Ft. Gibson Post

Vol III No 46

Thursday September 29, 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

Page 1, column 1

DELAWARES TO EMIGRATE
     To a "Garden of Eden" in Old Mexico
           Many Cherokees May Also Go - The
           Delawares Have Bargained for a
           Fine Tract of Land
     The Delawares will emigrate to Mexico as soon as they have settled with Uncle Sam and the Cherokees.
     From reliable information just received by The Post this appears to be almost a certainty. It is also quite probable that a large body of fullblood Cherokees will emigrate to the land of the Aztec, as negotiations looking to this end are now going on.
     The Delawares, through their authorized agents, have already bargained for 550,000 acres of land on the Yaqui river, state of Senora, which lies just southeast of Lower California. Representatives of the Delawares are now on this track and it is said the main body of the tribe will go as soon as their land in the Cherokee nation can be segregated and sold.
     In talking of the 550,000 acre track bargained for by the Delawares a representative just back from Mexico gave The Post a glowing description of its productiveness and healthful location. He says it is a perfect paradise compared to this country.
     "In fertility it is equal to the best of the California orange country. An analysis of the soil is just the same. Yaqui river, which runs through this 550,000 tract, is larger than Grand river here at Fort Gibson, and just as clear and pure. Wells of pure water can be had at a depth of from 15 to 65 feet all over the tract. It is the real garden spot of the world. Wheat grows there as prolific as in California and is always free from rust. Irrigation is a success there already, and insures a crop of both wheat and corn on the same ground each year. On this tract an irrigation canal is now in successful operation, 50 miles long, 45 feet wide, and carries a depth of 7 feet of water.
     "Oranges mature there before they do in California. Other tropical fruits, such as lemons, limes, figs, pumgranates, pears, almonds, pineapples, cocoanuts and other summer tropical fruits all do well. Cotton produces for four years from the same stalk without being replanted, and is finer than in this country. Alfalfa hay produces from six to seven crops a year and sells readily at $20 per tone.
     "The Mexican authorities have assured the Indians of this Territory that they are welcome to come down and make themselves new homes. There are two Indian tribes, however - the Apaches and Comanches - who will not be admitted at all. The Delawares have arranged to go in with all the stock, machinery, implements, etc. that they wish to carry into Mexico free of duty, and their lands and property are to be exempt from taxation for a period of fifteen years. There is no malaria, no consumption and no physicians in this portion of Mexico, and nearly three fourths of the present population are Indians.
     "Yes, I am now confident that the Delawares and may be a portion of the Cherokees will go to Mexico as soon as the necessary details can be arranged. Horace Adams, a brother to R C Adams, has, I am informed, already gone down and permanently located in this 'garden of Eden.' R C Adams is helping to mature the plans up here, and is succeeding admirably."

WENT AWAY TO WED
     Dr J C Bushyhead of Claremore passed down the Valley Tuesday enroute to Huntingon, Ark., where it is said he went to wed one of that city's fair young ladies. Dr C M Ross of Tahlequah accompanied him to act as "best man" at the wedding.

Page 1, column 2

SOUVENIRS FROM CUBA
     John Adair, the Fort Gibson rough rider, who returned home last Saturday, brought a number of souvenirs from Cuba, among others Mauser rifle bullets which are long and small, being only 27 caliber, steel cased and high explosive smokeless powder. These bullets are three in a group, inserted sidewise into the guy, which is rapid firing and very long range. This is the German army gun and is claimed to be the best in the world; but the men behind it were not so good. Mr Adair is stopping with Mr H Eiffert and family to whom he has donated several souvenirs of the Santiago campaign.

BACK FROM THE WAR
           Rough Rider John Adair Saw
           Service Galore
     John M Adiar, a popular Fort Gibson boy who went to Cuba with Roosevelt and who shares the honor and glory of the now famous Rough Riders, is home one more, hale and hearty and as jolly as ever. He arrived Saturday last and has not completed the hand-shaking act yet, and it is not probably that he will get through relating his exciting experiences in the Cuban campaign during the rest of his life.
     John Adair is a Cherokee and none of the Rough Riders stood the hardships of the war better or were in harder fighting than he. He was in the front ranks at the battle of La Quasina and charged with the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill. He was in the three-day fight around Santiago and became familiar and indifferent to the z-z-z of the Mauser bullets and the swich and <...> of the Spanish bombshells. He is tanned somewhat by the Cuban climate, but he weighs more and knows more than he did when he left Fort Gibson last spring. His arms are sore from being talk to since his return. But for this we might fill several columns interestingly about him and his hot time in Cuba. His numerous friends are glad, nevertheless, of his safe return home.

DARING ROBBERY
          Some Experience of James Stapler
          of Tahlequah
     The east-bound train due here from Coffeyville, Kans. at 10 a.m. last Friday, was six hours late, and there were good reasons for it. The Missouri Pacific passenger train was held up and robbed about 9:40 the night before about seven miles out from Kansas City, which was one of the most daring and successful on record. James Stapler, the well-known Tahlequah merchant and his daughter were on the train on their way home, and had some experience, which was related when they got off the train here in Fort Gibson.
     It appears that there were seven men in the hold-up. The train was flagged in a lonely part of the road between Leeds and Dawson, the engineer and fireman being covered by the robbers, compelled to dismount and detaching the engine and Pacific express car ran them down the track about a mile and a half towards Dawson. The baggage car was broken into and a quantity of dynamite placed on top of the large through safe, and the local safe placed on top of it. The car was blown to splinters and the safes thrown away to one side of the track. Nothing but fragments of the local safe could be found and the through safe badly wreck, so great was the force of the explosion, which was plainly heard in Kansas City. How much money the robbers got is not known, but the sum is thought to be very large. Up to date no arrests have been made, but hundreds of detectives are scouring the country.
     Mr Stapler had a trunk in the baggage car that was blown up, and as taken from the express car on the platform here, tied up with rope, battered and torn, looked like it had seen hard times. Most of the trunks were blown to pieces and their contents scattered promiscuously. Looked like an acre or more was strewn with ladies dresses, underwear and other wearing apparel with other articles. Mr Stapler was glad to get off as well as he did.

40,000 HORSE POWER
     To Be Utilized by Putting a Dam
     Across Grand River
           Fort Gibson Has the Greatest Water
           Power in the West and Will become
           a Great Manufacturing City.
     Forty thousand horse power every day in the year, 24 hours a day !
     That is what the enormous water power of Grand river at Fort Gibson will represent when a dam is constructed across the stream at this place, which can be done at a remarkably small outlay of time and money.
     And, the best part of this item is the dam is to be constructed, and that, too, at no distant day.
     This means that Fort Gibson will become, not only the greatest city of the Beautiful Indian Territory, but likewise the greatest manufacring city in the whole Southwest.
     Now listen to some facts.
     But little has been known of the great water power of Grand river at Fort Gibson until recently, now even by the majority of our citizens. W A Scott, one of our old-timers, knew of it however, and a few months ago he called the attention of J S Holden, senior editor of The Post, to it. The two thereupon went up the river just a mile to see the dam-site. It was there, sure-enough, and Mr Holden knows a good thing when he sees it, and is always ready to help push it along. (Mr Holden is out of town this week, hence our free reference to him in this article.) Well, Mr Holden was enthusiastically surprised at what he saw: Two mountains of limestone building stone jutted out to the river banks from each side and the swift, sparkling waters flowed between like a great natural mill-race, with a 25 foot fall to the mile. He saw at a glance that of all the numerous natural advantages of Fort Gibson, this great natural water power was greatest of them all. All that was necessary was a stone dam across the river at this point to control and increase the great water power, and right there a hundred feet above on the banks was the stone in super-abundance with which to construct the dam. Not a stone would have to be hauled or conveyed, except to quarry them out and shoot them down the precipitate decline to the spot they were to form a part of the dam.
     Well, all this was perfectly plain to Mr Scott and Mr Holden and it has appeared even plainer to the several civil engineers who have since been induced to come and examine the premises. Mr Holden at once communicated with a large paper manufacturing concern of Holyoke, Mass., telling them of the Grand river's pure water and great water power. The result was that the Holyoke paper concern sent Mr Frank MacKeen, a first-class civil engineer, out here to examine and report back to them on the matter. Mr MacKeen made a preliminary survey of the river and reported that "with remarkably small outlay of time and expense a stone dam can be constructed across Grand river at Fort Gibson, whereby 40,000 horse power can be utilized day and night.
     Since this report was made other civil engineers and moneyed men have been here and all are of the same opinion. All are also confident that this same enormous power is bound to make Fort Gibson the greatest manufacturing city of the Southwest.