Seminole Indian Territory for Producer Installment VI

Here is a piece of Seminole history. I have talked about it numerous times. The tribes in Indian Territory opted to fight for Jeff Davis, President of the Confederacy, during the Civil War. It cost them dearly and the final result was the opening of Oklahoma Territory to a series of 9 Land Runs, which ultimately became the 46th State. What you will read below is a historical rarity. Thomas Wilson, Seminole Tribe, was actually in possession of a rare discharge, signed by General Robert E. "Marse" Lee on May 1, 1865, 21 days following the surrender at Appomattox. The discharge certificate is most likely still in the state museum. As a footnote, the Articles of Surrender had a proviso that unless and until Stand Watie, Cherokee, officer of the Confederacy, stand down in Indian Territory, these Articles do not become effective. In fact, he did not. That is why you often hear that it never ended.

It is not surprising that agrarian radicalism emerged in Seminole County in the early twentieth century. The region was a relatively infertile agricultural area, made up predominately of tenant farmers who raised cotton, corn, peanuts, oats, and, hay. However, that changed in the early 1920s after O. D. Strother began searching for oil in the county in the late 1910s. The first great discovery well, the Betsy Foster Number One, was drilled near Wewoka in 1923. In rapid succession the Cromwell pool was developed in 1924, and the Fixico Number One brought in a gusher in the summer of 1926 in Seminole. The oil rush was on. At the height of its production the Seminole (city) Field accounted for 2.6 percent of the world's oil production. The county population increased from 23,808 in 1920 to 79,621 in 1930. The rapid influx of men, women, and machinery taxed the local infrastructure and produced colorful tales. Town histories relate stories of streets so muddy that cars sank up to their fenders. Hastily erected shacks, Bishop's Alley (a red-light district), and railroad activity in the city of Seminole were second only to Chicago. Cromwell, known as the "wickedest town in the United States," brought legendary William "Bill" Tilghman out of retirement to patrol its streets.

The early 1920's also saw the discovery of oil in Oklahoma, and "boom towns" began to spring up around the state. These oil towns became the scene of much violence. One such town was Cromwell in Seminole County. Oil had been discovered in October of 1923 and by 1924, Cromwell had 10 unsolved murders. Governor M. E. Trapp called upon former deputy United States marshal Bill Tilghman, then retired, to take on the job of town marshal and clean up the boom town. But in November 1924, the famous lawman died at the hands of a drunken federal prohibition agent [Wiley Lynn]. His murderer was tried, but found not guilty, and lived to slay another lawman a few years later. Tilghman's body was taken to the rotunda at the state capitol, where thousands of Oklahoman citizens paid their respects to one of the "Three Guardsmen" who had fought the badmen in the territorial days.
http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-killing-of-bill-tilghm…/

Bill Tilghman

Tilghman heard that Bill Doolin, a member of the Wild Bunch, was hanging around the Eureka Hot Springs over in Arkansas. So, he dressed as a musician, complete with a violin case, and walked past all the customers around the hot springs resort. He walked up to the main room where the men were getting massages and he looked at all the men's faces until he found Doolin. He pulled out a shotgun from the violin case and said to Doolin: "You know my name, Doolin." Doolin started reaching for his pistol, but Tilghman came closer to the outlaw, and said: "Don't make me kill you, Bill."
Tilghman and his wife later go to the premier of Bill's movie. The capture of Bill Doolin was put in Tilghman's movie. Also in the movie was Bill's involvement with the capture of two young ladies with the Wild Bunch gang, Cattle Annie and Little Britches. Tilghman is called out of the movie to speak with a man, a store owner named John Sirmans from Cromwell, Oklahoma. John represents the Citizen's Committee for Law and Order. He says things are out of control in Cromwell, in Seminole County, and they want Bill Tilghman as their first chief of police, because everybody knows the name of Bill Tilghman and his presence will show the outlaws that they mean business in Cromwell to stop the crime wave.

1924 -- at the age of seventy, Tilghman becomes the marshal of Cromwell in Seminole County, Oklahoma. He is warned that the gangsters of the town could kill him while he is on the job. On November 12, he dies from two shots fired by Wiley Lynn, a corrupt Prohibition agent. One month after Tilghman's murder, the town of Cromwell is torched, with every brothel, bar, flophouse, and pool hall being burned to the ground.
The Legendary Jake Sims
In our research we learned the bootlegger business in Seminole, Oklahoma, was a taxi company, setting within a half block and direct view of the front window of the Seminole Police Department and the Chief of Police's office window. The view out both windows provided a clear view to see every vehicle driving in and out for a liquor purchase, every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from the boom days of the 1920's until the state was went wet in 1959.
What is significant about the Seminole situation is the Chief of Police was none other than, Jake Sims, one of Oklahoma's most respected and storied lawman. Jake Sims, was the Seminole Chief during the oil boom years, moving on to serve stints as the head of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's Division of Criminal Investigation, the director of OSBI, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and finally back as the Seminole Chief of Police until approximately* the time state went wet.
To review our point, bribery and kickback, cover-up and protection, fraud and corruption, have long been accepted as the normal.
*Note:
Jake Sims' dates of service. No records could be found showing Jake Sims' last date of service. However, we did find reference to his active presence at the Seminole Police station, as late as 1955, and he was still relatively young.
Full story here:

http://prowlingowl.com/Comments/OKWideOpenKickbacks.cfm?fbclid=IwAR2lQBO8x_FXnilnVhBr3m70B0Y8Hy7lXbnNW_4uElwmwQCBOtokdctM5eI

Jake Sims a Personal Anecdote

By Charles Sims

This is a story which some might think I probably should not tell but since it happened in a time and place where standards and morals were much different from today and all the participant but me are long dead, I think no harm can come from the tale.

My grandfather on my father’s side was the notorious Oklahoma lawman Jake Sims. Much of what I am going to relate in this post is based on family stores I overheard as a child growing up in Seminole and assorted rumors that I have picked up during my lifetime. This story that involves me as a small child is related to the best of my memory.
Jake started his life in law enforcement as an FBI agent. How that came to be is really unknown but is very unusual because he appeared to be at least half Indian. In those days, it would have been very unusual for some one of Indian blood to admitted into the FBI. Although at the time the FBI was far from the professional law enforcement agency that it would later become. Jake was recruited to be the Chief of Police in Seminole, OK to bring some law and order to the boom town. The time period of some of these events is rather obscure. Jake Sims became the Chief of Seminole police and served in that capacity during the great Seminole oil boom days of the 1920’s, 30’s and possibly the early 40”s. He later became the head of the Oklahoma State Crime Bureau.
Jake Sims stands out as an Oklahoma lawman for several reasons. He was very effective in catching bad guys. He was basically honest although the standard of honesty for cops in that time and place was much different than today’s standard. Most lawmen practiced some form of “honest graft”. Cops of that time were so poorly paid that they needed some way to supplement their meager earnings. That made taking a little money from the purveyors of “victimless crimes” such as bootlegging, gambling and prostitution an excepted practice. Jake Sims always lived on the edge of poverty and died penniless so we can assume that he kept his “honest graft” to the minimum he needed to survive.
To be continued in Part VII

Dead Sea Scrolls

The main question for many who are critical, apparently, is why would Christians want to study Hebrew language biblical manuscripts in the first place? Quite honestly, the most obvious reason for Christian interest in Hebrew biblical texts is so painfully clear, that it is a bit bewildering why the answer has eluded anyone. Simply put, Christianity centers on Jesus Christ – a Jewish reader of Hebrew biblical texts who used these to identify Himself as the Jewish Christ/Messiah (See John 5; Luke 4). The Apostles and early Christian leaders such as Peter (Acts 2), Stephen (Acts 7), Paul, Apollos (Acts 18:28) and their successors followed suit.

In fact, the first to use a Hebrew scroll for Christian apologetic purposes was Jesus, who introduced Himself as the Christ/Messiah by reading from the Hebrew scroll of Isaiah and pronouncing that the prophecy in Chapter 61 had been fulfilled as He read it aloud that day in the synagogue (Luke 4:16-21).

Another obvious point, but one that bears repeating, is that most of the original Christians were in fact Jewish converts who believed themselves to be completed Jews, and who came to function as missionaries, some even focusing on Gentiles as in the case of the Jewish scholar, Saul of Tarsus (Acts 13:44-48; Rom 10; 11; Gal 2:7-9; 3:7-9). These individuals used Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Old Testament source texts for their mission. Naturally, today’s Christian scholars want to read these texts in the original form and language that were available to Jesus and the Apostles. It has been this way from the beginning.

There is a lot of overlap between the manuscript work of Christians and Jews, and the reason is quite sensible. The Hebrew Bible serving as the original form of 75% of the Christian Bible is the same that represents 100% of the Jewish Tanakh (including the Aramaic sections).

The first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered nearly 70 years ago by a young Bedouin shepherd throwing rocks into a cave. The sound of breaking pottery drew his attention. Since then, nearly 900 scroll fragments, in a series of 11 caves, have been discovered in the area west of the Dead Sea; both from archeologists and recovered from antiquities dealers.

It appears likely that more of these precious writings are waiting to be found, as biblical documents continue to surface. The latest discoveries of 25 new scroll fragments have been published in two new books. These discoveries shed more light on questions about the transmission of the biblical text and the people who lived more than 2,000 years ago. As noted on Live Science the new finds contain fragments from 18 books of the Hebrew bible; including portions of Nehemiah (if authenticated, it would be the first time Nehemiah has shown up in the Dead Sea Scrolls). The fragment records Nehemiah’s visit to a ruined Jerusalem, finding that its gates had been “consumed by fire.” According to the fragment text, he inspects the remains of the walls before starting work on rebuilding them.

Scholars have expressed concerns that some of the fragments are forgeries. It is important to note that the Christian Post reports that Michael Holmes, executive director of the Museum of the Bible Scholars Initiative, cautioned that scientists are still conducting tests on the fragments in question to make sure they are not forgeries.

Scholars believe the Essenes, a devout communal Jewish sect who lived in Judea and had separated from the central Temple authority, may have written the scrolls and hid them during the time it was part of the Roman empire; possibly during the Jewish revolt around AD 70.

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, heritage and cultural assets have been plundered from the Judean Desert caves. A great effort has been initiated recently to find and excavate all the scrolls that remain before they are illegally taken. They wish to preserve the scrolls and other antiquities for the people of Israel and the world.

Included in these ancient texts, found at Nag Hammadi, is the Secret Book of James. Written for a fortunate few, the text called the Secret Book of James is a letter that James is said to have sent to an addressee whose name is unfortunately in a lacuna [Only the last few letters have survived] […]thos.

A lacuna is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work. A manuscript, text, or section suffering from gaps is said to be "lacunose" or "lacunulose". Some books intentionally add lacunas to be filled in by the owner, often as a game or to encourage children to create their own stories.

I will interject a thought here that this …thos could be considered the Blegywryd, known to the ancient Welsh as one who holds the law in his head and only transmits it mnemonically, aka by word of mouth.

This letter has been sent by James, it is said, at the request of his addressee […thos] and it contains an account of a secret revelation the Savior gave to James and Peter. James recalls that he wrote the letter, which is esoteric in content, in Hebrew letters, and he asks his addressee not to share this writing to many; even the Savior did not want to deliver his message to the 12 Disciples, but only to 2 of them. Doubtless the addressee is worthy of receiving this secret teaching, as is shown by the title James gives him: “a minister of the salvation of the saints”.

In the Secret Book of James, the events happen 550 days after the Savior’s resurrection, at a time when the 12 Disciples, all sitting together, are writing down in books what they remember of the words of Christ, told to each of them during his earthly life. This constitutes an important piece of information about how the Disciples shaped Christ’s logia, a process also recorded elsewhere in early Christian literature [e.g. in 1 Clement 13: 1-2.

The term logia, plural of logion, is used variously in ancient writings and modern scholarship in reference to communications of divine origin. In pagan contexts, the principal meaning was "oracles", while Jewish and Christian writings used logia in reference especially to "the divinely inspired Scriptures".

This is crucial to understand. Firstly, we have a Secret Book of James, written in Old Hebrew, that is no longer extant, at least to us. It is/ was there but it has been hidden from view. Secondly, each of the 12 Disciples also wrote their personal accounts. Where are their accounts? They were written but they are no longer extant, at least to us. Let me just strongly suggest that they too were written in Old Hebrew. This is the language they spoke. and this is the language they read and wrote. They did NOTHING in Greek.

The intention of the Savior is to draw James and Peter apart from the other Disciples to “be filled”. James is receptive to the words of the Savior but Peter seems to show no understanding. These two figures have been interpreted as opposing symbols of the Gnostic community and the emerging Orthodox Church: members of the Gnostic community have no need of an intermediary to obtain salvation, while the members of the great church are ground in an ecclesial structure that they need if they are to be saved. Such ideas are advanced in the Secret Book of James. In this Book, the Savior utters teachings consisting of sayings, parables and prophecies organized into a dialogue in which James asks questions of the Savior. As for Peter, he plays a small role in this dialogue, and he limits himself due to his lack of comprehension. The polemical features of this text suggest that this Book speaks to a situation in which authoritative structures are being established and the text is reacting against them. Other Nag Hammadi texts [Second Discourse of Great Seth, Revelation of Peter and Testimony of Truth] show similar concerns.

This is chock full of information for our understanding of the split into 2 very different churches and their beginnings. This is important to interject the Book of Thomas, a true Disciple, which was not canonized. It was declared a “heresy” by ecclesial church fathers, due to these words, “It is within you.” Interestingly enough, also humorously enough, these same words are in the Gospel of John. It seems that Clement missed that little nugget. The Book of Thomas is crucial, in that it is much like the Secret Book of James, in that Thomas makes inquiries to the Savior and he provides the answers. It was in a setting known only to Christ and Thomas. I have read the book, several times. Another crucial passage in the Book of Thomas that speaks to a time with all the Disciples are with Christ. They express concern with what are they to do when Christ ascends again. Christ stated, “Look to my Brother James.” BOOM! Just like that.

This also speaks to something not well understood. Christ named Peter as the Rock upon which his Church was to be built. Peter was usurped aka hijacked in that endeavor by the ecclesiastical church. While it was labeled as in Peter’s name, the first real pope was Linus, having nothing to do with Peter. It was a railroad job and the reason the original books of the 12 were not canonized. After all, “It is within you” flies in the face of the need of an intermediary. Got it?

The first paragraph of the Secret Book of James states: “You have asked me to send you […thos] a secret book revealed to me and Peter by the master, and I could not turn you down, nor could I speak to you, so I have written it in Hebrew and have sent it to you and you alone. But since you are a minister of the salvation of the saints, do your best to be careful not to communicate to many people this book that the Savior did not want to communicate to all of us, his 12 Disciples. Nonetheless, blessed will they be who will be saved through the faith of this treatise.”

We now have two churches, one of which was sanctioned by the Savior and the other which was NOT! The ancient Welsh [Khumric] had their own church and their church followed what Thomas taught, “Look to my brother James.” The ecclesiastical clerics never got a foothold in S Wales.

One of my forbears was Ythael Ddu, known as the Gwaithfoed. I have written/ published a book about him. He is my 24^th GGrandfather. Here is a quote from that book:

“Gwaethvoed was contemporary with Edgar, king of Saxons, and was, in conformity with the vassalage of those periods, summoned, with other Welsh chieftains, by Edgar, to meet him at Chester, to row him, in his royal barge, on the river Dee, in proof of his fealty. Gwaethvoed, in answer to his summons, said he could not row, and that he would not, if he could, except it were to save a person's life, whether king or vassal. Edgar sent a second and very imperious message, which Gwaethvoed did not seem at all to notice, until the messenger begged to know what reply he should deliver to the king; when Gwaethevoed, in the Welsh language, answered thus: 'Say to him, fear him who fears not death." This stern reply, discovering at once to Edgar the fearless unbending character he had to deal with, he prudently changed his autocratic decree into a desire of mutual friendship, and going to Gwaethvoed, gave the chief his hand in pledge of his sincerity. Gwaethvoed married Morfydd, one of the daughters and co-heirs of Ivor [Ifor], king or lord of Gwent.” [Burke's Commoners III:387]

That quote, “fear him who fears not death” became our family motto.

Here is another quote from that book:

This quote [above] sounds strangely analogous to the quote of Dionoth, Abbott of Bangor Iscoed, or Bangor-on-Dee, when Augustine demanded that he acknowledge the authority of the Bishop of Rome, “We desire to love all men, but he whom you call Pope is not entitled to style himself the ‘father of fathers’ and the only submission we can render him is that which we owe to every Christian.”

That quote is eerily similar to a quote uttered by the Gwaithfoed 400 years earlier. It was in response to a visit paid upon him by another vassal of Rome when said vassal admonished he and his countrymen for their system of family life and rule, specifically incestuous relationships. He was speaking to their system of Gavelkind, much different than that of others on the Isle of Britain. Ythael essentially told him to piss off, as the Anglos would say. He had his reasons. It may be that is where I derive my cantankerousness on certain subjects, resorting to my own counsel to the exclusion of others.

State Constitutions on the Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Not surprisingly, many of the provisions contained in the Bill of Rights were present, in one form or another, in the state constitutions in effect at the time the Constitution was ratified; various ancestors of the Second Amendment can be readily discerned in these documents. The state constitutions adopted before the Constitution and Bill of Rights can help tell us what meaning "the right to keep and bear arms" had in the political vocabulary of the men who wrote, debated, and ratified these documents.

Pennsylvania's 1776 constitution declared: "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state...". 

Vermont's constitutions of 1777 and 1786 similarly proclaimed: "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State...

South Carolina's 1776 constitution, which combines elements of both the American Declaration of Independence and a state charter, contains the telling claim:

Hostilities having been commenced in the Massachusetts Bay, by the troops under command of General Gage, whereby a number of peaceable, helpless, and unarmed people were wantonly robbed and murdered... The colonists were therefore driven to the necessity of taking up arms, to repel force by force, and to defend themselves and their properties against lawless invasions and depredations.

This isn't a statement of a right to keep and bear arms, but it certainly suggests that an individual being "unarmed" was undesirable, and "taking up arms, to repel force by force" was considered an appropriate response. Jefferson stated clearly that, while there is always a possible downside to firearms, it could not compare to being unarmed.

Similarly, the North Carolina Constitution of 1776 guarantees the people's "right to bear arms, for the defence of the State".

New York's 1777 State Constitution is an interesting case. It contains no guarantee of an individual right to keep and bear arms -- but contains an interesting obligation:

And whereas it is of the utmost importance to the safety of every State that it should always be in a condition of defence; and it is the duty of every man who enjoys the protection of society to be prepared and willing to defend it; this convention therefore, in the name and by the authority of the good people of this State, doth ordain, determine, and declare that the militia of this State, at all times hereafter, as well in peace as in war, shall be armed and disciplined, and in readiness for service... And that a proper magazine of warlike stores, proportionate to the number of inhabitants, be, forever hereafter, at the expense of this State, and by acts of the legislature, established, maintained, and continued in every county in this State. The "duty of every man" included personal defense of the State; even conscientious objectors were obligated to pay for a substitute for their militia duties. The "militia of this State, at all times hereafter... shall be armed and disciplined, and in readiness for service..." strongly suggests that New York intended a citizen's militia along the lines of the Swiss model.

Sentiments expressed by Richard Henry Lee , James Madison, Noah Webster  , and Tench Coxe, it would appear that, in the words of Patrick Henry, "The great object is, that every man be armed... Every one who is able may have a gun."

In the formative period of American history (1789-1845), there are a total of fifteen constitutions, adopted by nine states, one territory, and one independent nation (the Republic of Texas) that contain a "right to bear arms in defense of himself and the State", or some slight variant. Because these provisions specify "in defense of himself", it is unambiguous that the right protected in each case is individual. These must be considered as evidence for the individualist school, since the language used is similar to, and doubtless borrowed from, the Second Amendment.

Thomas Jefferson crafted the Amendments which became our Bill of Rights. He submitted them to Madison, who was somewhat skeptical. However, when learning of his mentor’s reasoning, he submitted them willingly. Jefferson submitted the language in the Virginia Constitution already. Jefferson wrote:

wrote:

“Nor can they be constrained to it by any force he can possess…ready organized for action by their governor, constitutionally the commander of the militia of the State, that is to say, of every man in it able to bear arms; and that militia too, regularly formed into regiments and battalions, into infantry, cavalry and artillery.”

This is the precedent for the 2^nd Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, as are the other Amendments in the Bill of Rights. These rights are not to be abridged.

These are but some of the examples. I have a clear understanding of my 2A Right. It seems some have no clear understanding of much of nothing.

It ain't about ducks!

Seminole Indian Territory for Producer Installment V

You cannot have a discussion, Seminole County vintage, without discussing what was the most famous and first of the Law and the Lawless, the indigenous ones--Seminole I.T. Lighthorse aka Lighthorsemen. It is a fascinating history. I will post herewith a few excerpts.

Bass Reeves—I have written much about him in my Seminole IT Memorabilia Posts
Born to slave parents in 1838 in Crawford County Arkansas, Bass Reeves would become the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nation’s history.
Owned by a man named William Reeves, a farmer and politician, Bass took the surname of his owner, like other slaves of the time. Working alongside his parents, Reeves started out as a water boy until he was old enough to become a field hand.
Bass Reeves, asthe first black Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River, arrested over 3,000 felons and shot and killed fourteen outlaws in self-defense.
Born: July 1838, Crawford County, Arkansas, AR
Died: January 12, 1910, Muskogee, OK
Height: 6′ 2″
Parents: Parilee Washington Stewart
Children: Homer Reeves, Lula Reeves, George Reeves, More
Spouse: Winnie Sumter, (m. 1900), Nellie Jennie, (m. 1864)

More on Bass Reeves:

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves/?fbclid=IwAR0-GnBosMVoIthZWXhzdUBKQQHSP0F6HSXeiWjCn9N2o2z-L9x1EKrKI7c

More on Black/ Freedmen Cowboys:

https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/ranchhouse/pop_blackcowboy.html?fbclid=IwAR11YT8EGRXdAr9PBgNPN0UhBrhl6gr6tIIq-1xnPZu8X9n_oRCqQY61mYI

Although he arrested more than 3,000 felons, he was never harmed by gunfire (although his hat and gun belt were shot off). He did claim, however, to having to shoot to death 14 criminals in self-defense. On one occasion he claimed to have brought in nineteen horse thieves he captured near Fort Sill, Oklahoma. One famous outlaw, the notorious Belle Starr allegedly turned herself in at Fort Smith, Arkansas when she heard that Reeves had the warrant for her arrest. He also captured Seminole outlaw Greenleaf, wanted for the murder of seven people and alluding capture for more than eighteen years.
p.s. It is asserted that the persona/ story of Bass Reeves became the character of The Lone Ranger, albeit that Bass was a black lawman.

The Legendary Seminole Lighthorse aka Lighthorsemen
As early as 1808, the Cherokee Nation passed an act appointing "regulators" to suppress horse stealing and robbery, to protect widows and orphans, and to kill any accused person resisting their authority. This action was taken when the Cherokees were located in the Southern U.S., before the "Trail of Tears." Indian Territory, later Oklahoma, initially was made up of the Five Civilized Tribes: the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole. After the move to the west, during the 1830's and 1840's, the Indian nations set up their law enforcement system and judicial courts like what they had in the East. The Indians were called the Five Civilized Tribes because they had adopted many of the customs and traditions of the Europeans, including African chattel slavery for agricultural development, developed an alphabet, etc. The only nation that had a different scenario initially was the Seminole Nation which had embraced African fugitive slaves as their allies against the U.S. government.

In 1874, the federal government ordered the consolidation of Indian Agents for the Five Civilized Tribes. Prior to that, the Cherokee Agent was at Tahlequah, the Choctaw and Chickasaw at Boggy Depot, the Creek agent at Okmulgee, and the Seminole at Wewoka. The agent for the Five Civilized Tribes moved into a new building at Muskogee on January 1, 1876. The new office was called the Union Agency. In February of 1880, Col. John Q. Tufts, United States agent for the Union Agency of Muskogee, Indian Territory, organized a unit of Indian police to operate throughout the Five Civilized Nations. The policemen were recruited from the Lighthorsemen from the various nations. The official title for this group was United States Indian Police or U.S.I.P. It is interesting to note that also in the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw nations they had county or district sheriffs who were appointed by the Indian political leadership. Many of the larger Indian towns also had constables.

Crawford Goldsby aka Cherokee Bill
“Terror of Indian Territory”
Cherokee Bill is another I have written about in my Seminole IT Memorabilia on Facebook; he was one bad dude.
Born in Fort Concho, Texas on February 8, 1876, the boy that would one day become known as "Cherokee Bill” was first blessed with the name of Crawford Goldsby. Born to St. George and Ellen (Beck) Goldsby, Bill’s father was a mulatto from Alabama, a sergeant of the Tenth United States Cavalry, and a Buffalo Soldier. His mother was a Cherokee Freedman, mixed with African, Indian and white ancestry. More on Cherokee Bill:
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-cherokeebill.html
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/bassreeves.html

Famous Black Cowboys and Cowgirls
Some Black and Some Freedmen

Although the most famous cowboys of the old west were white men like Roy Rogers and Billy the Kid, one in four of America’s cowboys were African-American. Why don't we know more about this? Does one really have to ask that question? Many of the slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries were familiar with cattle herding from their homelands of West Africa. This brings historians the question of the name “Cowboy” and whether or not it was made from slave cow herders.
Little to no attention was given to the black cowboys who made their mark in western history by Hollywood. Riders like William “Bill” Pickett, Stagecoach Mary, Nat Love and Bass Reeves were among the most famous.
Documentary filmmakers John Ferguson and Gregg MacDonald have created “The Forgotten Cowboys,” in which they follow the contemporary black cowboys of today, like Jason Griffin, who is a four-time world champion bareback bucking horse rider, while also reflecting on the black riders in the past.
Two of the above, I have written about in my Seminole IT Memorabilia series that some of you have been following. Bill Pickett is one I have known about for some time now. Bass Reeves had tentacles right here at one time. This is fascinating stuff to me. I will say more about each of them later.

Nat Love aka Deadwood Dick
Born: June 1854, Davidson County, Tennessee, TN
Died: 1921, Los Angeles, CA
Books: The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country As Deadwood Dick, by himself
Nat Love (pronounced "Nate" Love) (June 1854 – 1921, was an African-American cowboy and former slave in the period following the American Civil War. His self-reported exploits and claims (as found in his published autobiography) have made him the most famous black folk hero of the Old West.
More on Nate Love:
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-natlove.html

The Civil War
After a string of defeats in the Indian Territory, White-officered Choctaws and Chickasaws finally beat Federal-led renegade Cherokees in November at Newtonia in southwest Missouri. Then, in December 1861, Confederate Regulars and Militiamen, led by General McIntyre of Texas and a force of Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chicksaw and Choctaw annihilated seven hundred pro-Union Seminoles, Osages, Creek, and Cherokees in northeast Oklahoma. The illustrious "Kansas 1st Cavalry" of Freed Negroes fled back to safety in Kansas.

Seminoles in the Civil War
Battle of Round Mountain, November 19, 1861 unknown / location disputed
Source: American Civil War, Trail of Blood on Ice
Creek & Seminole vs Confederate States of America
Battle of Chusto-Talasah, December 9, 1861, near modern Tulsa
Source: American Civil War Trail of Blood on Ice
Creek & Seminole vs Confederate States of America
Battle of Chustenahlah, December 26, 1861, near modern Skiatook
Source: American Civil War, Trail of Blood on Ice
Creek & Seminole vs Confederate States of America

The Battle of Middle Boggy--Civil War Raids in Creek and Seminole I.T.

http://www.seminolenation-indianterritory.org/cwmiddleboggybattle.htm?fbclid=IwAR2yF9ljvzzth12GCXbwFOKWwTxUefwPYTa56nv9d6KhPwuGaX1CAlHyLeI

Another great Seminole IT resource with links to other sources:

http://www.seminolenation-indianterritory.org/?fbclid=IwAR36penkZ1rFFPau-rKXCTE53iffbijG0P9T6PuXBoP-AAvGNANZx6gMVRU

Battle of Peay Ridge
Between March 6-8, 1862, Union forces twelve thousand strong defeated the sixteen thousand Confederates and Indians at the Battle of Peay Ridge in northwest Arkansas. The Rebels failed in a tricky "double-envelopment" maneuver and became separated from their supply wagons. The wild, scattered forays of the Pinheads further disorganized the field. Sigel and his Germans finally shattered the Confederates in a mass charge. In the ensuing rout, the Rebels fell to 3,000 effectives. The victorious Unionists suffered 1,380 killed, wounded and missing.
It was in this battle that James Franklin Matthews, born Oct. 22, 1844, my second great uncle, son of Captain Robert Calvin Matthews, CSA, was either captured or killed. Family anecdotes stipulate that he was involved with Quantrill’s Raiders [William Clarke Quantrill] but not substantiated. Another son of Captain RCM, Stephen Eldridge Matthews, was sent to the Confederate prison in Chicago to see if James Franklin Matthews disposition could be determined. His whereabouts were never learned following the above-named battle. One of his descendants was later found in Seminole IT later and played a role in our local history. More later.

Tariffs and Effects

I watch these guys pontificate and debate finance/ markets on FBN on a daily basis. There seems to be an inordinate FBN obsession with tariffs and their effects on finance/ markets. Neil Cavuto is especially obsessed with the nonsense. It is just that—a nonsense.

IF all tariffs are implemented that have been scheduled or indicated, and that is a big IF, tariffs make up less than three-tenths of one percent of our Gross Domestic Product [GDP]. It is not even statistically significant, by a large margin. One thing I have heard nothing of in any of the discussions is diversification of markets in the Far East Region itself. China has their foot on the necks of their other nations of the region. That is not good for the Far East and it is doubly nasty for US. These tariffs have the affect of leveling the playing field in the Far East, thereby leveling the playing field worldwide and that includes Europe. China has crushed the world economy and that has to end, post haste. I am not a fan of tariffs but this nonsense with China has reached epic proportions. If you think these tariffs are just about China, just disabuse yourself of that myopic/ naïve notion. This has everything to do with Free and Fair global trade.

Tariffs are already working their magic. Suppliers and Buyers are both looking to other markets in the Far East for their end users. That is quite healthy. We have too many eggs in one basket. That is absurdly ridiculous and dangerous. Viet Nam is a fast-emerging economy. Taiwan is an excellent source of goods and services and an ally. The same can be said for Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

Take this to its logical conclusion, it could put Europe in a much better position. All of this is helpful to the USA.

This One World Order has been a complete disaster. The Presidents preceding this one sold US out. They did it too as a benefit to themselves and their closest Harvard/ Yale buddies. Trump is now carving them up like a Holiday turkey! Why do you think they are giving him Hell on Earth?! That they are and they are fighting for their very existence. If Trump wins, they lose big. Trillions! Those of you who think you are Socialists should be ecstatic! He is breaking up these cartels and spreading the resources more evenly, WORLDWIDE. It may be that some are just too dense to pick up on that little nugget. Union workers should be ecstatic. Ever heard of a union in China? With Trump’s success, union membership will escalate WORLDWIDE!

Think folks, think about it. If you think these nincompoops running against him are not part of the One World Order Bunch, think again. They are part and parcel of that bunch. They are your enemy, not Trump.

Seminole Indian Territory for Producer Part IV

Seminole Indian Territory for Seminole Producer IV

Negotiations then began with the Seminole and Creek Nations. The Seminoles approved a resolution which was ratified in July 1898. In 1902, meetings were held among the Indian people to determine their position on the formation of an independent Indian State. In 1903 the leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes
met and adopted resolutions concerning the creation of a separate Indian state, with its own Constitution and Congressional delegates. In 1905 an official call was made to establish a separate Indian State with the result that committees were formed and the task of drafting a constitution started. On September 8, 1905, after months of work, the constitution was adopted.

It advocated separation of the Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory and
the formation of a separate Indian State. The new Indian state was to be called Sequoyah and was divided into 48 counties. Fort Gibson was the choice for the first capital. The Sequoyah Constitution was submitted to the people of the Indian Territory for a vote in October 1905, and passed by an overwhelming majority of both whites and Indians. Following ratification, a committee was sent to Washington to present the proposed Constitution for the State of Sequoyah, to Congress. Theodore Roosevelt and the Republican-led Congress opposed
the idea of forming separate states: stating "that Indian Territory and Oklahoma be admitted as one State."

In November 1907, Oklahoma became a State and land which was designated for the Seminole people became Seminole County.
Timeline:

1819: Florida was ceded to the U.S. by the Spanish
1820: Land of present day Oklahoma was divided as follows:
North: Cherokee
Center: Creek
South: Choctaw
1823: First treaty was signed between Seminole Nation and U.S. which moved the Seminole into Florida's swamp lands.
1832: Treaty of Payne's Landing was signed and the tribe agreed to be moved to the Indian Territory.
1833: Treaty of Fort Gibson was signed between the Creek and Seminole, giving the Seminole a place to live within land allotted to the Creek Nation.
1835-1842: The Seminole Nation became divided between those who accepted the move to Indian Territory and those who did not.
1854: The Creek began to favor the separation the Seminole were asking.
1856: Seminole were given their own land, instead of residing on Creek land.
1859: The Seminole moved to their new territory and established its capital near Wanette, in Pottawatomie County.
1879: Whites outnumbered Indians 2:1 in the Indian Territory, the majority of which were outlaws.
1889: The Indian Appropriation Act resulted in reconstruction of the boundaries of Seminole  lands.
April 22, 1889: The first land run in Oklahoma
1892: The Dawes Commission was established and authorized to negotiate with The Five Civilized Tribes in an effort to establish true land ownership.
1893: Dawes Commission was organized with three propositions, which angered the Tribes.
1) Allotment of lands
2) Abandonment of Tribal Organizations
3) Organization of Territorial government
1894: Passage of The Curtis Act legalized the presence of whites in the Indian Territory by making it possible for them to purchase land in established towns.
March 1, 1895: Congress passed an act dividing the Indian Territory into three judicial districts.
May 1895: The Commission again proposed the tribes relinquish their lands. The Tribes refused this proposal. The Commission then proposed that Congress extend the Territorial government over the Five Tribes.
1896: The Commission was directed to complete a survey of the Indian Lands and to make a "roll" to determine who was entitled to land allotment.
July 1, 1898: Congress ratified an agreement with the Seminole Nation regarding land allotments and jurisdiction of the U.S. government over land disputes.
1905: Congress declined to accept the proposal of the Five Civilized Tribes for their own State, named Sequoyah.
The first Seminole mission school founded in the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma) was Oak Ridge, a manual labor school established in 1848. The Oak Ridge site was about three miles southeast of present Holdenville in the former Creek Nation, where the Seminole dwelled until 1856. The Presbyterian Mission Board built and ran the school. Rev. John Lilley and his wife, Mary Anne, were in charge. The Lilleys were assisted by John Bemo, a Seminole. In 1853 they had twenty-six students, nineteen of whom were Seminole. Creek and Cherokee students paid room and board, while Seminole attended for free. The Lilley's children were also enrolled. Oak Ridge closed in 1855 when the Lilleys returned to the East. They returned and reopened Oak Ridge in 1856 and were assisted by Rev. James Ross Ramsey, who later organized the Wewoka Mission, a boarding school for Seminole girls, just north of Wewoka. Oak Ridge was abandoned and destroyed during the Civil War. Pictured in my website are the ruins of the Mission, Anna Iona "Onie" Bemo and John Douglas Bemo.

The Seminoles were the last of the Five Civilized Tribes to establish their own police force. They had no funds for that, and during the American Civil War, the Seminole Government was dysfunctional. It was 1876 before the Governor hired A. Q. Brown, a young cattle drover from Texas, as the first Lighthorseman, following the Civil War.

Due to coming statehood, most of the Indian police powers were given to the federal government by 1898; except for the Seminoles, who had only disbanded their Lighthorse shortly after the turn of the century.
Many of the Indian tribes in present day Oklahoma have regained full police powers, including the Seminoles. The Muskogee (Creek) Nation have resurrected the Lighthorse police. The Cherokee Nation has the Cherokee Marshals Service which is the largest with 14 officers. Others with police departments include the Comanche, Ponca, Kaw, Iowa, Miami, Osage, Cheyenne/Arapaho, Kickapoo, Pawnee, Otoe-Missouri, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Sac & Fox, and Choctaw.
Among the Seminole Lighthorse, Captain Chilli Fish and Jacob Harrison were noted for their leadership abilities. Fish later became the Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation in the 1920's. Other notables were: Cumsey Bruner and Thomas Bruner.

There were quite a few black Lighthorsemen in the Creek and Seminole Nations who became renowned. In the Seminole Nation, Freedman Dennis Cyrus was the most noted black Indian police officer. Cyrus served with the Seminole Lighthorse for twenty-five years. Five of those years he held a deputy U.S. marshal commission under Marshal John Carroll at Fort Smith. Cyrus died on December 24, 1912. Other black Seminole Lighthorsemen included Cumsey Bruner, Ceaser Payne, Thomas Bruner, John Dennis and Tom Payne. Ceaser Payne was noted for killing a gang leader in the Seminole Nation named Bob Dossay.
The Chickasaw Lighthorsemen worked out of Tishomingo and the Choctaw Lighthorsemen were headquartered at Tuskahoma and Atoka. The Indian nations didn't have any jurisdictional rights over white men or black men who were not citizens of their nations. What the Indian Lighthorse did, on many occasions, was to stop non-citizens from breaking the law, detain them and turn them over to deputy U.S. marshals. The legendary Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves picked up many of his prisoners from the Seminole, Chickasaw, and Creek Lighthorse police on his trips through the nations. On some occasions the Indian Lighthorse would kill a non-citizen and would have to stand trial in federal court at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The respective Indian nation would then pay for a defense lawyer for the policeman on trial.

The Seminole Nation, being the smallest of the Five Tribes, had a different legal system in that the Chief was the judge and the council served as the court. Generally, the Seminole Lighthorse which were headquartered at Wewoka, were appointed and comprised of a captain, lieutenant and eight privates. Although the smallest in number, the Seminole Lighthorse was the most feared of all the Five Tribes because they were the most aggressive. The Seminole law stated explicitly that in order to protect officers: “If, notwithstanding the orderly deportment of the officer, the person to be arrested shall have the right to kill." This edict was followed by prompt action of the Seminole Lighthorse in pursuing felons.

The general rule of thumb in the Indian nations was for a criminal to be tied to a whipping post and lashed with a hickory switch by a Seminole Lighthorseman increments of 25, 50 and 75 if they were repeatedly arrested. After the third lashing a person could be condemned to death by a Lighthorseman firing squad. The sentence was carried out by an Indian judge and jury. Traditionally, a condemned man would be released to his family and return in a year's time for his execution. Most all Indians honored this tradition except a few who escaped their punishment as the era of the Indian nations moved closer to an end in 1907. With this in mind, the Five Tribes, except for the Cherokee, didn't see a need for a national prison. The Chickasaw did maintain a jail at Tishomingo. A portion of the Seminole Nation whipping post is in the Oklahoma State Historical Museum in Oklahoma City. John Bemo pictured here...

Seminole Indian Territory for Producer Part III

Seminole Indian Territory for Producer III

In 1541, Coronado reached what is now Oklahoma. In 1682, Rene-Robert Cavelier explored the Mississippi River and claimed the land around it, including Oklahoma, for France. The first permanent American settlement was a trading post established at present day Salina in 1823. Salt was the primary commodity traded. French fur traders also had a vigorous trade there.

You really cannot talk about Seminole Indian Territory [IT] in isolation. In a map I posted on my website, you will hopefully note that we also have to provide honorable mention to the Kiowa, the Kiowa Apache, the Osage and the Caddo Tribes. You will note they converge right over our heads. Honorable Mention must also go to other tribes;. You will see that, beginning in c. 1832, the Chickasaws were given about half of Kiowa Apache Territory. They are just south of the S Canadian River from us. Also please note that The Muskogee Creeks are on our east and northeast. If you know your history, you know the Seminoles were Creeks when they arrived here, but they had split the sheets and formed the Seminole Band of Creeks. On our northwest, north of the N Canadian River, are the Sac & Fox. On our western border are the Citizen Potawatomie--Absentee Shawnee. I am going to provide you with a little nugget in the country formerly inhabited by the Wichita and now Chickasaw country. In addition, I will provide another little nugget in Wichita country and now in Muskogee Creek country that I am sure no one here knows anything about.

Officially, Seminole County was formed when Oklahoma became a state in November of 1907. The real history of Seminole County actually began in the early 1800's in the current states of Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The Seminoles began as part of the Creek Nation who were discovered by Spanish explorer De Soto, in present day Georgia.

The Creek Nation had been unified under their Chief, Alexander McGillivray (b. 1740) until after the Revolutionary War. By 1780, the Creek Nation was divided into two groups: The Upper and Lower Creek Indians. After 1795, the portions of the Lower Creek Nation that had migrated into Florida began having political difficulties. This friction resulted in a portion of the tribe moving to a different area. They also took the name of Simanoli or Semanole, which means "runaway". Thus, the Seminole Nation was formed.

The Seminole were town dwellers and their government consisted of a head chief and council. The Nation itself was divided into bands, with each band being named for its captain. In 1819, the Spanish ceded Florida to the U.S. Shortly thereafter the Florida Territory was opened and settlers began moving in and colonizing the area. This resulted in conflict (known as the Seminole Wars) with the Seminole who did not want to give up their lands or way of life.

After years of conflict, the Seminole signed a treaty with the U.S. in 1823 and moved into the swamp lands of Florida. This was not to be their home though. Unbeknownst to the Seminole, Andrew Jackson had already proposed the removal of the Indians to the west. When he became President, the Indian Removal Bill came into being in 1830.

The removal of the Seminole began in 1832 when Colonel James Gadsden negotiated the Treaty of Payne's Landing. Shortly after the signing of this treaty, a group of tribal members went west to scout out the proposed area for resettlement. While there they were tricked into signing the Treaty of Fort Gibson which gave the Seminole land on which to live, however, they would be united with the Creek Nation.

Upon the return of the delegation, the tribe refused to acknowledge the agreement stating they were without authority to speak for the entire tribe. Despite their objections to the Treaty, the U.S. set the date for the removal of the Seminole for January of 1836.

In the fall of 1835, the Seminole began an uprising. The Seminole War began in 1836 when a young Seminole leader, Osceola, refused to honor the treaty and move to Indian Territory.
Osceola was accused of killing another Seminole leader, Emathla, for which he was
arrested and imprisoned. After his release, Osceola and his followers surrounded Fort King and massacred 110 soldiers. Osceola was captured in April 1836 and died in January of 1839, however, his followers continued their fight. Wildcat and Billy Bowlegs became the leaders of the resistance, after Osceola's capture and death.

This war lasted seven years and reached its climax in 1843.

The removal of the Seminole had begun, despite the War. In 1836 the first of the Seminole emigrated to the Indian Territory. The next groups of Seminole left Florida in 1838 with succeeding groups leaving until 1851 when their emigration was officially completed. Due to the war, the Seminole were the last of the Five Tribes to be settled in Indian Territory.

After their arrival in Indian Territory, the Seminole settled into towns, each ruled by a local chief. The chief, with his council, conducted business, passed and enforced laws for their town.

The Chief of the Seminole Nation was a warrior named Micanopy. His head councilor was Wildcat, also known as Coacoochee. Once a year, the town chiefs and councils would gather to conduct the business of the Seminole Nation. Soon the Seminole became dissatisfied with the land and government arrangements between them and the Creek Nation. The Seminole were viewed as part of the Creek Nation and all decisions made by the Seminole Councils were subject to review and approval by the Creek Nation. This angered some of the local Chiefs, especially Wildcat. During this time, Wildcat took his band and settled in Coahuila, Mexico. Years later some of the band returned, however, several did not. Today their descendants are called Muskogees.

In 1856, Seminole Chief John Jumper and his council met with Creek leaders in Washington. A treaty was signed giving the Seminole their own independent domain. This land was a narrow strip lying between the Canadian River, the North Fork of the Canadian River, the middle of present-day Pottawatomie County and west to the one hundredth parallel.

After attaining their own land, the Seminole moved and began the process of building their capitol near Wanette, in present day Pottawatomie County.

In 1861 the Civil War began and many of the tribes aligned themselves with the Confederacy. When the Confederate surrendered, the lands of the Indian Nations were considered conquered territory. The result was the negotiation of new treaties, in 1866, in which the Nations lost considerable portions of their land.

By 1879, the Indian Territory was in need of a judicial system. There were twice as many whites (as there were Indians) living in the Territory, the majority of whom were outlaws.
The only law in the Indian Territory were the ones of each Indian tribe. For the white intruders there were no laws and crime was commonplace. For whites who were caught, justice was handled in the U.S. Federal Courts in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Paris, Texas and Wichita, Kansas.

In 1889, the passage of the Indian Appropriation Act redrew the boundaries of each Indian Tribe and the first land run was held. By 1892, the issue of land ownership had become such an issue that the Dawes Commission was founded. The principle reason for the Commission was to determine land ownership, encourage the abandonment of Tribal organization and to organize a Territorial government. Between 1893 and 1896 the Dawes Commission repeatedly made unsuccessful attempts to get the Indian people to give up their lands. When this failed, the Commission undertook the task of making a list of all Indians, to determine who was entitled to land allotments. This listing is called the Dawes Rolls.

In 1894, The Curtis Act was passed which made it legal for whites to own land in Indian Territory, however, ownership was limited to land within the boundary of an established township. This Act was passed by the House and sent to the Senate which sent it to a committee. While in committee, a rider was attached to the bill which established a government in the Indian Territory. It also advocated the dissolution of the Indian Territory, provided funds for the Dawes Commission and survey of the lands.

When people heard there was to be an allotment of Indian lands they flocked to the borders of the Indian Territory. Many people attempted to gain an advantage by applying for entry on the Indian rolls.

In 1897 the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations were again meeting with the Dawes Commission. In April 1897, they signed an agreement which gave each citizen a "fair and equitable" share of land which would remain non-taxable for 21 years. It was ratified in November of 1897.

Next time, we will get into the negotiations between the two nations.