' Beck. Sam
uel Beck. George Selvage. VIII Hicks.
William Beck. and the following were
wounded white Sut' Beck. Paul
Jones and George Mclaughlin
The deputy marshal had decided to
take Eze.iel Proctor from the Chero-
kee officers and take him to Fort
Smith for trial. In making his fatal
attack he was accompanied by sew
eral white men and the Becks and
several other Indians as "A posse CONT
tatus. The party of the marshal fired
first and in the end that party met
with the greatest loss.
Acquitted In Court.
For some weeks nothing was done
by the officials of the United States
court, but when at length Ezekiel
Proctor had recovered from the Sc
we're wounds received in the court
house fight an officer from the mill.
tary post of Fort Gibson, with a de-
tail Of infantrymen, proceeded to
Tahlequah and took Proctor from the
custody of the Cherokee officers He
was taken to Fort Smith for trial, but
was soon released. the court conced-
ing that 1t had no jurisdiction. Proc
tor, who in the fight at the court
house. had secured n gun and taken
a part in the fight. was eventually
acquitted in the Indian courts and
lived to an old age But for many
years previous 10 his death he would
not sleep in dark room All night,
summer and winter. lamp was said
to have been kept burning in his
room. 1t was said that he saw
things" in the darkness, hence his
habit of keeping his room lighted
For reasons best known to them
selves those remaining of the party
which attempted to kill Proctor at
the courthouse made no further dem
onstration against him. But he was
always on the watch. and on occa-
sions when he visited Tahlequah it
was noticeable that he always stood
when talking. with his back to a wall
or tree. while he kept n vigilant
eye upon all who approached. Some
times he carried a long rifle in his
hand, and always there was a trusty
Colts shooter resting in a holster
at his hip. When laws and regula
tions against the carrying of firearms
began to become strict and were more
and more rigidly enforced Proctor Sc
cured a commission as deputy United
States marshal and was therefore en-.
abled to carry a weapon with inn
punty
During civil war times Proctor was
a member of one OF the companies ih
Union regiment. but 1t has been
said that he was very averse to re-
ceivng a Baptism of fire" and when
things grew hot on the firing line he
was sure to be elsewhere. his duties
being most of the time that of a scout.
but there were some who thought that
he should have taken a more promi-
nent part with the men in the front.