The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-26
Wild Pigeons
Once Numerous
OUer.OkLQhOmd

Special 20 The World.
TAHLEQUAH-J. n Kelly, vice
president of tho Kelly Mercantile
| company of kelleyville, Okla, in a
recent communication to a citizen
of this section. gave some interest
ing information concerning the wild
pigeons. IL has been supposed by
many persons that the pigeons have
become extinct. though the prob
ability is that they migrated to some
other portion of TIL earth. Having
learned that the United States gov
ernment had, or was reported to
have made an offer for specimens
of the pigeons. Mr.. Kelly, i'm the
event such an offer has been made.
proposes to capture some of the
birds, II any of them are to be
found. Referring to n period OF
some 80 TO 36 years past. he mem
toned that he was at the time To-
Gated in the eastern part OF the
Cherokee nation and during the
years from 1856 to 1890 netted
thousands of dozens of the birds.
After their capture in the"extensive
roosts south of Sloan Springs, Ark.
and west of the town or Cincinnati,
in the same state. and across the
boundary line of the Indian terri
tory, in the rugged valleys of the
Going Snake district mountains, the
pigeons were placed I'm crate-like
| enclosures, built from lumber pro-
cured from Lew Williams saw mill
on the Illinois river. In these crates
the pigeons were~ "stall-fed" and
when they had become plump and
in prime condition they were
shipped to a number of eastern
cities where they sold readily. In
New York. Baltimore and in Boston,
Mass, there were buyers who took
large numbers OF the small fowl.
Associated with Mr.. Kelly in the
pigeon netting and selling was Rob.
ert Garrett, at one time clerk of
the Going Snake district and after
ward a citizen of Tahlequah. The
pigeons, I'm the fall of the year, ar
rived at the roosts "by the Million"
the limbs of large trees being broken
off by the immense weights the
clustered masses as wave after wave
of the birds flew down and perched
among the trees.
A number of the birds were kept
| from one season TO another to be
used as stool birds" in order that
the wild ones could be more readily
enticed. 1t was no trouble TO keep
the birds. according to Mr.. Kelly, as
their new environments, but never
would they mate while in captivity.
Besides engaging In the netting
and shipping of the wild pigeons
| Mr.. Kelly killed many wild turkeys,
these fowls then being very numer-
Gus. as well as many fine deer. The
| hill country more than 35 years ago
was practically unbroken and one
could ride for miles without seeing
/ house. Wild game found abund-
! ance of food In the valleys and the
| hunter experient I'd little difficulty
in securing any quantity of turkeys
! he desired, while several deer could
be killed within Va radius of a few
miles or less.
While In the Cherokee nation
| Mr. Kelly assisted in cutting thou
sands of walnut logs which were
floated down the Illinois river to a
destination some distance away. and
made a trip on one occasion with a
big consignment of logs down the
swift flowing stream.
Among other events of interest re-
called by Mr.. Kelly was that OF
having attended a noted murder
trial at the old Going Snake district
courthouse. Two brothers. George
and Fred Dunawas, were tried for
the murder of Wash Lee, former
sheriff of the district. The prose
cution was by l.. G. Boudinot and
w. w. Hastings of Tahlequah, while
the defense was conducted by Judge
Dick Wolfe, for a number OF years
a senator In the Cherokee legisla-
ture. The boys were convicted and
hanged on a gallows in the yard Of
| the old Cherokee prise in Table
quah, after all efforts to secure a
cOmmutation OF their sentence from
the principal chief OF the Cherokee
nation had beer In vain.
As to the wild pigeons, II II said
that they exist in vast numbers in
the United States of Columbia In
South America. and by some II is
supposed that the birds made their
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