Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-01-21
THE OLD EAGLE OF
CHEROKEE NATION
Jesse Pigeon Clings to Night
Hawks and Old Order
of Things.

TAIllEQIAH. Okla. Jan. 20.
one ui the interesting old settlements.
lying between the Illinois river ON
the west ana the western boundary
OF the state Of Arkansas, is that which
mas long borne the name OF Wau.
hllluu This name, which means in
English "rhc Eagle" was SO named
ior one Of the old-time Indians who
was a man of mature age AT the time
or the great removal To the west
something more than - years ago.
quite probably this old man had been
warrior of note I'm his younger days,
ana IN his old age he was accounted
leader, as Is evidenced 10y the fact
that ms name is among those Of a
number of the leaders who signed
thc act of union In the year of 1899
mat act having for its object the coti-
/. .solldatlun of the western and eastern
>anchcs OF the Cherokee nation into
one nation under n constitution. Tho
log house which Wauhillau erected
Tor his home long stood not a great
distance from the picturesque Sugar
mountain, which, towering hundreds
Of feet above the surrounding forests
ovcrlooks vast tract OF fertile land
thru which flows Caney creek, one If
those crystal clear mountain streams
along whose banks the full-blood In
dians liked to build their homes, and
which in the early days were filled
Rith various kinds Of fish.
Old Wauhillau. after spending
number of years In his mountain
lshume, died, and long years afterward.
rwhen 4 post office was established,
the section having become well popu-
lated, the name OF the pioneer In
dian was given To the office. Be
cause OF its isolation, the mail was
carried To this post office on horse
hack. thru "a rugged section thru
which q number of the bad men OF
the times were wont to travel, and
H. whose deep valleys some of them
found secure hiding places. In the
near vicinity occurred some desperate
fights and there were a number of
persons killed. sometimes in fights
among themselves. again, fighting
the deputy marshals of the United
states court. IL was near Wauhillau
that Bill Christie. one of the wild
Cherokcos of what is now eastern OK
lahoma, lived. Not "a great distance
from the old post office ne overlook
and killed late one winter evening
Deputy Marshal Robert Walker. Later
the slayer was To- meet death himself
"A few miles from the scene of tho
killing of the officer, the notorious
Waco Hampton firing the shot that
Jftcrward shot and killed by deputy
marshals near the scene of his muir
der Of an inoffcnsiVe old Irshmau
named Herman.
1t VAS i'm the Wuuhllau ncighhor-
hood that there occurred the assas-
sination some forty years ago OF
James Garlic a white man who was
an intermarrled citizen. The assas-
sins We're some full-blood Chcrokces
who rode up To- the house at night.
called their victim to the door and
shot him down. The muTdcrcrS went
out into the dense forests and detied
arrest. At this time the sheriff of
Tahlcquah district was Robert B.
Ross. afterwards national treasurer,
and who is yet living. The sheriff
left Tahlcquah At night and arrived
near Rocky Mount, in the vicinity OF
which the men We're hiding, near day
break, located them and made the
arrest without firing a shot. The
prisoners were turned over to the Of
ficers of the United States court at
Fort Smith and paid the extreme pen
atty of the law on the gallows
Blue Duck, an Indian in the Wau- /
hillau country some - years ago, was
alleged to have approached field
I'm which James Warrick, young
man, was plowing. The farmer was
shot thru the body and life was eX-
tinct when neighbors, hearing the
shots, went to the farm. Duck re-
ceivcd a life sentence. but after serV- |
ing twelve years was pardoned, dying |
shortly after. Another man was sus-
pected of having fired the shots, but |
was never brought to justice.
In the old graveyard i'm the Wau-
hillau ncighborhood are the graves |
of a number Of men who met violent |
deaths, as also some OF the leading !
citizens of the old days
Near Wauhillau there are living |
quite a number Of the Might Hawk" |
Chcrokces, those who opposed allot- |
ment of lands ana who have never |
become rcconcilcd to the changed or |
der OF things. Most notable among |
those who belong TO this band is Jesse |
Pigeon, who is regarded as the leader.
Pigeon is a tall, ficry-cycd man who,
unlike the majority of Indians. wears
n heard. During the days of the
Cherokee nation he killed his brother,
was tried and acquitted, and
was once a member of the council.
I8ut when the shadow of impending
statehood and allotment OF lands APP
peNd, Pigeon cXertod himself in OPP
posing any change from the old or
der Finding himself in the minority,
he retired TO his home in the seclu-
sion of the forests and is rarely to be
seen on the streets of the old capital.
Being firm believer in the customs
of the past he has for number of
years, in the month of August, given
u big stomp dance
Previous to the day on which the
dance is 10 begin the grounds are well
cleared and tall pole is erected In
the center. Near this pole a fire is
kindled which is not allowed to be-
c(ne eNtinguished during the prog
/ess of the festivities The fire is
said To represent the sacred flame or
fire. concerning which there is an in
tercsting tradition. The songs which
are sung are said TO he ages old and
to refer to matters which occurred
before the discovery of America. The
dancers form in n circle and as they
move, sometimes slowly, and some
times swiftly, they keep time To the
songs. Loudly they sing, then softly,
and occasionally "A great and piercing
whoop is raised. The dance is con-
tinuod far into the night and two or
three DAYS are usually spent by the
large numbers who attend. Barbe-
cued meats form one of the most IA
vorite portions Of the menu, and II
,,SI, N ha had In |