New-York tribune., 1875-07-14

this simple fairly rcpreSenSeu tue s ""s r. ,ir.rs
the Idians during my visit. some OF me oi'tLis liz
- ,ysTe with me at the Agency looked INTO W.
subject with still more care, and thelr % ia C
nom comedies with my owR None 3i tllo - ',se
p ,vos of much service TO the Indians, VINO use
the article only for smoking
~ srrfrRING OF TIE INDIANS DURING THE rASl
WINTER
TIE suffering among the Indians nj keo 'louu
AGENCY drriug the past Winter Was very great No
small part of it could have been prevented oy e'ou
management while the greater poruoh l"uS. n"''
been the result Of the direct dishonesty W'n nave
shown to exist.
Indians had already sur red from cold before
a., ,n,r;ty Goods were issued, NOV. II, 1874. In
ccseouerec Of this late delivery they had had no time
~ s,rne,lent the small number of blau ISSUE"
with buffalo robes before the W inter SVt IN, "a -
than a after the issue, Just as l slIre1, mn, nV,
The Agency on my expedition, the weather. ~
extremely cold. the Thermometer idi,iis I" - /" "
low zero: and as many Of the indians Ir'tlNcu ~ ~"
blankets at AL and most ~ th'~e Wlo , ,i,u fror,
them found them too small 10 protect tl'm ii"g!
cod the suffering was great. One OF tho 'hi'I,
whom ta engaged before the issue 10 .'S""'P4 II
~, ~ 90, H., y ,o,,p,llcd on aecouat If the insusic,-
ercv of blankets 10 hunt for bunh", - othei
h,s family would suffer greatly during the h"Tl
W.T. hc sail was coming. Daring the extremely
cold Winter that followed. mar OF ines 4H,"'lS'
a. is now well known, narrow y o-G"ycI Ie'LnE. -
The suffering for want ot fo"d durlNg the P3sl
Winter and >rring is known 10 have been general
amonr the indians at this AGENCY. nave eVh'ehc"
on tins point from several sources amohH o.lleIH
from Col T. ii. stanton, Iayllaottr Vi 'iv III ~,
vlo-e duties called him 10 tle agency: Ah"tI.r
army officer who has given me ul 7fmi ION on ll.S
srbcet is lent ". l.. Carpenter VINO was siTtlOned
fhcr, a Winter. In letter written at the Hcy
iu Aprl last ne says: The Indians are al quiet
now. The poor wrotchos have LecA several Linei
tins W m.trr on tie verge OF starvation, through tic
Ia.ca,lt. of the Ind an Ring They have been com
rclcl to eat dogs. wolves. and ponies. me supply
oi food purchased 10y the HnVerlineU' cariu ~ uut
hoac.tly delivered, would have prevented all THIS
suffering.
N.-FRrIGuT Contract FROM CTEYENNE TO
AGENCY.
The goods and supplies for Red Cloud Agency all
ar. tsp,rted by wagon from Cheyenne, on TIE
I-rioY Pacific Railroad and hence the freight T.
tract for this route is very important one MT u.
j. McCaun, a w,n known member OF the Indian
Ring las bad this contract since the present Agency
W. es hli,hed and the official distance from OheJ-
ern. % tl., point. rs allowed by the Interior De-
pa.tment is 10 miles. The price paid for Heieli.
Jur,oe tle las. fiscal year. was II 10 per hundred
pounds fcr each hundred miles, and the previous year
~ 7jpar hundred pounds WIS paid. This allowed
distance of 2l9 miles wa, Wen known TO be largely
in ,xccs, of the true distance and yet effort seems
10 have been made by the Interior Department TO as
ccr-ain the correct dstancc.a h0ugh it. atcnlonhad
been called 10 thesubectin So In the incanflmeth"
Land Ofi-e Of the Interior Department has been sIr-
vcyias tins same region. and bad the In'ian Bureau
Of the same department desired to 'now tie exact,
O., even aporoximate distance, il could readily have
obtained official Information on tiat point. In NO
vcIAbcr last. while was at the REQ Cloud Agency,
Mr. j. ". Hammond. assistant to the Surveyor
General Of Wyoming. surveyed the route from
Cheyenne tn Red Cloud Agency, and informed ne
that n WIS only - miles, and hs official survey is
now on record IN Cheyenne.
1t thus appears that the Indian Bureau has FIR
wears. knowingly paid to a member of the Indian
Ring over $4,000 per annum for service that was
not performed
think it fairly follows from the evidence have
presented that the samples of rations Red Cloud
rave me 10 show 10 yoG represent the AVERAGE quail
ity Of the supplies issued 10 his people at least during
the time Of my visit; that this chiefs complaints Of
his agent, which I brought TO You, were literally
true and that the fraud, in annuity goods and beef
cattle which he declared to exist were not over
stated.
The great difficulty in aScertalning the extent OF
these frauds. OF even in making any investigation,
il largely due to the fact tnat the Interior Depart
ment has retained none If the original samples on
which the purchases for Indians made during
the last fiscal wear. the only sample known 20 the
Department to exist being that of -four at Ch"venne
where gross frauds have been committed. lnts oi-
tculv II fur Ter increased hY Tue ia-ur' oI NE ii-
dian Bureau transmit any Of the accounts IT gent
Sav. for tie last year To the Treasury Department,
az quired 10y law.
The responsibility for all this mismanageuent and
fraud should rnst with Secretary DrlauO and Con-
missioner smith. who have long known of the abuses
~ Red Cloud Agency. No les than I'VE sueolal
CoInniS~iouors. other officials appointed aud paiu
hg the Department OF the Inter. +. had personally
invest gated this agency before nJ vioi,. and given
that Department information Indicating tue bad
state Of affairs there.
4 portion of the responsibility for the inferior
goods and suppl g. purchased last year Shogld PER
haps attach TO Messrs. +. II. smith, \. ). Iuraey,
1 Off mo Of lrlfif urfii-
sioncrs. These .nticmen aSSistd in making the
purchases. retained samples by which the cialac-
t.r of their purchases coud be subsequently, tested,
and published mo- report Of their action, as previous
Purchasing Committees of tie Board had done.
Im conclusion, have only 10 say, thai having been,
whIc engaged IA my professional duties, IN, dcnt-
aly made the bearer OF Red COud's message 10 you,
and having emdeayored when the justice of his CON-
plants was ques;Onc by those responsible for the
management of he Indian affairs 10 ascerf ain the
truth. now leave the whole Icct IN your hands
perfect confidence that the facts have presented
VII lead 10 good results.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
1ale College July 10 1s7J. o. {. MARSH.