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BEAN, ANDERSON. INTEHVIEWT 6030 v 148
149 BEAN, ANDERSON. ' INTERVIEW, ' 5030.' Breland Adams, FieM lyqrker- February 22, '1937. Interview Mth Anderson Bean, imuskogee, Oklahoma. I was born in 1851 in.yashington County, Arkansas, near -Cane Hill* Mark Bain was my master. During the i ar we moved south to Dardenelle and were there when the aar was over* A government boat sank and soldie'rs were sent there to guard the boat;wham the soldiers left we followed the:.; to Fort Gibson and settled.' My father made a crop the year after he came to Fort Gibson and the next year he went to wor.. in a blacksmith shop. His name..as John Bean. He worked in Fort Gibson in different blacksmith shops until 1907. First he worked, for Theodore Bre-wster and next for I.Ir. ilceuel and several others. I have lived in the place I am now ^n for 60 years. I'had this house built after I had lived here along time. I remember the cholera soon after we moved here. A negro man was the first one who died and L negro, woaan was next. She died the saue day. It was on 4,x>nday. fliey ' were no kin ar-d they did not live near each other. They
150 BEAN, ANDERSON. IffiSKVIEti. 5030. "- 2 - r just died sudden-like. It wasn't anything Tor so-.eoiw to say.so and so "is dead". And you would say H no, he ain't dead. I was just talking to hi:., about an hour ago" and the answer was, "makes no difference, he's dead now", oome claimed, that the muskrtts that ca:..e up on the river boats were what started the cholera. ;.y brother died with it. The government moved us nerroes out on Four I.ile Greek until the cholera was over. Some of the people died while Oot there. Russell Vann picked out a cemetery. It is still in use, Uy mother was buried there ir l\i'>* You can see her tombstone over in the cemetery,if you go there. ;-ier name was Crosby r:ean. She,«as born ir. 1:0?;. I remember lots o- the killings, ii'hen Jim Hoss killed Jesse 3ushyhead (I,t ink it was at a dunce but I don't know 7.what it vjts about); Trtien Blue Foreman killed Phil Foster; when.jlex Cochran kix^ed Sam iuiights and Tom Shade; when French killeckjohn Smith and Llalcomb Lloore, and I also remember many othexkillings, illhen anyone killed anyone they would ^o to Houston Be age and //illiam Boss and they would get them out of it. They-.were good lawyers, rfhen
151 \, ANDERSON. IIJrSHVISW. 5030. - 3 - one Indian killed another Indian the case was tried.here but if a white man of a negro was involved the case would be tried in Fort Smith under Judge Parker. It was not safe for us "niggers" to go out on the streets at night, we all put out our lights as socn as we could at night or else they would, et slot out. If we knev/ there were, some bad i.»en in town.we wouldn't eve:, light the lamps. One time or. Christinas t;.e "darkies" were having church and V/ren Gray rode up on his horse vdth his six shooters in his hands. He cursed us and made us get out of the church. One of the darkies got a'./ay through a window ana weni? and reported it at tha Fort. Tne soldiers got aftar rt'ren Gray and chased hir.i into Bushyhead's store. He raii upstairs and out on lie front porch and slid down to the grcund. One of,the soldiers c»me out of t,he store and saw him. The soldier knelt down and killed.vren Gray * 'the second shot. If he had jiven up and not,-run, they probably would not have done anything ~,o hii:, -Blue Foreman had been with hi::., earlier in the day, The;/ were both drinking and so.e* Indians got 31ue Foreman to come inside,
152 BEAN, ANDERSON. INMRVIJ&V.. 5030., he was also an Indian. They did not care about,/ren Gray, he was a white man. The uprising of th Negroes, that was started by Coon Vann, was on account of rascality. The traders had sold them horses or mules or anything they could. Nearly everybody encouraged the credit. I traded lots with Bunk Markhara about forty miles north of Fort Gibson. He would give credit. It had got so bad that a i.'egro could no't. get credit in /oirt Gibson. and on the :ii\:hty roll, I.ly family was on the,,-allace roll ky family once drew over a thousand dollars. \l,ly boy was the guardian for the family*' He deposited our check in 3ob Butler*s store ahd I paid Bunk Larkham a, hundrea dollars of Uis hundred tmd nine tnct I owed him. Also there was a man who followed the payments and who would cash checks. I remember t"wo\-times thet the CLerokees were paid but the Negroes were ncq..<e had to have'a IHW suit to get pur money but we,got it. l.!r. French loaned the,.egroes $200 to en^er the lav.' suit. I worked once a blacksiiiith for,a man named Barnes. I have shod lots of- horses and mules