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Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: November 24, 1937
Name: Clarence Starr
Post Office: Vinita, Oklahoma
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Father: J. C. (Cale) Starr Place of Birth: Information on father:
Mother: Libbie Zimmerman Place of birth: Information on mother:
Field Worker: James R. Carselowey Interview #12217 Interview #12216
STORIES OF TOM STARR, THE CHEROKEE WARRIOR. Among documents of J. C. Starr, a second cousin, (deceased) Given by Clarence Starr, Vinita, Oklahoma.
During Tom Starr's War with the Anti-Treaty full blood Cherokee Indians, soon after the removal of the Cherokees west of the Mississippi, splendid opportunity was afforded this great warrior to play upon the superstition of the Full-Bloods to his own advantage; and he never missed an opportunity to strengthen the faith of the Full-Bloods in him as a great Medicine Man. The Full Bloods called their Medicine Men "conjurors."
After Tom Starr's War was over and he had been pardoned by the Cherokees and returned to his home, to live in peace, a young Cherokee Indian went to his home one night and killed two of his fat hogs and took them home with him and from the way the young Indian acted afterward Tom Starr was led to believe that he was the guilty party, so he undertook to find out the truth and if possible, to stop the Indians from stealing his hogs.
Early the next morning the warrior appeared at the home of the young Full Blood, dressed in the costume of a Cherokee Medicine Man, or conjuror, and holding a great Pipe in his mouth. He had on a long hunting shirt with great red stripes across the breast and back. The bottom of the coat was fringed with a fringe of long tassels hanging down and tassels also hung over the shoulders, and a small satchel hung down by a strap over his shoulder. The conjuror was sitting on the Indian's fence smoking, when the young Indian awoke about sunrise, and the smoke was blowing from the conjuror's pipe to the young Indian's smoke house. The young Indian was struck with amazement at the sight of the conjuror and did not know what to do. He got down his rifle and started to shoot the Medicine Man, but his fear overcame him and he put up his gun and watched to see what the conjuror was going to do to him. The young Full Blood was afraid to speak for fear the conjuror might strike him dead. The conjuror did not sit on the fence very long until he got down in the yard and stood perfectly still. He smoked his Pipe and watched the wind blow the smoke direct to the young Indian's meat house, and then advanced a few steps and smoked again.
In this way the conjuror followed the course of the smoke until he came up against the door of the smoke house and stood there in silence as if pondering over the discovery of something great. During all of this ordeal, the young Full Blood stood perfectly still in his door watching the conjuror. Finally he could stand it no longer and mustering up all the courage he could, he spoke to the conjuror and asked him what he wanted. The conjuror told him that Tom Starr had lost some hogs recently and that Tom had applied to the Medicine Man for information as to where his hogs were and that he was trying to locate the hogs. FULL BLOODS HAVE GREAT FAITH IN CONJURORS The Full Bloods have great faith in their conjurors and whatever a conjuror says they believe, and if any of them have any doubts they say it is so, because the conjuror said so. They will not, for any reason, offend a conjuror. They have such implicit faith in the conjuror that they believe that the conjuror can do nearly anything. They believe that the conjuror knows their every thought and act and that he talks with the Great Spirit and learns things, from the powers on high, that other men cannot know. And for this reason when the conjuror tells the full blood Cherokee that anything is going to happen or has happened, the Full Blood marks it down as being true and asks no further questions.
When the conjuror told the young Indian that Tom Starr's meat was in that smoke house, the young Indian knew that the conjuror knew it was there. So he broke down and confessed and told all about how he had killed Tom Starr's hogs and had the meat in the smoke house.
The conjuror gave the full blood Cherokee a good lecture and told him to go and tell Tom Starr all about killing his hogs, and gave the Full Blood to understand that he had better go at once and not fail or some great evil would happen to him.
After this the conjurer walked off down the road slowly, smoking his great pipe, until he disappeared out of sight and then hurried off through the woods.
SEEKS ADVICE FROM LOCAL CONJUROR
The young Indian was in a world of trouble and after talking the matter over with his wife concluded to obey the command of the conjuror and set out to see Tom Starr.
He went by the home of a local conjuror who lived nearby and with whom he was well acquainted and sought his advice. The real conjuror took him to a deep hole of water in the creek nearby and cut a hole in the ice and dipped the young Full Blood in the ice water. He then blew water in his face and after giving him a thorough soaking, he went off into the woods smoking his Pipe. He left the young Indian alone about an hour when he returned and told him that the signs were favorable for him to see Tom Starr, and that he must go up at once to Tom's house and come up a path on the side next to the Canadian river and greet Tom as usual. He said that Tom would be pleased to see him and then the young Full Blood was to tell his story of stealing the hogs and Tom would forgive him.
The Indian set out and came up to Tom Starr's home as directed and met the famous warrior who seemed glad to see him. He told the story of the theft and Tom told him it was all right to keep the meat and to make him five hundred rails in the woods and it would be all right provided he would never steal any more hogs. The young Indian promised by all that was good and sacred that he would never steal again and he was allowed to go his way in peace and soon made the rails and never did steal another hog from Tom Starr. From that day on Tom Starr never missed any hogs.
Tom Starr had always led the Full Bloods to believe that he was a conjuror and in that way had kept their confidence. During the war with the Cherokees many were afraid to shoot at him for fear that he would work his medicine on them and cause them some great calamity. One young Indian who was with him during his war seemed inclined to be treacherous and Tom wanted to strengthen his faith. While swimming a swollen stream the young man lost his gun in the water. Tom made a dive in the stream and found the gun and hid it in the water, under a large log. The other man would dive for the gun but failed to find it, so Tom announced that he would have to try his medicine.
He commanded that the young man do without anything to eat for four days, and then he could get the gun. He had the young man to jump in the creek every morning at day break, until the fourth day, and then all gathered on the bank of the stream to see Tom Starr's medicine work. He commanded the young Indian to jump in and dive to the bottom of the stream and told him that if he had not eaten anything, during the four days, he would find the gun and if he had eaten anything he would not find it. The young man came up without the gun.
"Well, said Tom, "You have not kept my command; you have eaten something".
The young man admitted having eaten some sassafras leaves. "I told you so, " said the great warrior who was playing conjuror. " I have not eaten anything so watch me get the gun. My medicine never fails me." As he spoke thus, he plunged into the stream and brought the gun out from the place where he had hidden it.
After this the young Indian never showed any signs of treachery and became a firm believer in Tom Starr's medicine.
HAUNTS OF THE YOUNGER BROTHERS
There is much talk of the YOUNGER Brothers in the vicinity of Webbers Falls, and old residents enjoy telling of their former deeds and haunts. It is well known that the Younger Brothers lived for a considerable length of time in the Cherokee Nation above Webbers Falls, at a place since known as Youngers Bend, a noted rendezvous for the James Boys and Younger Brothers after it became to "hot" for them in Missouri. Here was the headquarters for Belle Starr, the most noted woman bandit in the West. She came here from Missouri with Cole Younger, with whom she lived as wife having a daughter now living in Fort Smith, Arkansas, known as Pearl Starr. She also had a son who was known as Ed REED. He attained notoriety by killing the two CRITTENDEN Brothers at Wagoner about five years ago and who was in turn killed later at Claremore.
This notorious woman finally married a son of Tom Starr, a Cherokee, whose name was an inspiration of terror throughout the Territory. This man defied the Cherokee Nation for twenty-five years as an outlaw. Tom Starr lived on the Canadian River, near Younger's Bend. He was a young man when he began his career as an outlaw.
Roddy REECE, who now resides near Fort Gibson, knows more about the Younger Brothers perhaps than any other person living. Reece is a half blood Cherokee Indian whose oldest sister married Tom Starr the noted Cherokee outlaw. At the time the Youngers came into the Indian Territory, Tom Starr lived on the Canadian River, a little above the point now know as Younger's Bend, where the old house is still standing. Here he passed the remainder of his life after the treaty.
These were dangerous times and the James Boys and Younger Brothers found friends among the people of the then almost inaccessible wilds. They came and went as occasion seemed to require.
When hard pressed by their pursuers they made for the Indian Territory and the vicinity of Youngers Bend on the Canadian river, which was always a place of refuge for them. Here they were among their friends and plenty of them. This fact, together with the natural location of the country, with its maze of shrubbery and many hiding places, made the retreat a safe one. Here was plenty of game and the boys occasionally made visits to Fort Smith or to Fort Gibson for whiskey.
Tom Starr had several boys with one of whom Belle SHIRLEY, once the wife of Cole Younger, became infatuated and they lived as man and wife. This gave the woman control of an almost unlimited amount of cattle range. She became a cattle queen and ruled with a high hand in that part of the Indian Territory where she claimed and branded almost everything on the range. She finally established headquarters on the Canadian River, about twelve miles above Webbers Falls at Younger's Bend where the old house is still standing, occupied by white tenants.
Mr. Reece remembers the Youngers well. He has seen them after they had come in from a close pursuit by the officers of the law. After the danger they did not seem to mind their narrow escapes. The James Boys and the Younger Brothers, and kindred companions, were in the habit of meeting together with women friends and holding high carnival, in which all the good things that money could buy were served up. Fine whiskey, wines and brandies flowed as freely as water. These feats and dances were marked with great hilarity and extravagance and nearly every participant became inebriated to the utmost.
These gatherings, however were generally peaceable for all seemed to recognize the fact that they must stand together against the common enemy, the officers of the law. Jim and Cole Younger were lavish, both with money and whiskey and so long as the supply of either lasted it was free to all.
When it was gone the band sallied forth into civilization in quest of more money and liquor and usually brought some back. Finally they went one day and did not return. Younger's Bend and vicinity was rather lonesome after that.
After the Northfield, Minnesota, robbery, the gang was wiped out and the remainder captured among them, Cole and Jim Younger, each of whom, after trial, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Younger Brothers would not know their home place now. Well cultivated farms, fine crops of cotton and corn now cover the place once covered by camps of desperadoes. Tom Starr and all of his boys are dead. Belle Starr, the former wife and companion of Cole Younger, rests with her Indian Husband in the Old Starr Cemetery, near where the quiet Canadian River flows past Younger's Bend.
[NOTE: Also see http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/pioneer/ohs/starrclarence.html]
Transcribed and submitted by Lynda Bell Canezaro <LBCane@aol.com> April 2000
