February 26th, 2009

Looks like I struck historical research gold today. The Oklahoma Historical Society had and article about Sam Sixkiller that included information about his personal life. Maybe now I’ll find out his thoughts regarding the problem of alcohol on the reservation where he lived. I imagine his views on the subject played an important role in how he approached his job as a law enforcement officer. Sam has quickly become a hero of mine. He was another one of those police officers of old who stood up for what was right in spite of the cost; and he backed up his convictions with a gun. I hope I’m able to find some of his great, great grandchildren to talk to. That could add another rich layer to his story. I booked more signings through the Midwest today. May and June is going to be very busy – a different book store everyday from Labor Day weekend through the second week of June. Hope Thunder Over the Prairie will be well received. I spent a portion of my evening working on a Paper Mache piece for the kids in by Bible study class and it got me thinking?. How come when you mix water and flour together you get glue?and then you add eggs and sugar and you get cake? Where does the glue go? As always I end my day thinking and praying for my brother. What happened to him isn’t unique. Thousands of families, primarily in the foster care field, are subject to the same bullying tactics. I know how Sam Sixkiller would have handled the problem. Oh how I long for the days of the early west. And now, more of the last statement my brother will ever make. “On April 9, 2002, I was at a training class for my job. I was finishing up there for the day when I received a call from home. It was my ex-wife and the local officer got on the phone and told me that my step-daughter made accusations against me. She told the authorities I had been sexually abusing her. She told them the last time I had molested her was 30 days prior to this event. I told the investigators that that was a lie. I informed them that 30 days prior to this event her mother was home. My ex-wife had time off of work and we were inseparable. But I wasn’t feeling well during this time. I was having a lot of back pain then and went to the doctor on Monday, March 11. The doctor took an x-ray of my chest and found out I had a collapsed lung. He had a tube inserted into my chest and it remained there for 10 days. That information was verified by DFS. The DFS worker told my ex-wife and I that my step-daughter had major problems with my daughter from my first marriage. She told us that she thought my step-daughter was lying about everything. She told us that my step-daughter was jealous of her step-sister and believed her capable of doing anything to drive a wedge between my daughter and I. She didn’t want my daughter from my first marriage to be happy.”