Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-07-21
T. P. ANDREWS,
Special .agent, Greek Agency.
The following is the letter referred
10 in the above correspondence:
CREEK AGENCY,


CREEK AGENCY,
Flint River, June 81, 1925.
SIR: You have been advised of the
measure heretofore pursued by the Pre-
sident of the United States and of the
Secretary of War, in relation 10 the
charges, specific and implied, made a.
gainst you as Indian Agent. | have
now to inform you that suspension
from the exercise of your functions as
Indian Agent, (until all the testimony
to be collected in the Indian nation has
been obtained and examined has been
decided on. herewith send you a
copy of the evidence collected by a
Committee Of the Georgia Legislature,
and their report, as adopted by the
Legislature. Copies of other docu-
ments promised me by the Governor
of Georgia, shall be furnished you as
soon as those documents are received.
You will accordingly turn over the A
gency to the Sub Agent, Capt. Triplet.
In resorting to the discretionary
power vested in me by the President,
feel it due to you to state frankly, that
this determination does not proceed
from any present impression unfavor-
able 10 your innocence. l am not at
liberty, in my present peculiar situa-
ton, to form settled opinion on the
charges made against you, until all the
evidence to be collected from every
quarter has been received and careful
ly examined. But l feel it due to you
to say, that so far as am at liberty to
take up present impression it is in
favor of your integrity and honor. /
feel it due to you 10 make this state
ment, in consequence Of the course
(Which must be considered an unjust
one, ifnot oppressive) pursued towards
you by the authorities Of Georgia; my
impressions, too, being chiefly ground
ed on exparte testimony taken against
you.
Your suspension is made from cour-
tesy to the authorities of Georgia, who
have repeatedly and urgently demand
ed ton the ground that it would be
impossible TO elicit unbiased testimo-
ny in the Indian nation whilst you are
in the exercise of your functions. 1t
is done, too, from desire to do away
all pretexts which might otherwise
hereafter be seized on to destroy con-
fidence in the result Of the examina-
tons. The suspension will be with
drawn SO soon as those examinations
are concluded, should they result in es-
tablishing your innocence.
AS the object of the General Gov
eminent, in this examination, is the es-
Enlistment of truth, it could not but
give me pain, as its Agent, to find that,
in taking testimony against you, all
the usal prerogatives were lost sight of
by Georgia. You were neither" in
formed Of the nature and cause of the
accusation" or " confronted with wit
nesses" against you, nor had you "com.
pulsory process for obtaining witness
es" in your favor! The evidence on
which the harshest opinions have been
formed and expressed, was not only
erparte, but it has been spread before
the public, in the newspapers, before
you had been informed Of its charac-
ter, or had an opportunity of making
your defence; and public opinion there
by forestalled before the General Gov
ernment, under which you hold your
appointment, has had an opportunity
Of examining the testimony of either
party. The course which you have de.
termined to pursue, as made known
to me in the copy Of your letter, of the
Goth, to the Commissioners appointed
by the Governor of Georgia to take
further evidence against you-in invit-
ing them to be present at the examina-
ton of your voluntary witnesses-is of
an opposite character; and cannot fail
to strengthen the belief of your con-
scious innocence.
1t is scareiy necessary to add, that in
the exalted character Of the President