National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-09-18
PROFESSOR MARSH AND HIS CHARGES.

PhUfESbOh hAhSd AND HID OnhhuhS'
| The investigation of the conduct of the
Indian Bureau, just about concluded, pre-
sents most singular episode in the history
of the many efforts of the so-called indie
pendent Press to fOrestall public opinion in
regard to the character of our public men.
In after years the principal actors in the
unjust prosecutions of the officials of the
Indian service will have cause to hang
their heads for shame whenever the sub
ject is alluded to. We assert, without fear
of successful contradiction, that never in
the history of the country has there been a
more atrocious and unjustifable effort made
to injure the reputation of innocent men.
We have RETAINED from giving much of
our space to the testimony as the case pro-
gressed, preferring to let the commission
conduct the investigation in its own way,
confident that a thorough examination
could have but one result, the complete
vindication of the accused. We propose
now to give brief resume of this case,
In November, 1874, "Othniel Charles
"Marsh, A. NJ, A. B., Professor of Falcon
GEOLOGY and Comparative Osteology, and
"Curator of the Geological Cabinet of Shelf
"field Scientific School of Yale College, !"
visited the Indian country in the vicinity
of the Red Cloud Indian agency in the in
terests of science, for the collection of fos-
sis, which are found in large quantities in
that section. professor Hayden long ago
gave to science all that was important in
chat 6.15 JVb;la Drofaroor Marub uoo
there, in order to placate Red Cloud, he
heard the latter's complaints of short "a
lions, insufficient clothing, &C., and re-
ceived from his hands samples of flour,
sugar and tobacco, which he promised to
show to the President on his return to the
East. During all the long winter months
of the severest winter known in many years
Professor Marsh said nothing about the
starving and freezing Indians, but last
spring, as soon as he heard that Red Cloud
was coming TO Washington, he set about
fulfilling his promise of six months before.
He came here with the samples he had
procured from Red Cloud six months be-
fore. and which, Of course, had not i'm
proved by time, and exhibited them to
several officials of the city, but not to the
Secretary of the Interior. Subsequently,
and after receiving from the Secretary an
imaginary slight, by reason of that officer,
accidentally and Internationally, charac-
terizing him as " a Mr.. Marsh" he rushed
into print, and at once became famous as q
reformer, curator of public morals and a
corrector of official corruption.
Time wore on, and the Professor came
before the country in bulky pamphlet
containing specifications and charges against
the officials of the Indian service. The
charges were in due time referred to
commission of respectable gentlemen, well
known to the country, for their examina-
ton. That commission has been employed
continuously for the last sixty days, have
examined nearly two hundred witnesses,
have taken up item by item every charge,
insinuation or innuendo of Prof Marsh.
They have summoned every witness sug-
gested by him, and afforded him the fullest
opportunity to make good his charges. The
result of that examination is before the
country. The newspapers have published
the evidence from time to time, more or
less garbled. The result is that not single
one of Prof Msrsh's charges have been
sustained, and no shade of suspicion has
been cast upon the official integrity of any
official in the Interior Department. The
examination has developed this additional
fact, that from the collection of the supplies
by Prof Marsh down " the last suggestion
he made before the commission in this city,
he has been relying entirely upon the
vague and general information he received
from others, who were more or less preju-
diced or hostile to the Indian service.
Even in regard to the samples which
he carried with such care and
preserved so long at his New
England home, he is not able to say of his
own knowledge that those samples came
from Government storehouse or whether
they were fair sample of the supplies fur
nished by the Government at that agency.
His failure was pitiable and complete. He
has allowed himself to become the conduit
through which every disappointed and IN
scrupulous enemy of the Interior Depart
ment has framed his malicious falsehoods,
and now he stands in the attitude of con-
victed and exposed ibeler, weak and will
ing tool in the hands of men of no charac-
ter in their atrocious efforts to destroy the
regulations Of men whom they have sought
in vain to corrupt and control. In short,
he is the contempt and laughing stock of
the city and country, including the very
men who have used him.
IfProf Marsh thinks that he has heard
the end of this matter he is wofully mis-
taken. His time will be pretty fully occu-
pied for some time to come with this work
that he has undertaken. Hitherto he has
had it all his own way, but he will find
that he has started game at which more
than one can play, and the pens will be
exceedingly lively. He may find ere long
that his own actions while in the West
have been undergoing critical examination,
and that when some known facts are pub
lished he may possibly be seen to be a
fitting companion of the slave-dealer, de-
serter and convicted black mailer, who
have Joined teams in this unholy crusade.
THE DEVIL ON LYING.
O