The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-21

mouse tnat was occupied Dy tue lnulah STORES hil
winter since The 10th OF January. Leighton has
keys to .he stocksde and the government ware.
house. believe that ne has furnished a COOK and
barrel OF dried apples. | have helped issue ra-
tons al Fort Peck and at Wolf Point and am IA
miliar with the workings OF the agencies. had
charge OF locking the stockade at Peck once
during the winter. The Indians have been
starved and Leighton's men were poorly fed and
yet he was hanlng government corn 20 hts store
at Buford. TIE trader and the agency put their
Ice ogether into three common cehouses ana
have sold II to the boats. The annuity blankets
which should have come last fall were not
Issued uatil June The indians were so
enraged that one OF them put q cooked pistol into
the agents face and threatened TO finish him on
the spot. They called him a liar, thief, white
dog, &c. This was at Fort Peck. Inc Tetons'
Yanktons, ASS niboines, santees. Uncapapas and
eros Venres were clamorng for food. There was
plenty OF hour, but not much sugar and cOffee.
The white employees OF the agency could hardly
satisfy their own hunger. They were miseraoly
led. The same amount OF ratlons was issued TO
all lodges alike, no matter whether they contained
one or dozen Indians. The ration for lodge,
supposed TO represent seven persons, for week,
was Ave scoops OF -four, one or two scoops OF
sugar, half pound OF coffee and tablespoonful OF
baking powder. Bacon was given only once In
The cattle were not weighed, and some OF them
were not nt for q dog TO eat. When rations are
Issued IN bulk one sack OF -four Is allowed for If
teen lodges once a week, which Is about pound
OF nour 10 each person II the lodges are full, and
they generally are. With each sack OF hour they
receive seven pounds OF sugar, hair as much col
fee and half a plug or tobacco per lodge. the
trader claims to sell TO white men one-thlrd
lower than he does TO the Indians. He charged
white men fifty cents pound for bacon, 50 sack
for nour forty cents pound for soda crackers
and 81 so for Jayne's hair restorative, whlcn
IS marked ST. bottle AS rule there Is
little game in this part of the country, and most OF
the Indians are hard up for 1000. There was one
exception during the winter. A band OF Santees
went out and shot a lot of deer. When they re-
turned they sold venson hams to some OF the
white men for fifty cents apiece. Leighton put
stop to 1t, and getting the Indians into his store
he bought The lot at his own price. Some only re-
ceived box OF matches worth ten cents) for
each ham, Early IN December an Indian out
break was imminent. The gate OF the stockade
was kept locked night and day and all hands were
put on guard. From 1000 TO 5000 Indians were
camped around the fort.
TIIE AssINIBoINE AGENCY.
At Wolf Point there are l13 tepees or about 700
Indians. Ration tickets ere Issued once d month,
and they are punched as each issue Is made. The
weekly ration. according to Mr.. Johndron, who
has issued these, was from one and q half to two
pounds OF pork for lodge OF one or seven per-
sons. The Indians, who are the best OF any on
the Upper Missouri, II not in the West, said that
the agent told them If they would come down
there they should have plenty to eat and he would
give them seed and plough their land. SO far thir
ty-nve acres have been broken, and about twenty
acres are in wheat, corn and potatoes, but for
want OF seed the rest has not been planted The
agent visited them once and stayed all night ION
the DAY that the HERALD correspondent left he
came again with his friend Leighton, Mr.. Stanley
having returned from above). When the sawmill,
which was half destroyed at the mouth OF the
Porcupine was brought down to Wolf Point,
had no one to help me put the remnants together,
except ordinary workmen. New castings will
have 10 be ordered before the mil can run.
Leighton the trader, has six horses here and they
are fed on government corn and his cattle on
government hay.
Such Is the statement, as given by Mr.. John
dron, ana he Is ready to swear 10 it If the agent
wishes to carry the matter In to the courts.
From other sources find that eighty-eight head
OF Gu tile Fort Pock for Vol Point last Septem
Der. They were mostly old and in poor condition.
Twenty OF them were cows, twelve were Killed by
Inc starving Indians, sixteen were sent to Peck
for the agency mess composed OF Stanley, Alder
son, Leighton and men, and nve head were
killed for the men at Wolf Point, and thirty-four
mead were alive in the spring. Out OF the entire
elghty-eight head the Indians got only ten head
from the issuing clerk ana twelve head by steal
ing them.
Fully two-thirds OF the whites In this upper
county keep squaSs. This, OF course, Will shock
Eastern people. Blu. the society where every
man has a dusky wife is far superior in moral
point OF view to that OF the frontier towns, where
the whites patronlze dancehouses and have white
nlslrcsses. Night brawls are unknown at tho
river forts. Perhaps 1t is because there is little
whiskey Washing is fity cents piece or SO a
dozen, ana 1t is fearful TO behold. Freshly rOned
bosoms look ike leather Now, one can get a
nice, well-behaved Indian maiden for $50. Why
pay Sc dozen for washing when $50 will insure
clean linen for a hfetme7 The citizen OF Mon
tana solves the conundrum by neeing TO the arms
OF his Pocahontas.
The LeighGons sell bacon at fiity cents pound
Steamboats, charge only seventeen cents for the
same article. Rere are some OF the prices asked
at the traders store which Mr.. q. l.. Grant has
established for the benefit OF the poor Inoan:-
Washboards (Which cost l7c), 75c.; BEADS (Which
cost 10c.), 60c.; brown sheetIng 50c.; Calico
80 l-3c. canned fruit, twO-pOund cans, 81 each !;
brown sugar, Soc; three point blankets, $40 q
pair; scarlet cloth winch costs 81 65 yard Is
sold at 81. Hard tack, which costs only four ana
half cents, Is sold al fifty cents q pound. Pow
der, which costs So Keg TWENTY-FIVE poundsJ Is
sold for 81 pound. Tea costing twenLy-six
cents Sc Is for 81 and so might 60 on swelling
the list OF lnfamy.
TIE INDIANS.
There were 533 lodges or 1900 Indians at Fort
Peck until the goth OF June They were mostly
Assinieotnes, Santees, Upper Yanktons and Te-
TONS The latter are fierce, and all OF them are
wild enough for the warpaJh, though the Asslni-
BONES are very friendly. What struck me most
on my arrival was their immense stature as COM
pared with many OF the lower Indians. Their
muscular deveopmens is simply wonderful. Some
Of them could PICK up white man In each hand
and shake the life out u them. They handle
their heavy rifles as though they were pistols.
with the exception OF the Assnlbones, they are
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