Ft. Gibson Post

Vol III No 46

Thursday September 29, 1898 (Part 2)

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 4 (cont)

CHARLEY FOREMAN DEAD
     Charley Foreman of Sequoyah district, who had the credit of having killed seven men, died at his home near Sallisaw Tuesday of consumption.

TAHLEQUAH U S COURT
           The Criminal Docket is Cleared
           and Civil Business Taken Up
     Tahlequah, I.T., Sep 28 - Judge Thomas' court continues to grind. The cases were all disposed of last week and the civil cases are now on tap. The criminal cases disposed of since our last were:
     Eli Pumkin and Alex Christie, larceny, and Lewis McLemore, same; three years each at Fort Leavenworth. McLemore got two additional years on another count, making his term five years in all.
     John Cornshuck, whisky, nolie pros, and defendant dismissed.
     Robert Foreman, assault to kill Joe Fish; 11 months and 29 days at Fort Smith jail and $500 fine and costs.
     Isreal Poorboy, rape, 15 years at Columbus, Ohio. Poorboy was given the extend of the law.
CIVIL DOCKET
     Fred B McEnery vs Kate McEnery, divorce, charge of desertion; decree for plaintiff. By mutual agreement plaintiff kept their little son and defendant kept the younger child, a little girl.

THE RENNIE FAMILY
     Why they were Not Enrolled as
           Indians. Interesting Case.
     Perhaps the most prominent and interesting citizenship case that has thus far been tried before the Dawes commission in the Chickasaw nation is that of the Reney family who have been prominent people, holding offices of public trust as recognized citizens, but finally rejected by the Dawes commission on the following grounds furnished the Denison (Tex) Herald by A Telle, a prominent Choctaw attorney. The case is of general interest, as there may be others of the same kind among the other tribes awaiting trial. Mr Tellie said:
     "The rejectment of the Rennie family (including A Renney, wife and children) was caused by complaint filed by Sobe Love, protesting that they had no Chickasaw blood in their veins and were therefore not entitled to enrollment as citizens. The ground that Mr Love takes is that the Chickasaw citizenship is claimed through Mrs Rennie, and that Mrs Rennie's mother married a Chickasaw Indian, who died. She afterwards married a white man, and Mrs Rennie is a daughter of this marriage, her mother being a white woman and her father a white man without any Chickasaw blood in his veins. This is the ground set up and on which Mr Rennie and his family were rejected, and the Dawes commission refused to enroll them. Unless it can be established that Mrs Rennie has Chickasaw blood in her veins the decision of the Dawes commission will be binding.

HIS TRUNK WAS WRECKED
     Jas S Stapler, the well-known Tahlequah merchant, was on the Missouri Pacific train robbed near Kansas City last Friday night. He was returning home, accompanied by his two little daughters, and son, and they reached Fort Gibson on a belated train Saturday afternoon. An evidence of the blowing up of the baggage car by the robbers was a smashed-up trunk belonging to Mr Stapler, which was one of three or four saved from the wreck and bought on through. None of the passengers were molested other than being delayed several hours and having their baggage blow to atoms with dynamite.

Page 1, Column 5

AN ELECTRIC RAILROAD
     One to Run From Fort Gibson to
     Tahlequah
           That is, Such a Line is Being Talked
           of Strongly, and Would Pay Like
           a Good Gold Mine.
     An electric railway from Fort Gibson to Tahlequah is now being considered by men who are able to build it. Such a line is also being considered by men who are not able to build it, but who see that there would be big money in such an enterprise and are willing to go into a stock company and grow rich in a few from the profits that would certainly be derived from it.
     Last week J R Cockrell, a civil engineer of Kansas City, representing a syndicate of capitalists, was in Fort Gibson on an important mission. It was so important that his company that Mr Cockrell requested The Post to say nothing about the object of his visit until they could secure a scinch on the franchise and thus prevent any rival company from getting in ahead of them. But the probability of such an important enterprise is so important to the people of Fort Gibson and Tahlequah that The Post cannot withhold the good news from them.
     Mr Cockrell came here to examine the great river water power of Grand river and report on the feasibility and probable cost of constructing a dam across the stream. He was pleasantly surprised at what he found - the enormous water power that can so easily and cheaply be utilized at this place.
     Mr. Cockrell came down from Tahlequah over the proposed line and estimated that the road can be constructed for about $50,000 and equipped and put in operation for $25,000 more. This would make the road and equipment cost $75,000, about what the freight and passenger traffic between Fort Gibson and Tahlequah amounts to for a single year. Then by manufacturing the electricity necessary by the enormous water power of Grand river the running expense of the line would always be very light.
     Considering these facts, Mr Cockrell was of the opinion that an electric road would ere long be connecting Fort Gibson and Tahlequah, and that the property would be equal in value to a gold mine.

ALL ABOUT COONS
     Jack Spurlock, the butcher, has commenced war on coons, but isn't ready for 'possom yet. He only killed seven last Saturdya, and it wasn't a good night for coons, either. Jack don't agree with the song where it says: "All Coons are Alike to Me," He knows from experience as an old coon hunter that there is as much difference in coons as anything else. There is the ring-tail coon and several other kinds of coons too numerous to mention. To make a long story short, what Jack Spurlock don't know about coons isn't worth mentioning.

Mrs. J H Messer has returned from an extended visit to her mother in Missouri.

Page 2 & 3 preprinted

Page 4, column 1

The North and the South clasp hands in loving sympathy over the grave of Winnie Davis, the lovely "Daughter of the Confederacy."

Judge Springer is reported to have said that it will take three years to bring about allotment. In the meantime townsite business will go on.

A press report says that there are fifty lawyers in South McAlester - enough to discourage the devil, still McAlester is a pretty fair town to live in.

So many people seem to be solicitous for "the poor fullbloods." No need of all this. Do right by them, and the fullbloods will take care of themselves.

Once again the inquiry is being made: "Where, O, where is that Cherokee Moses, to lead us to the Promise Land?" May be Rev Watt Duncan can tell, but he won't.

B S Smiser, editor of the Atoka Citizen has been appointed townsite commissioner for the Choctaw nation by Gov McCurtain. The appointment is a good one and meets with general satisfaction. Good editors are sometimes rewarded, even in this life.

The enterprising town of Wagoner has at last got a first-class newspaper man in the person of J L Tuitis, who has bought an interest in the Daily and Weekly Sayings with C B Lindsey, who is a first-class printer. Wagoner has needed a good newspaper and will now have one.

M E Milford of the Indian Chieftain and family have been traveling in Colorado where the scenery is among the grandest in the world. Among the products of Colorado we notice that alfalfa in value amounts to $10,00,000 a year, this on poor, dry land.

When a disciple asked Plato "what is God?" the great philosopher said he would take two days to consider and answer the question. If the question should be asked "what is the Curtis bill?" how long do you think a good lawyer would want to answer the question? Perhaps he would give up.

Gus Ivey, the white Cherokee full-blood, appears to be unusally quiet and retiring these days. Perhaps he is brewing something, and will appear in the panorama later on. Perhaps he is organizing a big war-dance among his fullblood brethren. When the time comes Gus will, undoubtedly be there, and tell his constituents "where he is at."

Citizenship in the five civilized tribes it appears is not a sure thing in all cases. The Rennie family who for years have been citizens of the Chickasaw nation, holding important offices, have been decided against by the Dawes commission as having no citizenship rights. There may be surprises in store here in the Cherokee Nation when the Dawes commission come to make up the rolls.