Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-10-09
A Great Fraud Unearthed.

A phase Of the most unblushing fraud and
| corruption in the Indian Office, originating in
| 1865 and eliminating in 1868, but concealed
| for years, has just been rooted out by q COM
missioner appointed last sprint by Secretary
Delano to investigate the issue of what is
known as the Chippewa half-breed land
| scrip" The amount involved is fully sixty
| thousand acres of land, valued at upwards Of
$4,000. The facts are as follows: BY the
treaty Of 1854 the half-breeds, or mixed
bloods of the Chippawas of Lake Superior,
became entitled to eighty acres of land for
| each head of family. A canvass of the
| tribe was made by the agent at the time and
| the names of twenty such persons obtained as
properly entitled to scrip. This was issued
to them in 1855, and in the matter of decid-
ing who was entitled to it, the strict letter of
the treaty was followed.-viz., each head of
family or single person over twenty-one
years of age. This construction prevailed
without dispute, and the matter rested for
eight years, until an Indian agent, General
Luther E. Webb, we'll known here and in the
West, became cognizant of the business. 1t
was found that although there was an ex-
press provision on the face of the scrip pro-
hibiting its transfer, yet it became an article
of traffic among the brokers of st. Paul
Well therefore, with the help of three con-
venient tools, in the persons of his clerk, his
interpreter and his former partner, went to
work and got up upward of 200 additional ap-
plications for scrip, sending his men clear
to Maciknaw to hunt up half-breeds among
the Chippewas of Michigan; and although
the treaty expressly confined the bounty to
the Chippewas of Lake Superior, Webb con-
strued it to mean Chippewas of any land
whether they had ever had any tribal rela-
tons with the Chippewas of Lake Superior or
Most nf tho apnlfrotiona L.,
lently made, all manner of irregularities were
perpetrated, and all that the Indians ever re-
| ceived was few dollars each for the use of
their names. On these applications, which
were fraudulent on their face, the Indian
bureau here issued 1879 pieces of scrip
| which Webb sold for two dollars and
| a-half an acre, and one-half of whatever sum
the land might bring over that. About the same
time Webb began operations OF like charac.
ter among the Chippewas of the Mississippi
and of the Pembina and Sillager bands
though these Indians had been provided to-
| by other treaties; and though with rare ex
ceptions they had never had and tribal rela
lions with the Chippewas of Lake Superior
and were separated from them by the breadth
of the whole State, yet they were all sweep
| in and an agent was sent to Fort Garry anG
Winnipeg, In the British Possessions, to look
up half breeds of the Chippewas. In this
| way over one thousand applications were OBJ
| tanned, generally on an agreement with the
Indian that he should receive his scrip and
pay $40 therefor, or receive $40 for his scrip
In majority of cases the Indians never re-
ceived anything on these applications. There
were lO5 pieces of scrip issued by Commits
sioner Dale and 80 by his successor, Com
missioner Taylor. The commissioners say
the most cursory examination would have
discovered the fraudulent character of these
applications, and in very explicit terms they
charge ex-Commissioner Dale with malfea-
sance in office as follows:
"We regret to say that we have discovered
clear proofs of the completely of William p.
Dale, then commissioner, in this matter. A
considerable portion of the scrip was given to
him as consideration for issuing it. Where
an attorney or agent declined to share it with
him he refused to issue the scrip upon the
applications filed. This can be substantiated
if need be, by the oaths of Isaac Van Etten.
A. Kittson, Franklin Steel, and Others"
The commissioners submit further evidence
| of the above facts. The parties named are
| residents of st. Paul who operated in the
| scrip. The report which has just been sub
| mitted ventilates the subject very thoroughly
| and shows up all the participants in the fraud
| with merciess severity. An immense amount
of testimony is also submitted in support of
their averments. The report is signed by
Henry S. Neal Of Ohio, S. A. Clark, Indian
\ agent at Bayfield,, Wis, and Z. P. Smith,
Indian agent at Leech Lake, Mimi, as com.
missioners.
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