The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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GAMBLING WITH THE INDIANS
By S. C. Turnbo
On the right bank of White River just below the mouth of Trimble’s Creek in Franklin township, Marion County, Arkansas, is the old farm once known as the Tom Brown place. Here on this land long before any white people lived in this bottom the Indians had a big village here and the fame of this Indian encampment traveled afar off. The camp extended from Trimble’s Creek down to the mouth of Becca’s Branch. Allin Trimble was a little fellow while these Indians lived here. His father, William Trimble, lived in the bottom on the north side of the river on the old George Fritts place that the writers father bought of Mr. Fritts in the summer of 1859. Jess Yocum lived on this same land above the sloo. Trimble lived below the sloo. Jess Yocum visited the Indian camp frequently and gamble with the Indians and win deer hides, beads and moccasins from the red men at a game called chuckaluck. Allin Trimble informed me that he would visit the Indian’s village of nights with his uncle Jess Yocum and Yocum would remain and gamble with the red men until late at night before leaving. "Mr. Yocum would go to the camp on horseback when the river was fordable and I would ride behind him. When the river was past fording we would cross in a dugout canoe and walk down to their camp," said Mr. Trimble.
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