^ ne ^ sum Of *325.00. This was more money than I had ever 
had before at one time. Spring was now at hand and I was contem¬ 
plating going to the Indian Territory to spend the summer. About 
this time Andrew Climan received a letter from his uncle. Dr. Shrell, 
that Skinner had a job superintending a farm and to tell me I might 
get my money if I would go see Skinner. The doctor gave the name 
of the parties Skinner was working for; they lived in Pine Bluff. 
As I was just about ready to start for the Indian Territory, which is 
now Oklahoma, and as Pine Bluff was on my way, I stopped to see 
Skinner about my $60.00, which he had blown in. I went to his em¬ 
ployer and asked where they had Skinner at work and they told me 
about twelve miles in the country on a farm. I told them Skinner 
was a friend of mine and I wanted to see him on business, so they 
gave me directions. 
The following day I hired a livery stable saddle horse and rode 
out to the farm that Skinner was superintending. I found him with 
a bunch of negroes repairing a fence. 
As Skinner saw me ride up he dropped the hammer he was driv¬ 
ing nails with, walked straight to me, shook hands and expressed his 
joy at seeing me. Then he turned to his negroes and told them to go 
on with the fence as he was going to the house with his friend. We 
started to the house; Skinner began at once, “I have just got enough 
money earned to pay you your sixty dollars. I am awfully glad you 
came as I was going to Pine Bluff this week and send it to you.” 
Then he went on to tell me how he got on a drunk and the police 
beat him up with clubs and threw him in jail and robbed him. Skinner 
had a mulatto woman for a cook and she was a fine cook. Skinner 
said to her upon.reaching the house, “Do your best at getting up a 
good dinner as this is my friend.” His cook soon had us a splendid 
meal. I remained with Skinner over night and he gave me an order 
to his employer for sixty dollars. I was certainly glad to make this 
collection as I had worked hard for it and had long since pronounced 
it lost. 
I returned to Pine Bluff where the order was paid, then I pur¬ 
chased a railroad ticket for Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, 
where I spent about a week until I became tired of the city, then I 
decided to go to the Indian Territory. I learned that Port Smith 
was located on the line between the Territory and Arkansas and would 
be a desirable place to learn more about the Indians. As I was strol¬ 
ling around the railroad depot I met a stranger that had come from 
Fort Smith the day previous on the excursion train. He remarked to 
me, “I have a ticket to Fort Smith on the excursion train which I 
came down on yesterday and which returns today* and I am going to 
get off at Russellville, and if you will buy a ticket on the regular 
train, which goes out ahead of the excursion, you can get off at Rus¬ 
sellville and when the excursion arrives I will get off, sell you my 
ticket on to Fort Smith and you can get the excursion and go on; 
this will save you about $2.50.” This sounded good to me so I ac¬ 
cepted his proposition. When he stepped off the train where he 
wished to go I paid him the agreed price for his ticket and boarded 
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