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Show Capt. Hayes advising him that he believed the troops could be with-drawn on that date withodt endangeiing the peaoe. In his letter of October 26, 1892, to this o&ce, tranamittiug a copy of his communice-tion to Capt. 'Iayes, Agent Be~luetts aid: There is yet a possibilitg of trouble when the trial of the men ohargea with the rnurth,rs eommit~adin September lest is entered into, but [if] after the experience whiotL they hove hat1 and the advice alrend3- given, the Choctaw people can not be restrained from these acts of ontlawry, and their authorities find it again i~npoasible to deal r i t h their own oitirena, unless sunnorted bv United States soldiers, I m of the War Department. 1 do not believa that there is a probability of trouble of such ;, character as to necessitate action upon my part, but feel quite confident that the arithorities of the nation will be a,hle to coutrol the situation withont oalling upon me again. No further trouble mas experienced until March, 1893. The trial of the prisoners who surrendered September 14,1892, had not been entered upon as late as Febrnary 24,1893, the a,gcut having011 that date trans-mitted to this office a communication from Gardner and McClure, the attorneys for the prisoners, with certain afficlavits chargiug that said prisoners mere being unnecessarily held and denied afair trial by the authorit,ies of the Choctaw Xation, aud requestir~g that this Depart-ment take some action that would sectme the release of the parties upon proper bnil or their speedy trial. The office replied to this request Mach 11, 1893, with the statement that the Departmeut would not be authorized to interfere witb the executiou of the lams of the Choctaw Nation by its proper authorities unless i t could be sl~owuth at t h e lms sought to be executed mere inconsistent mith the Constitution of the United States, aud the lams enacted thesennder for the government of trade and intercourse ~vitl: the Indian tribes, the Choctaws being secured by their treaties it: the right of self-goven~ment aud full juris-dicticm of the persons and property of their citizens, with the reservation that ?;he goveru~nentm ust be conducted in a 111anner co~rrpatiblew ith the C-nited States Constitution aud the Iudiau interoonrse laws. In the meant.ime reports mere observed in the public press to the effect that ib condition of armed insurrection existed in the Choctaw Xation, and rmder date of March 27,1893, Agent Bennett mas telegraphed: Press 4ispatehes from Payis, Tex., report bloolly font1 between two factions of Choct:bws. Situation critianl at Antlers. Report what action, if any, necessary te preserve peaoe. Agent Benuett replied the same day by wire: Choctaw authorities have not reported the existenoe of strife beyond their own control, nor asked Federal assistsuoe in preserving peace. Will report again when more fully xlvise<l of aituxtion. And on the uext daybe telegraphed that- Choata?~nn thorities report no trouble-eslr no assiatanoa. Have taken no official action in their affairs. Press rlispatohes from 31o.klhlester report two engngwrnents |
