The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-21
THE INDIAN RING.

When Congress begins the Augean TABOR of
investigating the various departments and
bureaux in Washington, that den of iniquity
called the Indian Bureau" will be sure to
claim good deal of attention. The working
OF that mine of ''ways that are dark" will
prove bonanza to the explorers thereof,
and untold nuggets OF rascality will come to
light although enough has already been I'M
earthed to give us an idea of the wealth of
the veins to be delvcd into by the Congress
sional inquisitors.
Several months ago a iivesy Washington
letter-writer gave circumstantal account of
the discovery of a tribe OF Indians by
Secretary Delano and one of his principal
assistants, this mythical tribe having been
evolved by the aforesaid officials out of the
depths of their own consciousness. The cor.
respondent, who writes under the well-known
nom lie plume Of "Gath, very broadly limited
| that the purchase by Delano and his confede-
rate of several desirable residences in Wash
| ington city was neither remotely nor obscurely
connected with the remarkable clinical ex-
put too fine point upon it, in fact, Cath
| expressed his conviction that lavish issues of
rations to imaginary red warriors was the only
rational explanation of the discoveries
newly-acquired wealth.
Be that as it may, here is an ex-army Off
Ger who has Just furnished the New York
Tribune with something more tangible, if not
more rich than Gath's" perhaps over
drawn picture of official rascality in the
Indian Bureau. That officer acted for eight
months as Indian agent in New Mexico. Ac-
cording to the vouchers of his predecessor in
office, the Indians in that jurisdiction should
have numbered nine hundred, but he could
only discover two hundred and fifty.
Ratons for 900 persons had been regularly
issued by the government, and the profits
from the sale of the surplus We're undoubt-
edly divided between the rascally agent and
the equally rascally contractor. The super
intendent of that district was former Terri
torial Governor. He called on the newly
appointed army officer and expressed a desire
to have 9 a talk with the Indians, the result
of which is described as follows by the T-i-
Jjo,e's informant, whose name is not given
but whom it represents as an ex-Colonel in
the Federal army:
| got the head men together, but they refused
to talk to him, saying be was no good" and
that he had been agent at that station some time
before and had robbed them. The supernten-
dent finally got few Young bucks INTO room
By bribinS them with tobacco, and after while
| came out and told me that the tribe was very
badly off and that ought to ask for an increase
Of so 900 III the appropriation. But, Cover
nor | said, the approximation Is ample.
. You greatly mistaken, he replied; Z" the
poor creatures are in need OF a great many
things. | shall recommend larger approprl-
alton. Sure enough, in his report to the COM
missioner he gave an account of his talk with
the head men Of the tribe at my agency. and
strongly urged the Importance Of increasing the
annual sum allowed.
The same army officer says that upon ex-
aiming the me- asures used by his predecessor
for serving out oatmeal to the soldiers, they
held one-third less than they had to. The
remaining third, of course went to the credit
account of the old agent and tn contractor
Having reported this and other swindling
transactions to headquarters in Washington,
the Colonel was dismissed for his pains, and
the old agent was reinstated in the place
Another army officer, captain of the ar
tilery, assigned to another agency in the
same territory, was not better rewarded for
interfering with the ring operators. A con-
| tractor having offered him $1,000 to sign false
vouchers, he reported this and other equally
shocking frauds to Washington, and was also