Cleveland County Leader. (Lexington, Okla. Terr.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 27, 1900 Page: 2 of 8
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The Lexington Leader
U. 1*. LATHAM A HONS, Eds. uiul i'ropn.
.LEXINGTON,
OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA ANI) INDIAN TKItRITUn<
South McAlester know a city of the
first .class.
Stroiul's town council is building
sidewalks.
The Modern Woodmen have organ
ized a,t Poteau.
Antlers hopes to be made the Choc-
taw Land office.
—— j Chelsea expects *oon to have a boom
There are about 1,'.'Ml students en- , in stone buildings.
rolled in the four educational institu- Judge'Burwell has granted « second
lions of Oklahoma. ; re-heari.ng in the Clyde Mattox case.
Congressman Charles Curtis received ( The et udents in the Eufaula high
pipe of peace from the Cherokees as a school are instructed in military drills,
hristmas prt s nt. | There are nhie cities of the first class
The first day s sale of Yots at Ripley j in Oklahoma and more of them sprout-
Mnoun ted to $0,000. The highest priced in jr.
lot sold brought $000. | a new«hureh has been dedicated by
Telegrams from all oyer the territory the Christian denomination at Jiantles
A"ere sent to Washington asking the ! ville.
retention orf Governor Barnee. i First National bank of Vinita has lie-
Public services are resumed.at South clared a semi-annual dividend of 7)4
McAlester churches after suspension per cent.
for some time because of smallpox. j Odd Fellows «>f Muskogee Will build
Oklahoma ranks ninth among the a fine two-stor/ brick building to use
as n hall.
•fates and territories in the number of
miles of railway constructed in M99.
it k reported that the Choctaw offi-
;ials think they will be moving fast if
ihey etna reach Antarillo in two yeaa-s.
Five battle punchers of Woodward
county have been arrested because
their herd .of 2,500 heaid ds short, almotrt
Ardmore lias quarantined against
several Oklahoma towns oo the north
and against sotne Texas points on the
south.
Business men at Pauls Valley refuse
to pay the tribal t*.\- of 1 per cent. If
The annual sear«s about the peacli
crop is on. The buds are swelling too
soon again.
•T. E. Lovis, of Kferrett. raised a tine
crop of broomcorn last season and sold
it for $105 a ton.
Ripley, the new Santa IV? town,
scarcely laid out as yet, already has two
banks chartered.
Albert Marrow and a young man
named Taylor of Ardmore, have been
killed in the Philippines.
Hartshorne, I. T., is asking for in-
corporation. It is set forth that tlio
i rod Gieverdaie's flflventure. %
A By Beur'ird W. Hopkins. A
Jfe Copyrighted, 1MI. by Kob. Bonner's Sons. ^
•««««#•« •#« : «««# «•«««
they persist they are liable to ejection j limits of the town is to be i:.',000 acres
by the Indian police.
The Vinita artesiatj well continues
to flow 50,000 gallons in 24 hours. The
drill is going down rapidly through
soft white limestone.
and that the town has a population of
3,000.
The Cleveland Triangle tells about
the acts of a party of toughs at a school
house religious service" The Triangle
Fred Ilonfils, the editor of the Den- su8Tffests that the people should do like
ver Post, who was shot in Denver, was j ^K' Puritans of old and carry their guns
formerly of Guthrie, lie built the sec- I to Meetings.
ond block in Guthrie. j Luman F. Parker Jr., formerly of St.
The department says that the terms I I'01"8. but now of Vinita, is appointed
master in chancery for the United
States court for the northern district
of the Indian Territory under Judgtf
Joseph A. Gill.
The senate committee on Indian
affairs has dccidcd to report to the sen-
ate favorably the nomination of Lieu-
tenant Colonel James F. Randlett, of
Mesa, Cal., to be agent on the Kiowa
reseivation in Oklahoma.
Captain Mastcrson is wanted in • ik-
lalioma county for rape. lie was ar-
rested in Iowa and appealed from a de-
cision of a writ of habeas corpus to the
supreme court of Iowa. I lis rc-arrest
is provided for if the. supreme court is
against him.
No city could have had eight hundred
San Francisco at Sapulpa, I. T.. south j cascs of old-fashioned smallpox with
to Wichita Falls, Tex., tapping the I n0 doaths resulting. The disease may
coal fields of the Creek nation. i a 'J Pe o! smallpox, the mildest ever
x, ,, „ ~ . r. , , heard of anywhere After it is all
hoy V. Hoffman, of Lincoln coi.ntv. i
. ,, , . . , , , ' over there will probablv be a genera'
probably will be appointed colonel of I ... ' , ,,
' r ' agreement that it was not smallpox.
of the new leases are that they can be
cancelled at any time tho country is
ready for settlement.
John M. Simpson, Uuited States su-
pervisor of the Chickasaw schools will
recommend the establishment of schools j
at Healdton and Foster.
The survey of the Frisco line south
of Sapulpa is going on with a rush. It
is claimed that grading will commence
on the line within a month.
The experimental station of the Ok-
lahoma Agricultural college is prepared
to furnish vaccine to parties who de-
sire to use it to prevent "blackleg"
among their cattle.
The contract has been let for build-
ing a branch road from the St. Louis ct
the Oklahoma national guards, to suc-
ceed the late Colonel John F. Stone.
Hoffman is now lieutenant colonel.
The Dawes commission will probably
remain in Washington for several
months. There is talk of reorganizing
the commission and there is much
speculation as to probable changes.
Plato Montjoy, special inspector of
the department of justice, is making
the annual tour of inspection of the
offices of the district clerks, I'nited
States commissioners and United States
marshals in Oklahoma.
All Chickasaw school warrants must
lie approved by John M. Simpson. Uni-
ted States supervisor of the Choctaw ' April; Wagoner, second Monday in No-
schools, and recorded at Muskogee by j vember, and the first Monday in .March;
J. (ieorge Wright, Indian inspector, be- ! Vinita, first Mom'-.y in December und
fore they can be circulated as currency, second Monday in May.
Judge Townsend of the southern dis- Communities iu the territories affeet-
trict, decided against 130 claimants who j ed by the quarantine declared by the
were placed upon the rolls as citizens j Kansas state board of health, complain
Grading has begun on the Frisco ex-
tension from Sapulpa south. More
than one hundred families are on the
ground, living in tents. This road
strikes Okmulgee and Wewoka, the
capitals of the Creek and Seminole na-
tions, and opens up a rich farming and
coal country.
An order has been made giving dates
for terms of court in Indian Territory
as follows; Muskogee, first Monday in
September, fourth Monday in January;
Tahlequah, first Monday in September,
fourth Monday in January; Wewoka,
first Monday in November and the first
Monday after the first Tuesday in
of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations.
He decided that the claimants had ap-
pealed from the Dawes commission
later than the law allowed.
W. II. Harrison, the Choctaw land
appraiser, reports that on account of
high water the work of the appraisers
has been badly delayed. He also re-
ports that a government mule team
was drowned in Boggy while the ap-
praisers were attempting to cross.
Steel windmill towers are supplant-
ing wooden ones on the ranches. One
of the reasons is that campers used to
help themselves to strips of the >\ ooden
tower for fire-wood.
Delegate Perea h \s introduced a bill
to establish a court of appeals for Ari-
zona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It
(will provide, if enacted, that the court
hhall consist of one chief justice and
■two associate justices, who shall lie ap-
pointed from bona fide residents of the
jterritories named, and shall receive a
halary of 81,000 each.
of alleged injustice done to them
Joe Norris, the assistant school land
commissioner sold 3,340 bushels of last
year's wheat, for 58 cents per bushel
the other day, and has 170 acre cf fine
wheat left.
J. If. Gee. an old and respected settlor
ne'ir Mangum, who had sons and daugh-
ters married and settled around him,
and who was reputed as a good citizen
was killed by T. V. Turner.
The net earnings of the Choctaw
road for 1890, from operation of the
road and mines are said to be 8710,001,
an increase of 8110,110 over 1898.
Twenty-five thousand head of cuttle
near Itliss. O. T., were recently de-
horned and twr head were lost. The
work was done by an expert who de-
horned them at the rate of one steer u
minute.
The Choctaw road has white brake-
men on the western division and col-
ored brakemen on the eastern division
running from lioonville to Memphis.
CHAPTER II.
Having gone thug far, Rob would not
have been a true boy had he not look-
ed forward to this great change in hLs
life without more or less eagerness and
pleasure. And Rob was a true boy. He
was a good boy, and a good scholar.
He was the best runner, the best foot-
ball player, and the best swimmer in
the circle of boys in which he was
leader. The blood of splendid health
coursed through his veins. He was
sturdy, strong and handsome. What
boy such as this would not hail with
delight a life in South America, with
prospects of adventures in wild and
mysterious places.
Mrs. Cleverdale so far entered Into
(his hopes and plans, that at last she
became not only reconciled to the part-
ing, but pleased at it. It meant so
much for the boy she dearly loved. She
believed that her own life would not
be long, and she was glad of this op-
portunity for Rob to find a home where
hia future was assured.
And ^t last the eventful day came.
Mrs. Cleverdale had a friend, a lawyer,
who undertook to get Rob safely off.
"He goes to Rio de Janeiro on the
United States and Brazil mail," said
the lawyer. Mr. Brown. "At Rio he
changes and takes another ship. For-
tunately, I am acquainted with the cap-
tain of the 'Vigilancia,' which sails
next week from here. I will take Rob
to see him, and then we can rest as-
sured that he will arrive safely. There
is no better sailor or better man afloat
than Captain Baker of the 'Vigilan-
cia.' "
So Mr. Brown took Rob to meet Cap-
tain Baker. The captain of the Vigi-
lancia' was a fine, hearty man, every
inch a sailor, and every inch a gentle-
man. He won the boy's heart at once
by his kindness.
"Don't you worry about this young
gentleman, Mr. Brown," he said. "He
and I are going to be very good friends.
to Rio de Janeiro—a distance of nearly
seven thousand miles—very much. ,
At Rio, Captain Baker introduced
him to the captain of a ship of the
Royal Mail Line, which was to go to
Buenos Ayres. This was the final step
of Rob's long journey, and it was here
that his troubles were to commence.
There were few passengers on board,
and most of these were natives of Bra-
zil or the Argentine Republic, travel-
ing on business. There was one pas-
senger, however, who seemed to take a
great fancy to Rob, and who at once
struck up an acquaintance with him
This was a young man about twenty
Ave years of age. His name was Lem-
uel Starne, and he was apparently of
mixed English and Spanish parentage.
He was quite handsome and well dress-
ed, with black, piercing eyes, and
firm look about the mouth. Rob wis
glad to be friends with Mr. Starne, for
the sail to Buenos Ayres would have
been a long and lonely one without a
friend to talk to. The captain of the
"Royal M%il" was not so friendly as
Captain Baker, and Rob fell in with
Mr. Starne most of the time.
Mr. Starne was much interested in
Rob's prospects, and his coal-black
eyes glistened when Rob, in the inno-
cence of his heart, told what a splendid
offer Mr. Hcrton had made him. But
Mr. Starne, while getting all Rob's
story out of him, said nothing about
his own business on board the "Royal
Mail."
The Ship stopped at Montevideo, in
Uraguay, and then entered the River
de La Plata.
It was on a black and moonless night
when Rob and Mr. Starne were stand-
ing near the rail chatting. The few
passengers were distributed far away
from them, and the crew were busy.
There was no one near enough to see
In the darkness, just what was going
on in that portion of the deck.
Mr. Starne was bending over the rail.
ON WEDNESDAY THE SHIP LEFT.
We are going to enjoy every foot of the J
way from here to Rio, and there he
will be placed in good hands for the
rest of the trip. He's all right. We
sail on Wednesday. Don't forget."
So on Wednesday Rob found him-
self on board the "Vigilancia" with his
mother and Mr. Brown to see him off.
Mrs. Cleverdale could not help crying
a little, but she laughed gayly imme-
diately after, and the memory that Rob
took away with him was his mother
and Mr. Brown laughing away as if
they enjoyed the occasion. This helped
Rob very much.
On Wednesday the big ship left her
dock and steamed away.
It was in the winter time, and Rob,
closely muffled in a big ulster, stood on
tho deck watching the sights as they
went 4own the East river, and down
the be*. After the panorama of the
passing docks he became Interested in
the grand view of the harbor, the Sta-
tue of Liberty, which looks so differ-
ent when viewed from the city-, the
forts, with their ugly looking guns, the
taking on of u pilot and his departure
—all these things kept Rob interested,
so that even when he thought he was
leaving his native land, perhaps for-
ever, he waved aside tho sorrow, and
told himself that soon he would be a
man with money enough to come back
If lie wished.
Captain Baker was very kind to Rob,
and, with the exception of a few days
ut seasickness, the buy enjoyed the trip
that splendid phosphorescent
over the rail and
"Look down there," he said to Rob
"See
light."
Rob leaned far
peered downward.
Suddenly he felt a clutch from be-
hind. A hand was clapped over his
mouth, and, without being able to cry
out or to make a struggle for his life,
Rob was shoved over the rail, and went
down like a log Into the foaming wa-
ters that churned around the speeding
steamer.
CHAPTER III.
The Rescue on Board the Black Cat.
The steamship of the Royal Mall was
not the only thing afloat -i La Plata
River that dark night. Hidden from
the men on the swift steamer by the
thick blackness of the night, and the
fact that she carried no lights, was a
schooner, which was feeling her way
across the broad expanse of the estu-
ary, within hailing distance of the
steamship that passed her unwittingly.
This schooner was a peculiar craft.
She was not so peculiar in appearance
as in action. She was a low, narrow
craft, built for speed, and carried a
tremendous amount of sail. As has
been said, there was no light shown on
the schooner. She ran the risk of be-
ing struck by a passing vessel. But this
was only a chance, and her captain
knew that if lights were shown there
was almost a certainty of being run
down by government boats.
Across the iiteru of this vessel no
I name could be seen in the brightest
dhylight. But still she had a name. It
. was "El Gato Negro," or "The Black
Cat."
The crew of "El Gato Negro" was a
mixed lot of rascals, some being Span-
ish, born in South America, some being
French, some Portuguese, and some na-
tive Indian. "The Black Cat" had a
bad name among the officials of Ar-
gentina, and she was, in reality, the
fastest and most successful smuggler
in the world.
She was entering the river, even now,
with a cargo of rifles and ammunition,
and also of rum and tobacco, on which
there is a heavy duty in Argentina, and
was making in the dark for a certain
spot where the contraband cargo could
be landed without fear of detection.
The language spoken on board the
"Black Cat" was something beyond
printed words to describe. It was cer-
tainly a jargon of English, mixed with
Spanish, French or any other lan-
guage that came handy. The men were,
to a man, a desperate, cut-throat gang.
Captain Torrevo, of the "Black Cat"
was on deok peering at the lights of the
steamer, which was passing a short
distance ahead of the schooner. He
grinned with satisfaction as he thought
how lucky it was for him that the
night was too black for the men on the
steamer to see the "Black Cat."
The captain had taken extra precau-
tion to avoid a collision of any kind,
and a half dozen lookouts were dis-
tributed throughout the schooner. With
but half her sails spread to the gentle
night breeze, the "Black Cat" glided
easily and noiselessly through the
water.
The Royal Mail was now far up the
river, and her lights could just be dis-
tinguished; they flickered, then were
gone. The "Black Cat" was crossing
the path of the steamer, not more than
three minutes after she had passed.
Hist!" came a cry from a lookout
in the bow. "Me hear cry—cry—see?
Listen!"
"Ho! Me hear um!" said another
lookout who had strained his ears.
"What um be? Man in water?"
"Him over there!" shouted a fellow
who was as black as the night itself.
Hark! Hear de same zing over?"
Captain Torrevo had rushed forward,
and was listening intently.
Faintly there came to his ears the
words, "Help! I am drowning! Help!"
'Boy in the water," said the captain,
whose ears never deceived him on the
water. "Hey! Port there! Hard!
Stand by there to rescue! Lower away
a boat!"
Men sprang to obey the captain, and
in an instant there was a small boat
resting on the water, with four
swarthy and almost murderous looking
men in it—for what? To rescue a hu-
man being from drowning. These men •
would take the life of another as quick-
ly as look at him if his life was neces-
sary to their own safety. But the cry
for help that came from the black wa-
ter of the river had found a response
in their own hearts, as it might have
found in the hearts of the manliest and
most courageous of the sailors on a
man-of-war.
When Rob struck the water, after
his sudden plunge from the deck of the
'Royal Mail," he went down deep into
the river, and for a moment was bereft
of his senses. But this was simply for
the moment, and up he came again to
the surface, to battle bravely for his
life. He saw the receding lights of tho
steamer, and cried out as lustily as he
could for help. But the steamer had
gone too far for his voice to be heard
on board, and it was heard instead by
the men on the "Black Cat."
Suddenly Rob, who was not trying to
swim, but simply to keep himself
afloat, which he was able to do, heard
the plash of oars near him. Then he
heard the voice of a man calling out to
him;
" 'Hoy! 'Hoy! Where him be?"
"Here I am!" shouted Rob. "This
way! This way!"
A few strokes of the oars brought
the boat nearer still, and then the boat
was allowed to drift, while a man
stood in the bow ready to seize the
person who needed help as soon as ho
came in reach.
Light, quick!" said this man in the
bow.
Suddenly a gleam lit up the dark-
ness, and the rays of a small lantern
were turned on the water. Rob was
then about ten feet from the boat. He
at once took a few strokes toward it.
He was seized in the strong hands of
the man In the bow, and in a moment
more was dragged into the boat.
His life had been saved—by smug-
glers.
The lantern was extinguished, and
an instant, later a light was displayed
on the deck of the "Black Cat." To-
ward this tho men rowed, and in about
five minutes more Rob. shlyerlng,
soggy with soaked clotulng, and ready
to shout and laugh and cry all at once,
from his mixed emotions, stood on the'
schooner's deck.
(To be continued.)
Our deeds are like children born tO'
us; they live and net apart from our
own will. Children may be strangled,
but; deeds never.—George Eliot.
I •
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George D. Latham & Sons. Cleveland County Leader. (Lexington, Okla. Terr.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 27, 1900, newspaper, January 27, 1900; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc109001/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.