The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-03-28
A Free Soil State.

We have lust received from Washington,
the report of Lieut.. Bcale, Superintendent of
Iudian Affairs in California. 1t gives most
melancholy account of the condition OF the
Indians of that State. They appear to have
been made the victims of every fraud ard out
rayc, anu are ,. >. p.-ishing under the persecu-
tons to which they are subjected. Among
these wrongs stands conspicuous, the kidnap.
ping aud selling them as slaves, and their treat
men, in this condition with such cruelty as to
cause the death Of most of them, in the course
of few months. We extract the following
passage from Lieut.. Bealc's report:
gow turn 20 the condition of the Indians
in California, and the necessity Of doing some
thing for their relief and protection. Their
condition is truly depIorabc; driven from their
hun:ing and fishing grounds, in danger of
starving, many of them made to work entirely
without compensation, and continual massa:
cres going on. To give an account Of all
these is impossible, and shall have recourse
to official reports heretofore made as sample
of what is done, and to show the necessity Of
relieving them And, first, give an instance
of this new mode of oppression to the Indians,
Of catching them like cattle and making them
work, and turning them out to starve and die
when the work-seaso was over. 1t relates to
a scene of mhich there are many instances, and
the knowledge Of which coming to me from
report. sent out reliable person to attend
to the case. 1t must be added that these op.
Dressed Indians, while actually starving to
death, were only fifteen miles from SAN Fran
cisco, surrounded by settlers and their stock,
and took nothing. The Indictment spoken OF
consider as ending in nothing.
COM of a letter from j. II Jenkins to Super-
intcndeut BeGle, dated Sa" Francisco, Jan.
l3, SO:
al have the honor of informing you that, in
obedience to your letter of instructions OF date
December s, 1852, | went over to the San
Pablo rancho, in Contra Costa county, to in.
vc>tiratc the matter of alleged cruel treatment
Of Indians there. | found seventy-eight on
this rancho, and twelve back Of Martineze, and
they were there most of them sick. Up to
the time of my coming, Gig hteen had died OF
starvation at one camp: how many at the oth
er | could not learn. These Indians were
brought into this country from some place near
Clear lake by CalOrnians, named Ramon
Briuncs, Ramon Mesa, Jose NJ. Qniera, Jose
Francisco, and Juan Beryessa, who have for
some time made it business of catching and
in various ways dispoSing of them, and have
been informed that many Indians have been
murdered in these expeditions. These prese;'t
Indians are the survivors of band who were
worked all last summer and fall, and as the
winter set in, when broke down by hunger and
labor, without food or clothes, they were turn
ed adriIt to shift for themselves the best they
could, Your timely Interference in behalf oi
these unfortunate peoI has saved the lives OF
most of them, for Indians could not have lived
through such weather lis We have had without
any food, cl, thing or shelter.
IL distributed all the well among families
around vino are to feed, cothe, and protect
them till your further orders. | have made
provisions for the sick to be fed. ] am happy
to inform ou to show the good character Of
these INDIANS, that even when starving, aud
surrounded with horses and cattle, yet heard
no complaint of their stealing. These people
could easily he made to support themselves,
and their condition changed for the better
The gr,ud jury of the country has found bills
against these men and l presume tlle'r l''al
will come on next term.
These indians were offered by their caPlors
to the farmers in the nci ghhorI""d for hue at
a dollar Il day; but that price was considered
too hgh for beings 80 low in flesh, and rather
than lower the price they were allowed to starvc
as rcporird. II iS common practice, om 1
k,n.r II r. h. c.-i r. crfrh i-?'ac c':'i7rrn