Show lilii belks bri 1 sira i A 3 INDIANS may be preserved by the state of oklahoma citizens citizen of creek nation want to turn over to commonwealth title to old national council house as a museum okmulgee okla citizens of the creek nation are hopeful that the detate ot at oklahoma will accept title to the old creek national council house bouse at athla place that it may be arese prese preserved arved ba as a historic building and used as a museum for the keeping of at relics typical of the creek indians indiana U sold cold for commercial purposes the creeks would receive perhaps less than 60 cents each from the proceeds of the sale a sum eum which they would gladly forego it if given assurance that the building would be kept permanently by the state stata this was wis tho the capitol of the creek nation as ok was its capital before tho the tribal government was dissolved the building was erected in 1878 of native sandstone when the nearest railroad station was Musk muskogee ngee 40 miles di distant at ant from which much of the building material was hauled by wagon its cost was about tn in this building assembled the creek legie legislature lature or council as it was called composed of two houses the upper r house or house of kings and the lower house or house of warriors the former having 67 57 and the latter members in it were also housed the supreme court consisting of a chief justice and three associate justices the governor or principal chief and the subordinate national officers the creek nation enacted and executed its laws in the same manner as aa the neighboring states including capital punishment the latter was by shooting A large tree that still stands at the left of the main entrance to the building was where criminals were wera executed it was there that gimmle jack was shot forthe murder of james brown jack was executed by duke berryhill Berry hlll bill in the presence of a large crowd of spectators the creek punishment for or stealing was 60 lashes on the bare back for the first ottense offense lashes for the second offense and death by shooting for the third ol Tense e prisoners were frequently whipped under this tree but the death penalty for stealing a more niggardly crime than murder was inflicted at another spot in the council house bouse yard the domo dome of the building la is surmounted by a large gilt eagle in one of tho the wings Is a hole wesley barnett one of the romantic killers and desperadoes of the creek country lifted his bis winchester in the streets of okmulgee one day and said eald he believed he bo would wing the eagle just for luck and he did hitting bitting the left wing the old building and its shady grounds have been the favorite meeting place of the creeks upon lipon national occasions from payment days to council gatherings the old time creek still loves to come to okmulgee and sit with old friends on the grassy lawns and tell stories of other days S LA Ly johnson though nott breeb c is seeking to induce some society or organization of patriotic persons persona to acquire the building it if the state should not and preserve it for its historical associations there are thousands of relics of creek life scattered among creek families that would be placed in the building it properly safeguarded and many persons having manuscript accounts ot ol creek history legends and tribal tore lore would gladly place them in the archives of such an institution the preservation of this old council house said mr johnson offers the best beat and almost the only means of preserving a record of the cus tomos tomi and the identity of the creek people and it would be an act of vandalism to permit penult the building to be swept away for tho the few dollars it would bring |