OCR Text |
Show removed from Erehs and a report as to the condition of affairs in the Nation. He had already, August 4, 1894, given a, list of intruders removed from Alderson and Hartshoriie, and stated in each case the reasons for the removal. These reasons were either that the person charged with intrusion had no permit, or that having been served with notice of the charge of being. an intruder had not appeared at the investigation of the question. This report was forwarded to the Depart-ment August 17,1894, and as the ageut had stated that the removals were left by him to be effected by t.he military officers aceording to their discretion, reports of officers of the Army which had been referred from the War Depart.ment were also forwarded, although such reports gave no detailed statement as to the manner adopted by these military officers to effect the removals. August 18,1894, Agent Wisdom reported that the Indian policeman, J. W. Ellis, who had represented the agency in the removals from Krebs, had been for some weeks employed in guarding the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Compa,ny's trains against contemplated attacks by the Cook and Dalton gangs of outlaws, and that he (the ageut) had not been able to secure from him a certified list of such removedintruders, buthad directed him to furnish thelistimmediately; also that Capt. Ellis, who was in command of United States troops, had given the number of intruders removed as forty-three. This list was forwarded by the agent August 20 and transmitted to the Department August 27,1894. Charges havereached this office from parties at Lehigh, inthe Choo-taw Nation, that Ager~Wt isdom was unfair in his investigation of some of the charges of intrusion and that unnecessary harshness was used in effecting removals from the nation. I am satisfied, however, from reports of military officers and of the agent and from other papers received, that the i~lvestigationin to the charges was made by t.he agent with entire fairness of purpose, and that there was no more harshness used in effecting removals than was necessary under the circumstances; in thct, that there was as little friction and hardship as could reasona-bly be expected in the removal of so large a number of people from any territory. As to the present condition of affairs in the Choctaw Nation, the agent's report of August 18, forwarded to the Department August 25, 1894, states that since the close of the strike the miners have all resnmed work; that themiues are all in operationand running smoothly, and that the average amount per diem paid to the miners at Harts-horne and Alderson is $3.10 per day. From Hartshorne 23 intruders were removed, and protests were made by licensed traders and boomer newspapers, claiming that the town was ruined forever and its trade destroyed. But from a newspaper published at South McAlester, which is in the center of the mining community, it appears there exists at Hartshorne a very prosperous condition of aEairs. Newspapers |