Executive Office Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory December 22, 1882 Hon H. M. Teller Secretary of the Interior Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: I herewith submit to you a list of names of whites and Freedmen of the different classes of intruders who are present in the Choctaw Nation. There are 16 counties in the nation of which the includes only 9. Seven of them are not reported. The list shows a total of 2847 of which 2290 are whites and 551 are Freedmen from the states. Of the different classes some are renting land some raising stock and some are hirelings and a great many other are engaged in nothing but stealing, drinking and carrying pistols in defiance of law and setting bad examples generally. Some of those that were removed by the US Troops in 1881 have returned. There are some claiming right over whom the Choctaw Nation has no jurisdiction, according to the instruction of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs which [re]quires the US Indian Agent to investigate [torn] claims of those whose rights are denied by the Choctaw Nation. I am afraid that unless a check is put to the fraudulent means of claiming rights our country will be invaded. This instruction of the Commissioner deprives us of a privilege granted to us by the treaty [torn] is not the rights of a single applicant [d]enied by the Choctaw Nation if his or her Choctaw blood can be proved before the proper tribunal of the Choctaw Nation and there are no respectable white people to establish fraudulent claims, so that if one of these fraudulent claimants gets into the Nation a way will be opened for the renegade whites to flock into the Nation. We therefore earnestly desire that these claims be tested as soon as [prac]ticable so as to check these fraudulent claims. Accordance with article 7th of the Treaty of 1866 between the United States and the Choctaws and these intruders are to be removed by the US Troops I therefore submit this report to you depending upon you for relief and hope that you will take immediate steps for the removal of these intruders that our treaty relations with US Government may be kept inviolate. Very Respectfully, J. F. McCurtain [signed] Principal Chief Choctaw Nation [This is attached to the Intruders in the Choctaw Nation 1882 list, L2481-1883 Record Group 75, Choctaw Intruders, Records of Indian Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C.] Nalora