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Date: November 15, 1937
Name: Crawford J. Anderson
Post Office: Talihina, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: December 10, 1867
Place of Birth: Nanih Waiya, now Tuskahoma, the old capital of
the Choctaw Nation
Father: John Anderson
Place of Birth: Mississippi
Information on father: Choctaw Indian
Mother: Elizabeth PERRY
Place of birth: Tennessee
Information on mother:
Field Worker: Gomer GOWER
INTERVIEW # 12199. 306
Crawford J. Andersonwas born on December 10th, 1867, at what was
then Nanih Waiya, now Tuskahoma, the old capital of the Choctaw
Nation.
His father, John Anderson, a Choctaw Indian, was born in
Mississippi and came with other Choctaws from that state to the
Indian Territory at the time of the general removal. He took a
leading part in all Tribal affairs and was one of those who
espoused the cause of the Confederacy in the war between the
states and was rewarded for his efficient service by having
conferred upon him the rank of captain. Consequently, he was
known thereafter as Captain ANDERSON.
His mother, before her marriage to Captain Anderson, was
Elizabeth PERRY, a white woman who was born in Tennessee.
In his youth, Crawford Anderson attended Spencer Academy for a
period of five consecutive terms, the first of which terms was
before the removal of the Academy from near Doaksville to a
point west of Hugo and the latter four terms after the Academy
had been moved to the new site. The first superintendent under
whom he studied was Mr. John REE, who was succeeded by Mr. O. P.
STARKS, and Mr. STARKS was succeeded by Mr. H. R. SCHEMERHORN.
After the completion of his studies at that academy, Crawford
ANDERSON secured permission from the trustees of the community
school near his home to take a special course of instruction
under a Mr. James BROOM, the teacher at that school. At that
time he was above the scholastic age prescribed for scholars
attending the Tribal community schools and the special
permission of the trustees was necessary before he could be
enrolled as a pupil.
In 1890 he was united in marriage to Sarena BENTON, a full blood
Choctaw, who died in March 1895. Of that union three children
were born - Alice, Edmond, and Bethel Eugene, all of whom except
Edmond survive.
On May 6th, 1896, he married Esther Lois BEAMS, another Choctaw.
Of that union the surviving children are Myrtle, Stafford and
John Gilbert, the others having died in their infancy. Then in
1931 death again invaded the home and robbed it of the wife and
mother.
On April 6th, 1932, he married Vicey JAMES, another full blood
Choctaw woman, with whom he now lives at this home about four
miles southeast of Talihina.
The first two of his wives each attended the New Hope Female
Seminary near Sckullyville (sic) and his present wife attended
the Wheelock Academy for Indian girls at Wheelock.
Soon after his marriage to his first wife, Sarena BENTON,
Crawford J. ANDERSON was elected County Clerk of what was then
Wade County and later elected County Clerk of what was then
County Judge for a term of two years. He was then appointed
District court Clerk of Pushmataha District, in which position
he served two years each under the judgeships of Houston G.
ANDERSON, Gilbert WILSON and R. F. WILSON.
He also served as clerk of the General Council and was
Journalist for the Choctaw Council and was a member of the
Council Finance Committee. Then for two years he served as
District School Trustee over six counties.
These services were followed by his appointment as Deputy Court
Clerk for three successive two year terms, first serving under
James BABB and then under Hosev PILGRAM.
Mr. ANDERSON remembers with remarkable clarity the occasion when
Governor Wilson JONES authorized the formation of companies of
militia to effect the arrest of the Non-Progressives, or Snake
Indians, who had banded together for the purpose of killing the
leading men in the Progressive Party.
The situation in the vicinity of Talihina and on down to Antlers
was very tense. A large number of the Non-Progressives had
congregated at the home of Dick LOCKE at Antlers, all armed to
the teeth, and were openly defying the Tribal authorities. Mr.
ANDERSON was a member of one of the companies of militia,
serving under Captain Gilbert W. THOMPSON. The militia had
camped at a small village called Davenport, a point about three
miles distant from the home of Dick LOCKE and had proceeded on
to Antlers on the following morning. Upon approaching the home
of Dick LOCKE, the militia men were fired upon from all parts of
the interior of the house from the windows, doors and from every
other opening through which a gun could be projected. The
militia then opened fire. This exchange of bullets was continued
for some time and then a truce was called and a conference
between Captain THOMPSON and Dick LOCKE was held. It was agreed
in this conference that the conspirators would submit to arrest
without further resistance. The entire band was then placed
under arrest and sent to Paris, Texas, under escort to be placed
in the Federal jail at that place.
In spite of all the shooting which had taken place before the
truce was called, no one had been seriously injured but the
house which sheltered the conspirators was practically
demolished.
Upon the submission of the offending parties to arrest, Captain
THOMPSON directed most of the militia men to return to their
homes. Some of these men who were not fortunate enough to have
funds with which to pay train fare, were required to walk, some
of them as far as fifty or sixty miles. Mr. ANDERSON, however,
together with some four other comrades was provided with the
necessary funds and arrived at their homes in Talihina late on
the same evening. Here they found a large assemblage of people
awaiting the arrival of the train, all eager to learn of the
result of the battle of which they had heard vague rumors during
the day. Many of this group were sympathetic with those who had
been taken to jail. This caused a well founded fear that
reprisals against the militiamen who had just returned would
follow. Mr. ANDERSON and his companion militiamen quickly made
their way through the crowd and then separated to go to their
respective homes which were at varying distances and directions
from the railroad station.
Such was the fear of Mr. ANDERSON of being ambushed on his way
home in the darkness which had by that time appeared that he
avoided walking the well beaten road and kept at a distance of
from one to two hundred yards from it.
Upon his arrival at his home he informed his much alarmed wife
of his fears for his personal safety which he felt were
justified and after eating his evening meal he made his way to a
secluded spot to spend the remainder of the night. In this
manner he very probably cheated his would-be assassins out of an
opportunity to carry out their murderous designs.
This already tense situation was made the more so when it was
learned that the conspirators who had submitted to arrest and
had been taken to the Federal jail at Paris, Texas, had been
liberated on the day following their arrest and were again free
to renew their offenses against the peaceable process of the
Tribal authorities. They immediately resumed holding secret
meeting[s] in which they laid their plans to assassinate the
leading man in the Progressive Party.
A young white boy, whom the Indians thought did not understand
the Choctaw language and therefore it was of no consequence if
he did hear them, overheard and understood the conversation had
by a band of the conspirators, in which it was planned to kill
several of the leading progressives, Mr. ANDERSON and Gilbert W.
DUKES being among the number to be killed. Upon fully satisfying
himself of the correctness of what he had understood the
conspirators intended to do, this boy very indifferently mounted
his pony and rode off in the direction of his home which,
incidentally, was in the opposite direction to that of the homes
of ANDERSON and DUKES. This act on the part of the boy was
designed to dispel any suspicion which the conspirators might
have felt that he had understood their conversation and would
notify the proposed victims. After reaching a point where he was
out of sight of the Snakeheads, as they were sometimes called,
this boy put spurs to his pony and by a circuitous route quickly
arrived at the home of Govenor DUKES and made known to him the
plans which he had overhead.
Upon being apprised of those plans of the Snakes through the
bravery and sagacity of that young boy, Governor DUKES
immediately notified the remaining named proposed victims and
they all met at the home of Governor DUKES and maintained a
guard though-out the night, expecting each minute to hear the
approach of their would-be assassins. The night passed without
incident but a survey of the ground not far distant from the
home on the following morning revealed tracks freshly made which
told in unmistakable language that the boy's warning had been
timely, well-founded and the means of foiling the purposes of
the conspirators and perhaps of saving the lives of the proposed
victims. Presumably the stealthy Snakes, aided by the darkness
of the night, had made a reconnoiter of the premises and thereby
found their would-be victims greater in number and much better
entrenched than they had expected to find them. An attack in
accordance with their prearranged plans was seemingly not
warranted.
It is a well-known fact that a Territory-wide slaughter of the
leading Progressives in all parts of the Choctaw Nation was to
take place on that same night. Fortunately, however, with the
exception of the killing of five leaders in what was then Gaines
County, the plans of the conspirators were frustrated.
On another occasion a group of the Snake Indians had congregated
in an isolated place and after they had held their pow-wow, all
spread their blankets upon the ground and prepared to spend the
night in sleep. One man had been designated to stand guard near
the sleeping conspirators. The now watchful Progressives in some
way learned of this bivouac, advanced upon it, found the
irresponsible guard soundly slumbering, quietly seized him and
then noiselessly advanced upon the main body of the group, whom
they found lying close to each other all wrapped in their
blankets. The Progressives, being equal if not superior in
numbers, surrounded them before they awoke and then each
Progressive, with gun cocked and ready for instant firing,
commanded the renagade (sic) Indian lying closest to him to
arise and surrender.
In this manner the arrest of a considerable number of those who
had proven themselves to be menaces to the lives of those with
whom they did not agree upon Tribal matters was effected without
the loss of life. Such wholesale arrests occurring at about the
same time aided materially in quelling the uprisings and finally
brought peace and tranquility back into the lives of those who
for months had lived in constant fear for the safety of
themselves and for the safety of their families due to the
sneaking way in which the renegades carried their vindictiveness
into effect. In that group arrest, it is interesting to note the
personal experience of Mr. ANDERSON. The particular Indian,
lying closest to him at the time the signal for the awakening of
the sleeping Indians was given, was commanded by Mr. ANDERSON to
arise and throw up his hands. He arose from a prone to a sitting
posture and then put down his right hand as though in an attempt
to seize a gun. At that instant Mr. ANDERSON commanded him to
drop that gun or he would fire. This latter command had the
effect of causing the Indian to again reach for the sky with his
hands and elicited the information that as he was a cripple and
not for a gun as Mr. ANDERSON had thought. The instantaneous
response to the second command of Mr. ANDERSON is all that stood
between the still sleepy Indian and instant death for Mr.
Anderson was not at that time in a mood to unnecessarily put
himself up as a target for the gun of a renegade Snake Indian.
Following the group arrest the Non-Progressives in the vicinity
of the meeting place would cause a gradual departure of the
Snakes from the meeting place for their several homes.
There was an element of justice in the cause of the
Non-Progressives. The only fault to be found is in the method
adopted in the promotion of that cause. They had been warned by
the opponents of conformity with the terms of the Dancing Rabbit
Creek Treaty in their far off Mississippi that it was useless to
give up their lands upon which rested the remains of their
ancestors; that if they moved to the new Indian Territory they
would again soon be asked to give it over to the white man. So,
it is not in the least surprising that they felt a spirit of
rebellion arising within their bosoms when they realized that
the warnings given to their fathers in Mississippi by the
Non-Conformists were well founded and that the promises which
were made as inducements to remove to the new Indian Territory
were in process of being abrogated.
Mr. Anderson has served in various responsible official
positions for his tribe and has also served the State of
Oklahoma as Deputy Court Clerk in LeFlore County for three
consecutive terms.
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Created: 19 Nov 2009
Updated:
19 Nov 2009
Complied and transcribed by Sue
Hearon, 2008-2009.
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