Ft Gibson Post Newspaper, March 26, 1898 Part 1

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Ft. Gibson Post

Vol III No 23

Saturday March 26, 1898 (Part 1)

Abstracted / Transcribed by Linda Haas Davenport

When the print is so faded that it cannot be read <.....> will be used . All transcription will be as found in the paper, misspellings and all

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WASHINGTON LETTER.
Important Matters Affecting the Indian Territory.
The Status of a Curtis Bill and a Review of Other Washington Affairs.
STATUS OF THE CURTIS BILL. - Washington D.C. March 22 - The delay in the consideration of the Curtis bill causes some nervousness on the part of those interested in its passage. That it will pass the house as soon as it is considered is taken for granted, but according to current opinion, only about six weeks of the session remains, and this, added to the proverbially deliberate legislative procedure that obtains in the senate, is the cause of the uneasiness, not to say alarm. ... It has been thought all along that it would certainly be reached on committee call, on Monday the 21st, but it now transpires that, during the absence of the members of the Indian committee from the house today, a motion was made to displace the committee calls of to-day with the consideration of private bills. No one objected and the motion prevailed. When they learned of what had been done those in charge of the Curtis bill were much chagrined, as the committee call will not be reached for two weeks from that date. ...
INDIAN APPROPRIATION BILL. - Much delay is also experienced in disposing of the Indian Appropriation bill. Both the Senate and House Conferees have been appointed but no meetings of the Committee have yet been held. ... Sharp contests will come over the amendments relating to appeal of citizenship cases, and granting the holders of fraudulent Creek warrents to sue for their payment in the Court of Claims. ... The Cherokee Delegation are directing their efforts specially against the "Intruders" of that nation, and have presented a memorial to the Committee protesting strongly against the Senate amendments, and citing a long line of authorities in support of their contention that the decisions of the United States Judges were final ...
SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND. - Judge Little has introduced a bill "Appropriating $10,000 for the support of a school for the blind, at Fort Gibson. It provides that the above sum shall be appropriated, to be used under the direction and within the discretion of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the support and maintenance of a school for the blind now in operation at Fort Gibson of which Miss Lura Rowland is principal. ... It has been referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
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JAIL APPROPRIATION FAILS. - The indications now are that the $100,000 appropriation recommended by the Attorney General for the erection of three jails at Muskogee, South McAlester, and Ardmore, is at an end for the session. The Appropriations Committee have decided that they have no jurisdiction. ...
TOWNSITE BILL. - The Senate Indian Affairs Committee yesterday favorably reported the bill referred to in a previous communication "Authorizing cities and towns in the Indian Territory to by condemnation and otherwise, to take lands necessary for public improvements." ...
REDUCTION IN RAILROAD FARE. - The senate has passed a bill prohibiting the railroad of the Indian Territory from charging more than three cents per mile for passengers.
THE DELEGATE BILL. - At the Thursday meeting of the Indian Affairs Committee Judge Little called up his bill granting the Indian Territory a delegate in congress. His hope was to get the committee to take direct action on it and if favorable, to send it to the house calendar for passage. ...
THE CHEROKEE DELEGATION. - Whatever may be said of the effect and influence of the Cherokee delegation on pending legislation, it cannot be said that they are not active and vigilant. They meet every change in the legislative situation with either a brief protest setting forth their views and objections, as regards
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the interest of their people. ...
THE "OMNIBUS BILL"The bill introduced some weeks ago allowing sundry Indian and Indian Territory claimants to bring suit in the Court of Claims, has received an impetus in both Senate and House this week. ... a provision "giving to either of the parties of the said suit the right of appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States" ... When reported it will differ from the Senate bill to the extent of having added to it many other controversies that have long been pending in Congress. The idea seems to be make it an "Omnibus Bill," the effect of which will be to take up and refer to the Courts for final determination all of the many vexatious claims and contentions that have for years, been pressed directly before the Committees. ...
RAILROAD LEGISLATION. - The following is a summary of the
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railroad legislation of the week: ... right of ways granted ... Gainesville, McAlester & St. Louis Railway ... from the Red River to South McAlester ... McAlester to Fort Smith ... Nebraska, Kansas & Gulf Railway ... Denison, Bonham & New Orleans Railway Company [no locations listed] .. extending the charter of the Arkansas, Texas & Mexican Central Railway Company ... with the number of rights of way and extension of charters that have been granted by the present congress an unprecedented era of railway building is approaching for the Indian Territory.
TERRITORY REPRESENTATIVES. - The personnel of the Indian Territory representation has changed with the week as follows: Messrs. Colbert and Byrd, Chickasaw delegates have arrived and are quartered at the Metropolitan. J C Byrd, ex-Attorney General of the Chickasaws, has returned home. W E Halsell, Cherokee townsite delegate, of Vinita, has returned home. W P Thompson, of Tahlequah, and D W C Duncan of Vinita, attorneys for the Cherokees, have returned to Washington and will remain to the end of the session. J F Murray, townsite delegate of South McAlester will leave for home to-morrow. H H Hubbard, of Vinita, one of the attorneys for the Cherokee intruders, has arrived in Washington to join his colleagues, Messrs. Watts and Edmiston.

JIM DYER ON TRIAL.
The trial of Jim Dyer for a train robbery which occurred at Blackstone, I. T., in 1894, was taken up in the United States court at Fort Smith this week. This is the second trail of the case, and though the second trial, it is exciting general interest.
Neal Reed claims to have been at the holding up, and to have received a wound in the hip which makes him a cripple for life. He testified at the former trial that the plot to hold up the train was formulated in Dyer's house and that he was one of the persons who took hand in it.
Dyer claims he is a victim of a conspiracy and is confident of acquittal.
Deputy Mashal Bussey, who shot and killed "Dr." or Bill Johnson at Claremore last week after the latter had killed Bussye's posseman, was acquitted by Commission Yancy Saturday last.

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MAN AND WIFE SLAIN.
A Horrible Crime Committed by a Mob Near Wybark. - Sunday night last a mob of six heavily armed men went to the home of Ed Chalmers, colored, near Wybark and called for him to come to the door. He refused and the men then pushed down the door and began firing into the bed where Chalmers and his wife were sleeping. Chalmers jumped from the bed and rushed to the men to defend himself, but the mob grabbed him. He wrenched himself from their grasp and was trying to escape through a window when some of the mob on the outside grabbed him and proceeded to riddle him with bullets.
When the neighbors arrived on the scene a sickening sight met their gaze. Chalmers was lying face downward literally riddled with bullets, and covered with blood and was barely able to speak. In the house was his wife who was already a corpse, and the entire floor was one mass of blood. Chalmers died Monday morning, but before his death he gave the names of the men who he recognized in the mob. The next morning a Mr. Matthews, who was about 50 years old, and who has resided at Gibson Station, I.T., for some time, was found dead near the railroad, only a short distance from the scene of the crime, with a bullet hole through his body, and some weapons lying near. He answered the description of one of the men who Chalmers described as being in the mob, and upon investigation it was found that he had been shot at Chalmers house, doubtless accidently, and carried to the railroad by his pals, who after finding that he was dead placed the weapons by his side in order to convey the impression that he had killed Chalmers and his wife.
Chalmers, who was a colored man, formerly resided in Lonoke county Ark. He came to the Territory some time ago and recently married a while girl named Headly, and it is thought that his marriage to this girl was the cause of the brutal double murder.

SEVEN MEN ARRESTED.
Marshal Bennett of Muskogee has caused the arrest of seven men who are charged with this crime. They were Ed Burns, Laton Sparks, R L Mills, Robt. Blalock and one Smiley all of whom reside at Gibson Station. Lamon is a prominent young merchant of Gibson Station and Gains is the depot agent of the M.K.&T. railroad at that place, while Burns and Smiley are employed on the section.

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Give us war or give us money. We prefer the latter, however.

"Time is money," so we hear, but we don't believe it. We have spent more dollars time in the last six months in running The Post than we have spent nickle money.

The fighting editor of The Post this week tendered his resignation and will go to Cuba as soon as his business affairs can be arranged. Belligerents who have a grievance against this paper may go to the "devil."

Every town in the country of any importance except Fort Gibson has incorporated or applied for incorporation under Arkansas law. Fort Gibson, the most important town of them all, continues to wait for something to drop.

W D Collyar, editor of the Durant Times, committed suicide last week by blowing his brains out with a six shooter. When newspaper men being killing themselves put it down for a certainty that there is something wrong with the times.

The hop ale contingent won a great victory at Wagoner last week. Louis Cohr, the most extensive hop ale dealer in the Territory, beat all the numerous cases against him for selling the beverage. Judge Thomas ruling that it was not a violation of the law to sell hop ale in this Territory. It will be a poor town that wont sport a hop ale joint now.

As will be seen from our Washington letter this week, a bill has been introduced in congress appropriating $10,000 for the support of Miss Rowland's School for the Blind, now in operation at Fort Gibson. This is a very important item for Fort Gibson, as most of this money, if the bill passes, will be expended here. And if the war scare does not prevent it, it will, in all probabilities pass as it is strongly recommended in the report of the Dawes Commission.

While it is a bad breach of social etiquette for a negro man to marry a white woman, or for a white man to marry a negro woman, such an offense against society does not merit the fate of Ed. Chamlers and his white wife, who were brutally murdered last Sunday night by a mob for living together. The white woman who is low down enough to marry a colored man is not good enough for such a husband, and the negro man who will marry so depraved a white woman should not be accorded the respect of his own race.

This evening a Times collector called on one G T Ray, who has been owing the Times bill for many months past due, and yesterday said he would pay it to-day, but instead of paying the bill he hit the Times collector, after showing that he had the money in his purse. The altercation took place in front of the Turner Hardware store. - Muskogee Times

We have troubles of our own.

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