LONGTAIL, JAXJfi INTERVIEW #12939

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LONQTAIL, JAKE. • INTERVIEW. 12939.

James Carselowey,Journalist,Feb. 12, 1938.

An Interview With Jake Longtail,Vinita, Oklahoma, RFD'4.

Journalist Note;

I have known this old Indian for about 40 years, andhave hesitated to ask him for an. interview because hecould not.talk the English language, only in a broken way.So many have told.me I should interview him, that I finallydecided to do so, and am giving it to you as nearly likehe gave it to me'as is possible to write it. He says: *

"My name he Jake Longtail. I live Vinita, route 4,

close Estella, this side. I born Indian- reservation,

Kansas 1848. Pretty soon I'm ninety years old, next year.

I come Indian Territory emigration party, Shawnees 'bout

1871.

When I come" I stop same plaoe I am now, but I no

find 'em house to live in. Not many house Indian Territory

then, just few log cabin, maybe little fiel,dv close by. No

white man live here then, just fill blood Cherokee. Good

many them kind in White Qak-Hill, all over, I bought two

log room house, Jim Horsefly, and five acre ground. I

give it $300.00 his place, he move out. I think I got it

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12939.

big land f i e ld fence", when I buy them land. He got r a i l

feace round, a l l round.

Right way I make improvement, tha t house. I go saw i

mil l , o l ^ s e b y and get lumber, I box i t up 'nother room,

between two log house~7-<fclien I got three log room house. •

I farm patch myself, r a i s e corn, feed^^^ess i l" and make

corn bread.

When I f i r s t came^nr~cW4ir-f4^t4--iJL_grist m i l l no

where, f i na l ly Jim Horsefly say, you saddle pony, put

sack corn oh behind, and I show i t "gr i s t m i l l . We gone

two days, go way Spavinaw town got water mi l l t ha t p lace ,

jus t bigwhe^T~rliir~lrtr-aii--44mfi_jaopush i t , no pu l l i t ,

jus t run i t by s e l f . We s tay a l l night Cherokee Indian

house. Jim Horsefly, he t a l k i t Cherokee, t ha t man, but

I'm Shawnee c a n ' t understand i t them language. I under-

stand i t p r e t t y good, English language, but I c a n ' t find

i t a l l them words what I want say. Jim Horsefly, he t a lk

good both way, he p r e t t y smart Indian . Sometime he i n -

t e rp re t court house, and council house, Tahlequah.

LONGTAIL, JAKE.

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INTERVIEW. 12939., •

PRAIRIE CHICKENS EAT UP CORN.

When I f i r s t come t h i s country, too many p r a i r i e

chicken. He ' l igh t on t r e e s a l l round my f i e l d , i n t r e e ,

put ty soon I a i n t watch i t , he ea t up corn pa tch . I

shoot 'era, j u s t l o t s chicken, one shot . Sometimes I k i l l

'•'am 7, one shot .

Plenty deer them h i l l s too , but he no eat corn,

I wait long time one .place before

,, w h a t You eaU- ** d e e r l ioK.hunt s a l t .

Sometime I put s a l t there myself, and fool i t , then I hide

close by and shoot i t .

———Pift±iX_8qon, ebout 1885 white man begin to come, hunt

a l l time, k i l l fem heap deer and prairie chicken, and>

pretty soon all gone, then we have to eat wild, M>g. Plenty

that kind meat yet. When wild hog play out, I raise »em'tame hog, myself, then white man- s t e a l i t . ' "Kill i t j u s t •

l i k e *rild hog—have to watch i t a l l t ime, them white mans.

MADE BEAR TIMPSON'S COFFIN.

I g i t i f ' n o t h e r good neighbor, Cherokee mans, name

Bear Timpson. He live close my house, other side, close

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Bstella. Ho Baptist r»reacher and leader among, his people.

He come my house, to xnake good my friendship. He run it

councilman one time, Cooweescoowee District, and got itj

office. I vote for it, and I go hear it preach, little!

church house call it7 Timpson* s~chapel. First preach it

log room house, make seat out slab, rough on bottom. I

help make fem; we bore hole in it slab, put legs in, tnen

set on it, hear sermon.

gay after while, Bear Timpson just keep on preach it,

and pretty soon make it new preach huuae, aiid̂ a-ltirt it

school. I guess oldest school, Craig County, he start fem

Bear Timperon. Long time call it Timpson Chapel, but now

.call^it Sstella school, but Bear Timpsonfs old church still

stand same place-got new one now-white' ̂ ouse, big sign l|n

front say, "Timpsonfs Chapel". Graveyard on same lot,

acres, got same name. Bear Timpson buried there. rBou't

"Ithree days before he died,* he come my house, Bear Timpson.

He say, "Jake, I want you make coffin a-nd box for me, when

I-die". I say, "all right". It was just kind of Indian

way, and I thought maybe several years before I make it,

but he dead in three days. I make it coffin out of dry

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walnut. I keep it in loft all time make coffins. I

make it box, too. I make it out rough oak.

I make fem lots coffin, early days ain't no coffin

house-close this side Chetopa, Kansas, and somebody-make

•em most every neighborhood. We go Vinita get lining

and trimming, and coffin look just like "new one". We

get handle, too, and when we get through,coffin look like

sure enough one_. Coffins_better_ them days t than, now.,

thick walnut last longer than modern'casket.

HERE BEFORE VINITA ESTABLISHED. -f * •

When I came here, 1871^0 Vinita town here, but

l i t t l e new town, cal l i t Downingsville, on Cabin Creek,

two miles south of where jabs stand i t now, that Vinita town.

Next year 1872, I'm run i t big race., two rai l road,

one coming from north out of Kansas, and one coming from "

Missouri from east . Hire i t heap mans, make fly heap d i r t .

I go Chetopa, close other side to see i t make r a i l r o a d -

look like in big hurry to go somewhere. Mans just lay i t

t i e on ground, grab up big railroad iron, lay i t down and

nail i t , then go on. He sure work fast them mans. One

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mans told me he make raoe with F r i sco , t ha t M. K.& T. ,

aa i f i r s t one to reach Indian land would get i t hal f

the land lay close r a i l r o a d .

Well, Katy-raans, he beat i t Fr isco some whay out , .'

but Uncle Sam •she jus t fool i t r a i l r o a d , . l ike she fool -

Indian. Railroad no get *e:n Indian land y e t .

When Katy road reach i t Downingsville, she swell up

and goin make b ig town, but p r e t t y soon here comes F r i s co ,

and fool i t t ha t Downingsville town. She land two miles

to nor th . Then Downingsville mad l i k e old wet hen. She

have to t ea r i t a l l up, t ha t town, and move i t to r a i l r o a d

crossing* i Then make more t roub le , some smart Cherokees.

BOUDINOT-BELL ANDOTHERS FMCE LAND.

When he see fem coming F r i s co , Cornelius Boud,inot,

Hooley Bell and a few o t h e r s , isee fem big chance make

heap moneys, them town l o t s . He f ly in and fence i t a l l ,

them land close where r a i l r o a d c ross , and Cherokee law

give i t quar-mile on each s ide h i s fence. Then he lay

off town l o t s and wai t . CanH-makeJLt. town now, l e s s you

buy l o t from Boudinot5Bell and Company.

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Heap-raise fem stink all them Downingsville folks, - /

cause he want move it town right way. He send it. dele-

gation to Tahlequah, see them Chief bout it, and Ohief, <

he sena it Indian police that place, tear it all down

fence, then Downingsville move, and in few years change

t' its name to Vinita.

Boudinot, he go Washington ail time, bout that time

and he stick it on Yfhite girl, name Vinnie Ream, she make

sculpture, and right-way he want call it Downingsville'

after that girl, and pretty soon he make it, and that is •-'

howTmf^a get name, -*—

• STILL PLOWS AT 89.

I am only man, close my house, who at 89 can still

plow. Long time go my wife die, my children all get

married. I been plow all my life, I still plow. Most

people think funny, but I plow all day, just like white

man. I-got good farm yet, same one I bought Jim Horsefly

in 1871. I been farm like white man long time, I raise

corn, wheat, oats., all by myself. I plow 'em corn all

day, cook ray meals. Long time my daughters stay my house,

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oook meals, but gone now, and I cook it myself, milk it

cow, then farm. I got 100 acres allotment. I got fem

yet. I got 'em cultivation now, most all of it. Some

of it in Cabin Greek bottom-raise good corn.' I got hog.

I feed 'em corn,'raise myself. I no draw 'em pension,

old age. I no need 'em. I got three good horses. I

oome Vinita Sales Day, today I want £uy it another horse,i

then I got two team. Mabyso hired ̂ Lt hand, help me-sow

it oats.

One mans, over there sale ground, say, "Jake, What

you do that stick when you plow?" I say, "Don't need Tem,

Just bring 'em to town, looks".( '

MADE OW HJLLETS.

VJhen I first come this country, I got old oap and

ball rifle. I make bullets myself. Just melt 'em lead,

'pour it in bullet mold, come out round. I put 'ern in end

of gun, punch it down, call ^em ram-rod. Don't see any

more them kind gun.

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. 3HAWNEE TRIBE FLAYING OUT.

The Shftwnee tribe of Indians, be play out pretty-

fast now. Heap Shawnee came to Indian Territory, when

I cone. Some of fem very prominent mans. Some had

large family, now all dead. Some of Shawnees who came

when I -did are:

Charles Rogers, Chief of Shawnee Tribe; Johnson

Blackfeather, chief; Cyrus Cornatzer, chief, some one

time, some two, David Blackfeather, William Greenfeather,

Sampson Rogers, Charles Tucker, Jonathan Gore, Samuel

Cornatzer, Fred Chouteau, William Ben, Alex and John

Chouteau, Dudley H. Tucker, Sain, John and Doss Tucker,

John'Franklin, George Franklin, Frank Franklin and Alex

Franklin. Of the above, all die long *go, except John

Franklin, He live close my house yet.

SAMS WAY WITH CHEROKEE.

It's same way with Cherokee. When I first come

this plaoe, White Oak Hill full, nothing but full blood

Cherokee-now not many left-just Charley •Hunter and few

young man. Old Aunt Liza Buzzard and Jennie Buzzard,

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Cherokee woman, o ldes t c lose E s t e l l a , t h i s s ide d ie

ffo soon, l a s t year , almost hundred years o ld . I 'm

oldest man l e f t in White Oak H i l l now.

SARLY DAY SETTLES AT VINITA.

I know good many early day s e t t l e r s I n Yini-ta,

Most of them dead now. Last 6ne t o die i s -biggest man

I ever saw. He s i x feet', s ix inches t a l l and weigh

about 300 pounds. He mighty good and popular man. He

name Thqmas Mitchel l Buffington. He d ie a t home i a

Vigi ta , Friday, February 1 1 , 1938*

I know fem long time ago. He came Delaware D i s t r i c t

1878, from what you oaU i t Snakegoing somewhere d i s t r i c t ,

close Westvi l le , t h i s s i d e . He run i t off ice good many

times, get lee ted every t ime, c a n ' t beat i t no mans.

Some other mans what l i v e T in i t a town, when I come

t h i s country a r e ; Jim Bly, postmaster ea r ly day i n Vin i t a .

He got two daughter , one marry Bi l ly Miller* might near

f i r s t hardware man in Yin i ta ; other one marry L. W. Mark

he white man, and ear ly day United S t a t e s Marshal, He

f i r s t white man to ooflk p i s t o l on Belle S t a r r . He f r e s t

i t one t ime, then l e t I t get away.

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Belle S t a r r tough, j u s t l i k e man. He scout , r ide

horse a l l n igh t . One night she come my neighbor ' s

house way in n igh t , and say want stay a l l ' n igh t . My

neighbor put i t horse i n , b a r n , then go i n , and she say,

»My name Belle S t a r r . They are. a f t e r me, but c a n ' t

catch i t ! Next morning my friend a i n ' t s l ep t much a f ra id

come them o f f i ce r , and *res t him too . He get up 'bout

4 o 'c lock , c a n ' t s l eep , send p r e t t y soon here come Bel le

S t a r r . She say I want pay you for 'my s tay a l l n igh t ,

your house, and hand i t t en do l l a r b i l l . My fr iend say,

"don' t want no money", but she j u s t walk out , get horse

and leaye, ' fo re day l i g h t .

more early day s e t t l e r i n Vin i t a name HenryI

Drew, Henry E f f e i r t , Oae T r o t t . Oce here before I come.

Live on farm, one mile south of f a i r ground, Qlosa Y i n i t a ,

other s i d e . When. Yini ta s t a r t he build f i r s t res idence

house in V in i t a . I t ' s s t i l l he re , but Oce gone happy

hunting ground.

Then the re was a man name Pace and another man name

Trot t , c a l l i t Hardin T r o t t . He big man run lumber yard .

Pace walk in one day and say, "My name Pace" . T r o t t say,

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nMy name Trott". Pace want to fight it then, cause

he thought Trott make fun of it.

There wasn't no doctor here when I first cam^

just Indian medicine man. About '80 sometime first

white dootor came. He name Oliver Bagby. He ride it

dun pony all over this country, and more too. He roll

more pill, than all other doctors. He live long time,

just die in 1937.

'Bout seven ,.or eight years fnother white doctor came,

name B. F. Fortner. He practice little while, and fore

long Dr. Bagby find out pretty good man to whittle on

man, and he take it in, for partner. Then Dr. Bagby

roll pill, and Dr. Fortner cut it up. Nother mans what

,was here when I oame was Bob Ironsides. He had little

store on east side of Katy traok, and later built it, .

first theatre in Vinita. He marry him, my daughter,

Jim Davenport. He name Birdie Davenport now and my

husband is big judge Oklahoma City town.

Two more mans run store, 'rnong first one In Yinita,

namsd Frank Oass and Arch Goodykoontz. After while sell

out, and go into cattle business. Both, of 'em start

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west, and oamp out on l i t t l e r i v e r , c a l l i t Verd igr i s ,

d o s e Catoosa t h i s 8 ide . That n igh t , a l i p up 6n i t negro

and k i l l i t both men and bi rd dog, and rob i t . Two

negroes take buggy and hack and go Okmulgee town, where

catch i t some men, and hang i t i n Wichita, Ksfasas.

Others who were he re , in ea r ly h i s to ry of Vin i ta

weret Fe l ix Cowan, John B r i t t , Bob and Jim T i t t l e , Sam

Ridenhour, Luoien W. Buffington, W. C. Pattori , S. S.

Cobb, J . 0. Ha l l , Wil l iam*Lit t ie , B i l l H a l s e l l , B i l l ,

Arthur and Beeoher Chamberlain, and too many, I c a n ' t

t e l l i t now. "* -

EARLY SETTIERS. NOW LIVING. " -

Not many of old t imers , I have jus t naned, s t i l l

l i v i n g . Some whom I remember, mighty few a r e : Mrs.

L. W. Marks, Lula (Poole) Rel ley, Mrs. R. M. Swain,

Mrs. B i l l i e M l l e r , Sam Ridenhour, Fe l i x c/wan. I do

not bel ieve the re i s any more old t imers now l i v i n g , who

were here when I came, except one man, close my neighbor,

by E s t e l l a , c a l l i t John Frank l in .

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WCMAN KILLS W BOY. "

My oldest -son, Charley Longtail marry Cherokee

woman, named Fannie Humphrey Longtail. He just married

i t few years ago» She bad woman, get druak, fight and'

go on party, One night, about three years fgo her and

Charley go somewhere and have car trouble; ~hire taxi

bring i t home, I guess been fussing,them two. Wife

go in house to get money to pay taxi,- but stay so long-

Qh&rley started in house to see bout i t . , He met wife

at door with p is to l , and she just shoot i t down, that

boy right in door. He stick i t - i n pen, that court,

for l i f e .