The daily gazette., 1875-07-17
Grants Indian Ring rnsives,
crBTA1N KEPoRrs PUT III C1BcUT AT1oN
BT a MISTER MARSH.

Commissioner Smith Is a most extra
ordinary person. Apparently he has
not yet discovered that he is accused
personally ifany serious wrong in con.
nection with the frauds at the Red
Cloud Agency, and lie complains, with
curious assumption of official dignity.
that Professor Marsh has never present.
ed any definite charges to him or to
the becetary of the Interior against the
agents or other persons connected with
the distribution of Indian supplies.
/ When Mr.. Smith has read the whole of
Professor Marsh's pointed letter, and
mas taken, perhaps, few days and
nights to reflect upon il, he may begin
to comprehend in dim sort of Way
that the reason why Professor Marsh
omitted to presentan definite charges
TO him, was that Professor Marsh had
definite charges to make against him
1t was for similar reason that tho
Professor"did not call upon the Secre.
lary OF the Interior, nor did he com.
municate with him by writing" The
Commissioners and Seer try seem to
under the delusion that they are invi.
Ted 10 investigate and decide this case.
how astonished they will be when thev
md out that the role for which they
are cast is that Of defendants. not
judges.
The charges to which AIr. Delano
coolly referred as "eertein reports nut
in circulation by a Mr.. Marsh. !" in.
clude extremely definite charges of
; theft and miscellaneous rascality bv
which the Ring of agents, contractors.
and officers Of the Indian Bureau, rob.
bed the Sioux with one hand and the
Government with other. We summa.
rize under the following heads some of
the transactions which Professor Marsh
told In detail
!. Agent Saville certified to the In.
{ terror Department that on the 9th of
November, 1874, he issued to the In.
dians at Red Cloud Agency 271 .24s
pounds OF beef, when In truth he issued
none ut all then or for som9 time after
wards, and the Indians at that time
were suffering severely from hunger.
y. say llegave the number ofIndians
receiving rations at the agency as 49,.
ll7, whereas there were not more at
the outside than S,400, One band,
which the agent placed at z, 900 ora, 900
so as to correspond with his provision
returns, was ascertained by actual
count to consist of 40 lodges, or $50
souls.
y. Professor Marsh was present at
the issue Of blankets to the Indians in
November, 1874, when the whole um.
Der distributed was 10 bales, each con.
tanning 90 pairs. Saville, however,
certified to the Interior Department
that he had issued 35 bales, and it an. |
pears that the true number shipped TO |
the agency that year was 81 bales. or
l,ooU pairs-0t which the Indians cot |
300, and the Indian Ring $50.
4. The largest frauds were in con.
nection with tlSe issue of beef cattle.
Inc contractor was required by his
contract 10 furnish cattle averaging
GOV pounds weight for the frat half
year, and 1000 for the second, Pro
fsssor Marsh, Colonel Bradley, Captain
MIX, Lieutenant Hay, Major Burt, and
other experienced judges examined the
cattle at the agency, and found them
to be OF the most wretched quality
poer, thin, under size, many of them
yearlings, one lot averaging $50 pounds
IN weight, and the other not more
than 700. Saville, on being question.
ed, insisted that he had weighed part
OF the herd and estimated the rest, and
the average was as high sss50; but this
was the highest figure he claimed. 1t
appears, however, from his accounts,
which Professor Marsh obtained from
the Treasury Department, that he GER
tiled the actual weight of these beeyes
to be ,O40 pounds each, and was paid
foS them at that rate. All the cattle
received during the year are set down
as equally large. The 5windle amounts
to about 81 on each beef. The mum.
Der OF beeves receipted for during the
last quarter of 1874 was 2,?19, and if
that was fair ratio for the year the
annual theft was about SIS, 900. This
year the issue seems to be conducted
on the same plan, except that the con.
tractor gets 30 per cent, more.
D. There Is reason to suspect great
frauds in the number of cattle as well I
as in the weight. According to Sa-
ville's official returns he ought to have
had on hand November IL, 1874, 179
head OF cattle, weighing 1s4, ,9o5 pounds
In reality he had only 2, weighing I
about 2,500 pounds. But this allows I
him credit for an issue which he de. |
clares he made November 8, whereas |
no such issue took place. If we de. t
1uct this fictitious credit we find that i
here are not less than 444 900 pounds r
Of beef to be accounted for.
c. Cattle that have been delivered by v
,he contractor to the agent are some v
lines stampeded, and return to the con. f
jractor's herd. the same animals are q
hen sold to the United States second
lime.
z The quality Of the provisiona and
,ther goods issued to the Indians ia in. 4
amous. The blankets ara too small. and +
re branded with some material that :,
Don destroys. the cloth. The pork is <
usty and unfit for human food The =
lour is dark and entirely unlike the
ample. The tobacco 10 black, sticky. G
often, and unfit to smoke. The Indians
COMPLAIN bitterly of all these goods. and Z,
.llege that the distribution is habitaally q
fraudulent.
8. Goods and supplies are transported q
~ wagon from Cheyenne to the Red =
cloud Agency, and the freight contrac-
or is paid SO much per hundred pounds i