Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-12-23

and eighty Sacs and Foxes, with ten
thousand. At the mouth OF the Nema-
ha river is large rock, on which Lewis
and Clark carved their names when on
their eXI edition" up TIE Missouri river
in 1904.
/ On First day afternoon, We had re-
ligiouS meeting-some twenty whites,
and then the house filed with Indians.
All the six chiefs were present; some OF
them, and also of the other Indians,
fearfully painted, and with feathers in
their head-dTess, and bones, bears claws,
and beads around their necks. They
are fine looking people, lighter COM
pleXioned than the Pavnees ; They were
spoken to through an interpreter, and
seemed to be impressed by what was
said They have no worship of their own
We were told, except "a feast on some
extra occasion. They all shook hands
! with US, both before and after meeting,
and seemed to regard us with great ven
Grafton.
There is quite good supply of wood
on this Reservation for fire wood and
fencing, and with their annuities, they
might live nicely. The buildings of the
Agency are in COED order, and have a
neat appearances, and the fence, gates,
ETC., are kept in repair. But they are
almost destitute of teams or tools.
A treaty has been made with the
Iowas, and also with the Sacs and Fox
es, which has not yet been ratified by
the United States Senate, looking to
their selling their present Reservation,
and either moving 10 the South, to the
Indian Territory, or purchasing with the
proceeds OF the sale, part of the Reser-
vatlOn of the Otoes. We inquired of
them in council, their wishes in relation
TO the ratification of the treaty.
The lowas stated emphaticaliy, that
they did not wish the treaty ratified
| IL was made through a misunderstood
| ing. They had been moved, and moved
and moved, aid all they wished now
was to remain where they are, have OK
Ell and tools to work with, and farmer
to instruct them how TO do Tor them
selves.
Both tribes are willing contemplated
railroad should be made through their
reservation, which was very graft
Tying TO us. We promised to use our
influence in promoting their wishes.
The Sacs and Foxes wished the Gov
eminent 10 provide means for dele
! CATION OF them to visit the Indian Ter
| ritcry, and if they liked it better than
this, the tribe would sell here and move
| there, but If they did not like it better.
! they wished to remain where thev are.
We told them We would communicate
their wishes to the Indian Department..
The council terminated very pleasantly
The contiguIty OF these people to the
white settlements, has had demoral
lzing Influence, and they are more
idle and addicted TO drinking than
those of any other of the Reservations
we visited. But there is nothing to dis
courage. They have been drawn from
their normal healthy moral condition by
their surroundings, and man is so kind
ly constituted by the Good Providence,
that the tendency is always restorative,
to induce u return to the normal or
healthy condition.
| There is a great field of labor and
usefulness open among these pc pie, for
! persons OF industry, benevolence and
tact, and now we wished it were pro-
perly occupied.-Oae individual cannot
bring his personal influence to bear up
| on them all, witt sufficient force TO
make the requisite change. But we
clearly saw that it is q practical thing to
raise The poor, neglected, helpless de-
| pressed ones, to respecta5itity aud use
Jut'aess and citizenship.
The IOwaS, and Sacs, and Foxes, speak
| different languages. In the council and
religious meeting We held with them,
each tribe had its own interpreter, so
that each sentence of what was said,
was first Interpreted to the Iowas, and
afterwards to the Sacs and Foxes, which
seemed like slow, cold, and unsatis-
| factory mode of communication.
On the morning of the twenty-sixth,
we left the Nemaha Agency i'll compa-
I nv with A lhart (rroon ,,Ft 4 10,
O1oes and Missourias, who kindly came
| for us with Two teams to take US to the
OtOe Agency, seventy-tive miles, over
rough prairie, requiring two days of
| travel.
| This Agency, like the Others we have
visited, has been mpch neglected, the
buildings all needing repair The Res
.ervation consists of :; tract of most eX-
cellent rolling prairie, twenty-five miles
| long by ten wide, containing one hum
| dred and sixty thousand acres, and the
number of Indians four hundred and
| fifty. The Blue river, on which is
superior water power for mill seat,
and some ofits tributaries; pass through
it. and along all these streams timber
abounds. Stone of 4 superior quality for
| building, is found in abundance. The
grist and saw mill is now run at heavy
! expense, the fuel being to haul from
distance. The mill is much out of or
der, and has been leased for year, the
tenant to put it in repair, and do the
grinding and saving for the Agency.
The OtoeS appeared to us more hope
full than the indians on the Great Nema-
ha Agency. which We had just visited,
being willing to work, and free from the
vice of intemperance. If sufficient stock
and farming implements are furnished,
and an energetic efficient farmer secured
this Reservation might, i'll a short time,
be made self-sustaining. With all their
disadvantages, they have this year one
hundred and fifty acres of corn, fifty of
wheat, twenty of potatoes and ten of
beans. In consideration of the valuable
water-power, and the delapidated con-
dition of the present building, We think
new mill, adapted to water-power
would be an economical investment.
oToEs AND MIssoURIAs.
Upon our arrival at this Agency. we
found some of the Indians in trouble
One OF the Otoes, u young man, had
been down on "a visit to the Iowas, and
while there got on spree and was
badly wounded. We heard he was dead
but this happily WAS not the case. The
interpreter who drove one of our teams,
brought the sad tdings, and doleful
wailings were heard from the fathers
lodge all the evening and far into the
night. He was an only son, and the
fatAer said ne ''ioved him dearly. ~
The wounded man had two wives in his
fathers lodge, who joined in the lamen
tation.
We had IA long council with the chiefs
head men aud braves of this Agency;
very fine noble looking men, with sim
guarly painted faces, the designs SEEM
ing to make them look more frightful
and strong, and not to add TO their beau
ty. They had their tomahawks, blank
cts aud pipes, and the council chamber