STANN, HOBIN INTERVIEW . 18117 471 • . '""' . ' \ - . 472
STANN, ROBIN " ' f!< INTERVIEW • ' 12117 4
L. W. Wilson* . Journal i st November. 12, 1937'
Interview with Robin Stann I r Stilwell, Oklahoma ;
RobinStann w-s born January 4, 1861, at a place
within two miles of his present home. He is a fullblood
Cherokee Indian and married a full blood Cherokee Indian
,gir}.. Without the knowledge of the Cherokee language it
would be impossible to visit with his family .for they all
speak only Cherokee, Robin talks both Cherokee and' good
English, as he -was educated in the old Female Seminary at *
•t'ark Hill in the early days of that institution.
. Robin Stann's father-died when riobin wes an infant.
The father's'name vr s Richard'"Dick" 3tanii and he was born
in Georgia and moved'to Indian territory, along with his
parents, over the Trjail of Tears in 1S38. Robin Stann's
mother wes Peggy ^askey-Sta'nn, born in Georgia in 1837,
.only a few months before John Ross, Principal Chief of the
•Cherokees,' moved the later contingents of the Cherokees" west-
ward. She came with her parents, making-up one of these
parties. Robin. Stann's father and mother are.buried near the
town of Stilwell in unmarked graves. STANN, ROBIN INTERVIEW , • 1^17
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Robin Stann served his people as deputy sheriff, interpreter and leader. He assisted them in.enrolling . under the Dawes Gommi£|g.on and saw that-allotment s were made to his people of the lands on which they lived and did not care to leave. He served the white man by in- terpreting for him the Cherokee lancuage when Indian crim- inals were hauled into court, For a number of years Adair
County had him, as interpreter for all court cases, criminal, civil and otherwise, Adair County was in the very heart of the full bloc?d Indian country,,
Boyhood days of Robin Stann,
Robin was not unlike other Cherokee boys, He loved to hunt and fish with his bow and arrows and gigs, ^his was. not only sport but assisted him and his mother materially^in making a living. Amch of the game was useti for food and ani- mals whose hides and furs were'salable, were sold or traded for clothing and provisions* Hobin attended first the old
Peavine School for one year, whsTe his teacher was Kenny
Bavis and his next school was the Muddy Springs School,-for a term and the teacher was H, M. Adair. Both of these schools were close to his present home and the present town of Stilwell, . r • ' / , • ' .. . 474 STANN, ROBIN - / INTERVIEW;^ , ' 12117 ' * •
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His next school was;'at Park Hill, Indraft Territory, This school Hob in SLtann attended during the years 1878,
187S and 1880. His teachers were Professors -Bacone,
Williams, Davenport, Tuxie perey, fc*ark Bean and others.
AH these schoola were taught i» the English language. ' He then married and started a home. His mother had died before his marriage.
Marria ge•
riobin was married in accordance with the Cherokee laws.
All that was necessary for two Indians to marry, was to pre- sent themselves to the Judge of the .District in which they lived or to any preachejr. The judge or preacher-would pro- , nounce the couple man and wife and would issue to them'a certificate to the effect they had been married and the. judge or preacher would file a copy of this certificate .
proper official of the Cherokee Government at Tahlequah, Capital of the Cherokee Nation. Ifv "•-»•''a • white man desired to marry a Cherokee girl, it was necessary for hiit to circulate a petition among the citi- zens,of-the tribe to which she belonged. Upon receiving " ten signatures that he was of good character and with a pay- / • ;"V...' . • • ' ; - 475 . STANN; ROB'lN ' ' INTERVIEW , ' ' 122.17
ment of llO.pO into the treasury of the Cherokees, a license
would be issued for their marriege.
Elections ' '
Politics among t^he Qherokees was always a great issu-e, due to the Treaty and Anti-trg€rtjpPcr'ty, v/hich originated • •/' f ~ X back in Georgia. The ^ossf Farw.was the Anti-treaty Party
and-would be considered today As the Republican lerty; The
other party was the Hidge or treaty tarty and woul^d be termed
today the Democratic Party.! •The most of the Ridge- Fnrty fought with tbe South during the GiVi . tfobin ^tann. wes in sym-
pathy "with the Ross Farty and\w\^s very influential among the
full-bloods in securing votes fors^vfoecajididates whom he fa-
vored and for his work he was given/political positions on
three occasions. • ,
=~ Elections were held at the District Courthouses. There
were nine districts in the Cherokee Nation^ The ones in which
Hobin Stann took an active part were Flint snd the Goingsnak'e
Districts and at one time he ,knew every voter in these two dis-
tricts. J^pmenwe-re tot permidfetied to vote. A legal voter had to-,..
be a maUe citizen> 6'f the, Chei^Mee'Nation and-must h^ve attained
the age of twenty-one years. A young man just becoming a vbter .476 STANN, ROBIN ^INTERVIEW 12117
\ {
r 'must have some one vouch for his being of Iawf-u4r~age*______
These officers to be elected were" the Principal Chief,
Assistant Chief and members of the Council of the Upper
and Lower,House. Judges and sheriffs were elected in
their respective districtso On the day of the election ' - "•
. all the voters would go to the court ouse and file with"' "*'
. • the clerk of the election and tell him whon' t'ey wished- -
to.vote for and the clerk would record*-these names'on .
a sheet of paper, -"-'here we're no' bal lot sas-there are „ •
today and most votes were gotten by personal contact with'""" -•-..
the voter before the election by explaining the reasons
why he should vote for a certain candidate.* kany men did
, npt.vote because it was often difficult-to reach the voting
pieces in those days. The Cherokees we're in;most instances'
satisfied with the elections, ^although oftentimes before
election day -there would be^ fights and shooting scrapes.
Career As An Officer.
Hobin Stann farmed in a small way, enforced the law
and interpreted the Cherokee language. He was appointed Dep-
uty Sheriff for three terms and served in these districts
working for the Dawes Commission and served as official - - 477 STANN, ROBIN • ^TNTERVIErf 12117 ,
••••-• • -6- - . • ' :' , • ' interpreter in the courts after Statehood. ' ' Massacre at Goingsnake Couit House-in the Goingsnake District of the Cherokee Nation*
The setting of this affair was a little log house used for a'courthouse, located far up in the hills, in ©'-shady grove near a spring of fine water, known today as the old
Arthur Sanders, or Whitman place between Christie and Barono *' « * * - The judge of the court was Judge i>uvall and the prose- cuting attorney was the well known, fullblood Cherokee, John- son Spade, and the defending attorneys were Johnson Proctor and Attorney Alberta, a half -breed Cherokee. The Sheriff was Jack .Vright. The jury consisted of twelve men. George
Blackwood was a jtiryman. The defendant was 2eke Proctort a brother of Johnson-Proctor, one of his attorneys. &e was .. being tried for the murder of the sister-in-law of Black
Sut, Ahite Sut',and Bill Beck. As they gathered st; thec,court- house for trial, it was noticed that the ^eclr faction dis- tinguished themselves from the others present'by placing in their hats, twigs of wild plum blossoms. "
The sheriff, Jack Aright, produced his prisoner for trial.1 The jury was called to the box and the trial got under way. Pridr to the day of the trial much .agitation was :' . ' 478 STANK-, ROBIN. ' INTERVIEW ., . 12117
? -7- aroused between the Cherokee Government and the United
States Government by deputy United ^taires Ka-rshals-who claimed that the defendant should be tried by the laws of the United States and not by the Cherokee Law, as the Becks were more white than Indian. This statement, however, was not truet The Cherokees paid no heed to these marshals, sensing that all they wanted to do was to take Zeke Proctor and kill him for they considered him one of those mean Indians whom they could not handle.,
The Cherokee Government "knew that they could handle any *- of their criminals regardless and to them Zeke was just another .criminal. The prosecutor, Spade, was asking the
.death penalty for Zeke Proctor on account of the murder of Mrs. Beck. The defendants attorney was @).ing to attempt to prove that Mrs. ^eck was killed accidentally by Zeke
Proctor, with no malice or hatred in his heart toward her,
•and that the shot was^aimed at another person and-that Mrs.
Beck jumped in front of the person aimed at and was killed*
One of the jurjars,- George Blackwood, was facing the one and only door to the, house a As the defendants attorneys had finished their statement to the jury-, this juror noticed STANN, ROBIN ' INTERVIEW- 12117
the United States Marshals enter the door wi"th rifles,
cocked, followed by the Becks. George Blackwood shouted
for everybody to look out that they were coming to""get"
Zeke Proctor and at this instant the shooting began.
The shooting'grew worse for all men were armed fn those days,
the marshals were repulsed and went into the yard. £>.-Xe was
•* not armed but in some way he got a pistol aiid once outside
of the house he took refy.ge in the corner of the fireplace
and from this pofcn't he did his shooting, &e did not have
the rifle at this time that he used so often in other
shooting affrays.
. Zeke's trial was not finished and the result of the
shooting was that many were injured and number killed. Zeke
'rece-ived-t.wo,pr three gunshot wounds himself. The one which
•> .,... - affected*him most was the wound which he received in his knee.
Those guarding Zeke at" the trial were Tom «Valkingstick, John
•'•'''--- • • /• '>*.' Looney, Jess Shell, and Link England. Tom tfalkingsti-$>k was "
killed, the other \three shot but not seriously hurt as they
4 recovered,. The thr^Beck.boys, B;\ack Sut, 'White Sut and Bill
died in that battle. 4 number of the United States Marshals received flesh woundsbut, none were seriously hurt. After • . , ' . .'480 STANN, ROBlN ' • , , INTERVIEW * * \ v '12117 "~
• this massacre ^eke Proctor: signed an agreement with the
United States Government which granted him amnesty and-
was freed of all charges* >
The Murder of Dan Maples at Tahlequeh, Indian Territory, in the year 1890o , -
In the city of Tahlequah, Capital of the Cherokee
Nation, was a large spring of-clear sparkiling water. It
place for all. the- Undian-country folks when W V ;' the city or there on business errands. This spring
4
-•still exists and is located at the head of Kuscogee Street,
near the entrance to the Northeastern Teachers' College at
Tahlequah. Dan iiaples was found dead at this spring and upon
,investigation it developed that he had been murdered and -the
evidence pointed to John Peris. Two United States Marshals,
Fields and Isbol, 'soon located Peris and moved him to the Fed-
eral.prison at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and' while at the prison
he was questioned at length because 1fhe evidence was only cir-
nea^ing, Paris^stated he did
not murder Dan Maples alone and said that he would turn State's
Evidence and would relate the history of .the entire affair'*
He Turned State's Evidence and told how Ned Christie who lived STANN,. ROBIN " ' ' INTERVIEW ^>lvr' »
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some fifteen miles east of Tahlequah hadjmet Maples'at the
spring and he., Paris, was^the third party present, had come up to the spririg with Christie and there1 they
^ples di*inkjyag aiT'Hje [spring. Chr'fs'tie accused Maples gf ; stealing, a fight ensued and Christie sKot and, killed Maples.
The ppyrt.freed -Paris and United States i>arshals i'ields and
Isb'ol were notified "to bring in Christie', dead or alrse. - Ned
1 Christie s home was located one mile north of the Hocl^StoreK near Bidding Springs on Highway"59. The town of Christie-wes named for Ned Christie. -The United States Marshals started to .-Ned Christie's home to capture him but when this wa% learned throughout the neighborhood,of the hill 'country, where Ned was loved by all and had always been ^honorable and .upright, ho one would believe he had killed Ma Jes as stated by John Paris".
Chri'stie toid-B-o.bIn Stann,> that >he* absolutely did not shoot
• :• • , • - ,** • M ' . Maples aild was not in Tahlequah the day of* the murder and that he would not submit to arrest by the United States Marshals, but if the Cherokee Indian Officers believed h$. had-murdered
Maples he would give himself up. to them and stand trial, -•.*
Maples and Paris were white men, Christie was a CheroKee ' ,';.>
Indian. The Cherokee Government had no complaint, and did not I
482
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* care^ to make /Ghe'-arrest, so Ned Christie, having knowledge
\ot thXfeelings of thje( Cherpkees, did not go to his home but ^ V 'JLifigered"among friends' and neighbors who helped him tp avoid ,
*^- . the-4Jnited.;Stg(tes'-^arshals"fwho watched for his return' home • \ • day and nights . '
>N *,-.' " 'V/ The marshal ^.-became .y/prried over their long wait or y' -" i|l se: thought "that Ned was1 at home and in the darkness of the
nigfr,t, sneajked, up to Nedfs house, where,his wife and children
- "^ ';>, slept',.^n'd set, fi-reto the building. The wife and children
> were awakened by the fireTand smarted to run ouirof ttie house,
.. Dne "c'Kftd^ a thirteen year old son of Ned Christie's while; r
,* C '-Truriiring from t"i.e burning, house was shot and killed by the
' marshals.- When Ned Christie heard.vof their cruelty W his
jV family and -of ,the killing- ots his '.son, he defied the marshals
-' -. ^and turnedVfrpm. the once fine, amiable, law-abidirfg citizen
that he^'haA been'ancP-became, a ki^Jer', for in his heart was
a Sitter .hatred tovJgjds the "marshals who had killed his child v " ' -.- and bttrned h£;svhome a'nd he came'into the open and seat the • •"*-'* '- •'- ,-/:- v.'-- -r - *-> T • marshals'wdrd where'he "was and told then? if they thought they- ••'; ..:-< '"'""") • • 't "v^ -»could ,ca'pture.hira*to pome and he;,wotijd. shoot it out with them. V ••;*.' . J' _., : -V ':.%-; ' .. . ^:.. ',.. • . .. ' .For two y.ears Ned ^phrisi-i-e^lived-hunted like-a rabbit by the
* "•' •*" •'».*• x* i
s STAKN; ROBIN - . ' INTERVIEW ; -121X7
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United*.States^Marshals.- Oftentimes he- was "jumped up " and true to his word, in each instarfce, he shot it out with the marshals, always making his escape and sometimes wpunding them. Then on 3'eptember 2, 1892, two years after Maples had been murdered, a United States karshal, Ben Knight, and a posse of six men, caught Ned Christie and killed him*** Every Cherokee who knew Ned Christie firmly believed that he did not kill Naples, but the John Peris,, the man whom the lsw released, had killed him. The Cherokee
Shippings and Hangings. '•
ifobin'Btann.was a witness to the execution 6t the following criminals in the-flint-and Goingsnake Districts. Jack Wright, 4. ~ • " < - -,' -'> •& - Sheriff-during ^he Zekeproctor trial, hangedTHenry( .volfe and
Larkin &anus at the site of the Goingsnake Courthottse," * , x ^ ' Many men were whipped at the shippipg post for stealing, Eirst offenders received fifty lashes and for a second offense* ^ a thief ^ece"iyedffe nundre^, lashes. * Some of these nfen.wiio were, whipped were Toqi Spoke, >John fayne, Jiooney Cjienuckn^vV 'Bhe -x sheriff, C; I,. Lynch of "the pint district, ^ha-nged Wayn'l, Wl?ey x y. i 484
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and many men were whipped at this post*
At .Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation,
was the official hangman for the Nation, 4eke Feris, who .5 was a man of much nerve and who felt no hesitancy in doing'
his duty. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge. *fter'St8 te- rn > hood he moved to Guthrie,. His health became impaired and he
• t « * 4 was moved to the fclaspnic Home at which place he died. His \/
body was returned to Tahiequah for interment.
^_y~ Dawes Commission. . . r
Some of tJaft«inen connected with the Comraission'yfere Simon
Walkingstick, Locatlon^Slerk, Joe ^hus, Clerk, and Hobin Stann,
Identification. Many odd and funny things happened during the
days of the Commission. Over at Stilwell live's Judge ~rnold
and his wife, the daughter.of Tom Horn, and her name was Clyde
•- Horn. The day she enrolled^ she was dressed like- a man and the
enrollment clerk wrote her name^.on the roll and in,the place pro-
^vided he described her as a male. A visit to the Indian Agency
at Muskogee will show her as a male.
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Salaries of Cherokee Officials
Principal Chief $1000.00 per year \, Senators 3.00 per day
Councilmen 3.00 per day
"Sheriff 500,06 per year
Prosecuting "•ttorney 500.00 per ye.ar-
District Judge 600.00 per year
Deputy Sheriff 200.00 per year and fee.s
Payments to the Cherokees -
"X^ Strip Payment - - year 1894, *265.00 per person
Bread monfey derived from Grass Payments paid at intervals
ranging from $12.00 up to §18.00.
Old Se.ttler.s Payment — year 191Q.
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