The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-12-19
LIVED 6 MONTHS
WITHOUT BREAD
Not From Choice But Had
to Wait for Corn to
Mature
HEALTH NOT HARMED
Days When Bread Money
Stood Between People
and Starvation

vAHBEQUAlI Doc. ls..--pcopl'
OF today who complain Of hare
Times have no real conception o'
the moaning Of the term, say old
time citizens who WILDLY recall the
loan yolra during and after IA.
ciyiI war period. ln this section
There were, prior 10 the boginnini
OF tho conflict, many fcriilc ant
productive farms, nice homes an'
numbers Of cattle, hogs and Hhccp
Many of The people were Wcll-to-do
suiuo quite wealthy, but before many
months had passed some Ui the mos
comfortably situated In the days
preceding the beginning or Wa
found themselves in want. MOST
Tho mon we're far away and IN
women ana children were faced 10
the grim fpocicr Of starvation.
when bodies Of armed mon some
times encampod FOR thr night IN some
of the nrirhborhoods the women. M
soon as the partica had depdrtcd
hastourd to- the place or 'ncahp
mcut and busted themselves IN COZ
Iccting the scattered grams 'of corr
loft by tho horses. These grams
were most carefully taken cai"~oi
ana nftpr bcinr carried 80 The desc
late homes were ground IN haho
tnills or scnldod In hot lyo prcpnra
tory 10 being made ready Tor th
table. when an occasional 60"
which had. not been driven away b.
Tho marauding bands strayod int
tho ucighborhoods thore was greh
rejoicing. Women, hitherto unusc"
to- killing animals. managed to ca
compass the death df the wahderlhe
cow and then there was soon pre-
pared "A great feast.
But there were many occaHiph
when II was Impossible To secur'
beef or pork and then the childre
went forth into the thickets an,
woodlands and sought for rabbits
when n cotton tail was seen II wa
given strenuous pursuit, chnsed mt
"A hollow log or into crevico IN IN
hillside, and then there was nor
thankfuinoss, for u meal wa
assured. Al rare intervals friendl
soldiers passing through the coVn
try would leave come OF their hard
tack with .he distressed women an
hungry children. In order that TN
army food could he eaten II was nee
cssary that II be well soaked III
warm water. otherwise the one VIII,
tried to bite off piece was liable u
break his or her teeth.
30 completely was tho Cherokee
nation devastated bv reason of th'
war OF tho sixties that for a numbel
OF years thereafter II was necessarl
that the citizens be given financia
assistance. Consequently there wa
paid from the national funds, the
s..t1 an
stated intervals. Tho money thur
paid was intended to be expended
for food products only and bccam
known as bread money" Ate
now fences we're built and the lane
began to be cultivated again to con
siderable extent the payments ccaset
but even then many OF the poorcl
people were dependent upon thoil
more fortunate Countrymcn. VINO saw
that tho unfortunate received guam
titles OF corn and meal. Had II no
been for the bread money" pay
ments there would no doubt hav'
been II number OF instances q
starvation.
That hfc can be sustained for
long period without the use o
bread was proved. according to IN
account given by an elderly MAJ
who once knew another man VII
ate no bread for fun six months. \
scarce was flour and meal and y
reduced In circumstances was tn
man in question that II was as I'm
possibie for Him To procure catable
as it would have been for him 1
have made a Journey TO the moor
By strenuous cxertiSns he In son,
way managed To secure siHa
quantity OF corn, enough with whic
to plant "a small tract OF groun'
Until the corn on this tract gre'
and ma,ured sufficiently 10 bo q
for use as food the determined an
nailept farmer lived on game, TIL
diet being varied In lhe spring an
summer seasons by greens whic
with certain roots, were soasone
with "grense." procured probabl
from some hog which had survive
tho conflict. The health of tn
man was not at all injured by IN
long abstinence from bread, but o
tho contrary he waxod strong an
sinewy, but he was very glad whe
he was at length able to sink nj
teeth In a big fat and well cooke
roasting ear.
The majority OF tho people of to
day. say the "old heads" who ye
recall the days Of the sixties an
carly seventies, can not realize JUS
what privatiops were undersone %
those who lived In this section In tn
trying days OF the past. Today ther
is great complaint made because o
prevailing conditions, but had sucl
conditions prevailed soon after tn
close of the civil war people woul'
have thought themselves eNtrcmel
fortunate. There were harefoote'
men, wmen and children all over tn
country, and they were hu gry an'
knew not where another meal wa
coming from, but they TOUCHED /
out and finally experienced rchc
and in many instances prosperity,