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Ft. Gibson Post
Vol III No 30
Thursday June 9, 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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Page 1, column 1
MULDROW ITEMS. An Interesting Budget of News From a Special Reporter.
Muldrow, I. T., June 7 -
The exposure of Mayor (?) Watts and his gang in The Post last week, excited much comment in town, and was received by the general public with much satisfaction. The exposure felt like a bomb in the camp of "Rear Admiral Jess" and "Walking Squadron," who imagined that there were none bold enough nor dared to expose their infamous doings. Those acquainted with the facts know that the exposure was a very mild one, and that the half has not yet been told. Let the gang disprove the facts stated, if they can.
It is not falsehood told of any person that injuries them, but damaging truth. Any person who would maliciously publish an untruth or a false accusation against the gang who have been running things their own way, here, should be severely dealt with. The truth is bad enough. "Hit 'em again."
Geo Bethel has given up the hotel business here and moved to Fort Smith. Bethel claims to have been elected recorder by rights but like others was beat out of the office. When L W Byrd resigned he was in hopes that he might receive the appointment. But Will Blackard, a cousin of "Rear Admiral Jess" got the place, so as to have it "all in the family" you know. George was some sick Injun before he left, and none of his people can accuse him of being a "Watts Indian" any longer.
Judge McCombs court is in session at this place the present week.
Growing crops look very promising, especially corn. Big rain Sunday.
Potato shipping will commence this week. The crop is better than was expected two or three weeks ago.
The Leach hotel has been enlarged and improved, a first class colored cook, and a first class place to stop at.
W W Payne is building up a good and extensive merchantile business, by fair dealing and courteous treatment to all.
Well, the "Muldrow Press" after a few weeks existence has passed in its checks and has "gone where the woodine twineth." The Press was a newsy little sheet, ably conducted and failed only for lack of support.
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F P Shields, its editor, is a good newspaper man and a writer of ability and talent. He is now at Sallisaw, and should be appreciated by the people of that enterprising town. Muldrow will be under the ban so long as the present gang holds sway. But their turn is coming. They only hold power through trickery and fraud at the ballot, and there is a good majority against them.
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TWO TO HANG.
First Legal Execution to Occur at Muskogee, July 1.
July first, next, will be a memorable day in Muskogee. It will witness the first legal execution ever held under the United States law in the Indian Territory. The two men condemned to die on that day, and now in the Muskogee jail, are K B Brooks and Chas Perkins, both colored. It is not likely that there will be intervention of any kind and their lives are now limited to about 20 days. Both men were convicted of brutal crimes, most horrible in detail, and the righteous execution of the law will not fall amiss when the black Friday arrives. - Phoenix
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TOWN ORGANIZATION
How Towns Must be Organized in Indian Territory under Arkansas laws.
The new town government which will be put into operation immediately after the election of mayor, recorder and five alderman, will be in some respects different from town government that has heretofore prevailed.
Generally speaking, the mayor within the corporate limits, will have the same jurisdiction as a United States commissioner in all civil and criminal cases. In addition to this he will have power to enforce whatever ordinances may be enacted by the council of the town.
It is important to remember at the very beginning that certain formalities are requisite in the passage of an ordinance and if these are not complied with the ordinance is void. As the expense of publishing an ordinance ranges from one dollar to five or six dollars, and as officers acting under ordinances that are void are trespassers and liable for the acts accordingly, it becomes of paramount importance that each ordinance should be carefully drawn and passed.
The following are some of the important requirements in making of ordinances:
Each ordinance shall have but one subject which shall be clearly stated in the title.
They require for their passage a majority of the alderman and not simply a majority of those present.
They must be fully and distinctly read at two different meetings, not on the same day, unless this rule is dispensed with by a two-thirds vote.
The yeas and nays must be called and recorded on the passage of each ordinance.
The ordinance must be recorded in a book kept for the purpose and authenticated by the signatures of the presiding officer (mayor) and the clerk (recorder).
They must be published in some newspaper of general circulation in the town if any there be.
The above are the formalities that are generally to be observed in the passage of laws, by any legislative body, but in addition to these requirements there are quite a number of restraints and limitations placed by law on the power of municipal corporations not so easy of classification.
However, the council has the power, generally, to make such ordinances, as are not inconsistent with the constitution of the United States, laws of congress or the laws of Arkansas adopted in this Territory, as may be necessary to carry into effect and discharge the powers and duties conferred on such towns by law, especially to secure the inhabitants of the town against injury by fire, thieves, burglars, robbers and other persons violating the public peace, and to preserve the peace, safety and health of the people and to promote the prosperity, improve the morals, order, comfort and convenience of the inhabitants of such town.
Though the mayor, acting as a commissioner or justice of the peace, has power to assess fines for all the acts prohibited as misdemeanors by the provisions of Mansfield's Digest, it is likely that, in order that the fines should go into the town treasury, these statutes should be adopted as ordinances. Thus the mayor, on the next day after his qualification could asses a fine of not less than $50 or more than $100 for carrying a pistol, yet this fine would belong to the United States unless we pass an ordinance adopting this law against pistol carrying or defining and punishing the offense.
The adoption of the laws of Arkansas defining and punishing misdemeanors can be accomplished by one ordinance and this will likely be the first work of the council.
It will be noticed that the law provides for the election of a mayor, recorder and five alderman and not for other officers. It is provided, however, that the council may create such other officers as it sees fit and make them, if it chooses, elective by the people at all subsequent elections. It will be necessary to create the office of marshal and treasurer, and possibly some others, at once and for
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the council to fill these places until the next regular election.
The mayor, or in his absence the recorder, is the presiding officer of the council. For their services none of the council receive any pay except the recorder. The council may allow him pay.
The mayor collects when acting as a court the same fees as paid a justice of the peace under the laws of Arkansas, and in fact he is in all respects a justice of the peace within the limits of the town. He may cause the arrest of persons for murder, manslaughter and all other felonies committed within the corporate limits of the town and commit them or hold to bail. - J P Buster, in Tahlequah Arrow.
Pages 2 & 3 Preprinted
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FORT GIBSON JUNE 9, 1898
The Territory Rough Riders have "gone from us" and been lost sight of somewhere down in the Everglades of Florida. We are of the opinion that "Teddy's Terrors" are sadly deficient in a corps of fake reporters.
There are several men in Fort Gibson who would make the town a good mayor, but Alex R Matheson seems to be the favorite candidate so far as can be learned by The Post. Now the idea is to select another good man to run against him.
Agent Widsom has recommended that congress appropriate $10,000 to relieve the flood suffers in the vicinity of Redland. This is all right as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. A few dollars might be benevolently distributed up the river as far as Fort Gibson.
The proposition to conduct a teachers normal school at Tahlequah this summer should receive hearty approval of all interested in education. Many of the teachers of the Cherokee nation need to be taught some things in order that they themselves may teach their pupils properly.
It is reported in an enterprising exchange that the Spanish fleet down near Santiago had sunk one of our best war ships, adding the startling rumor that Uncle Same in person was aboard the ill fated vessel and, like poor McGinty, went down to the bottom of the sea, dressed in his striped suit o' clothes.
Persons who expect favors of The Post should show their worthiness of such favors by paying up what they already owe us, or by subscribing and otherwise patronizing the paper. We are not attempting to run a local paper in Fort Gibson for fun or for the "puffing" of those who are too stingy to give a nickle towards it support.
The fist issue of the "Gatling Gun, a Periodical of the Period," published monthly at Cleveland, O., reached us this week. It is a very clever imitation of the late W C Brann's Iconoclast, and announces that it is hunting troubles. Walter Hurt is its editor and the probabilities are that he will be badly hurt before he ever reaches the penacle of fame that Brann reached.
Our readers, we trust, will pardon us for penning another romance this week connected with the eventful career of Bill Cook. Our excuse, however, is that the story makes a good space filler and contains probabilities that are altogether possible. Then again, locals are very scarce these warm June days, the farmers being busy with their cotton crops, the loungers at the Lake fishing and housewives at home fighting flies.
To-morrow, June 10, is the day set for Tahlequah to hold her first municipal election under the statutes of Arkansas. We suppose it will be sort of go-as-you-
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please race for the various offices, as no regular candidates have been announced, so far as learned. Tahlequah is a good town and deserves a good mayor, and the voters up there should avoid opposers of the enevitable and monumental asses of egotism, by voting for a man who favored the new incorporation and worked for it from the beginning.
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