Arrests - Minco Minstrel, Minco, Indian Territory

Submitted by:  Sheri Hammons hammons@shertech.net
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MINCO MINSTREL 
Minco, IT 
1900 
 
 
Quite recently a number of men living at Minco were arrested by Jim Deere,
acting as reservation police, with several other Indians and one white man 
as posse, on a charge of unlawfully cutting and removing timber from the 
Wichita reservation. The men were taken before the commissioner at 
Anadarko and held to give bond in the sum of $5oo each, to appear for 
trial at Guthrie. The bonds not being made on time, the men were taken to 
Guthrie by deputy Heck Thomas and placed on jail at that place until 
approved bonds were made.  If these men were guilty of cutting green 
timber, there is no excuse to be made for them, as that is not only a 
plain and well known violation of law, but is an ungrateful abuse of the 
privilege to gather dry and fallen timber for fuel. We do not yet know the 
truth of the charge in this case, and therefore withhold both opinion and 
comments so far as the present case is concerned. But, we do know that in 
days that are past our citizens, were often arrested on foolish pretexts 
and made to suffer privations and dignity by over zealous deputies, being 
finally discharged without further penalty, It was in reference to a case 
of this kind when the letter below was written in answer to an appeal to 
Marshal Nix for protection, not from bank robbers nor horse thieves, but 
from his own deputies. The letter was published in the Minco Minstrel at 
that time, and perhaps will bear a repetition.