National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-19
The RED CLOUD REPORT.
fConfinued from First Paqe.

| therefore. DC uOuDIeUa whether the OlnCeE1
selves placed much confidence in the statement OF
| the Indians. 1t is much TO be regretted that Cen
Bradley and his associates, II they desired 70 as
certain the probable facts concerning the weight
| and quality Of the cattle issued to the Indians,
did not instead of visiting the remainder OF
| herd of seven poor cattle without the knowledge
ofthe agent or Contractor visit the agency corral,
| when 7Ol head of cattle were being weighed and
| issued within a mile and half Of their camp
| Had they done so, they would have been able to
furnish us with important aid in settling the
| vexed question of frauds in beef contracts.
| II cannot be seriously claimed even by Prof.
| Marsh that the weight Of cattle delivered at Red
! Cloud Agency at that time was only 35s pounds
| gross, for the average OF yearlings would be as
| Overwhelming evidence that the great bulk Of the
| cattle were full grown cows and oxen, and that
| few young cattle were delivered.
| Prof Marsh claims that DIR. Saville admitted
| to Rev. S. d. Human and himself that "these
seven cattle had all been recepted for to the con-
| and that all or nearly all Of them, were subse
| quently issued TO the Indians" Saville denies
this in the following words, viz: Il told him that
| did not remember distinctly the facts about the
| cattle that my impression was that there were
| six, instead of eight, and two Of them at least
| were yearlings. and had not been received from
the contractor; and this indefinite statement Prof.
Marsh fortunes into his positive statement, which
| corrected twice-once in the presence of Bishop
| Hare when accused him Of perverting my words.
Yet after this correction he publishes the incor-
| rect statement as quoted from me. On my return
to the agency found the facts as follows: Two of
| the eight cattle referred to by Prof. Marsh were
| mich cows-One of them belonging to Mr.. Reed
1
| herders had MIXED all summer, and the remain
| ing six were a part of the thirteen head which
usual Suf OF the corral BY the indians, had gone
to the range with the herd. Some of these cattle
the miIcb cows but none of them were issued TO
the Indians as beef Bishop Hare is here called
| in to settle the point in dispute, who says in
answer to the question: w hat is your recollec-
zion TO that conversation
II understand the point Professor Marsh made
| was that Dr. Saviie had said that he receipted
for those seven head of cattle, and thereby male
the Government responsible for them, while ul-
derstoOd Dr. Sayiile to say that he did not re-
eeipt for them, but simply received them. He
made n distinction between the Two words. He
(Dr. SavilIe) represented that they were driven
up with the rest Of the cattle, and he had per-
mitted them to be driven into the corral, and at
terwarG they were issued TO the Indians; that he
did mo- Teeep ioT mem mn SS ne peeeITs S
tween tie wUrds-that is 10 say, If he had re-
ceipted Tor them, the Government would be re-
spOnsible and be held TO pay for them, WHILE II he
merely allowed them TO be driven in and did not
receipt for them, the Government was not respon-
sible for them.
1.-THE difference was in the two words receipted'
and received Professor Marsh understanding
that it was receipted,' and Dr. Savfle that It was
sreceveG.' IL was in regard TO that the feeling
was displayed: AS TO what Saville had previously
said, ! DO moi know"
The testimony Of Bishop Hare corroborates Sa-
yille's statement, and leads us 10 the conclusion
that Professor Marsh misunderstood DR.. Sayille.
The statement of DR.. Sayille is further confirmed
by ]. H. Bosler, the brother of ]. w. Bosler the
Superintendent for the contractors, who testihed,
(p. 1857 as follows
80. DO you remember anything of time when
there were only seven head of cattle at Red Cloud
"a. Yes. sir: cannot tell the number, but I
remember the time that there was a small bunch
of cattle there"
20. What kind of cattle were they?''
"A. Poor cattle, and such cattle as DR.. Sayile
rejected and never recepted to me for was In
the East, and returned some time in December
think 1t was the latter part Of December-and
there were cattle unreceipted for for some time
back, and Dr. Saville told me that there had been
a lot of cattle received in November that he
thought he would have to reject and it strikes me
it was fifteen head that he just struck of from the
average and did not receipt for. had the priyi-
lcge Of taking them out of the herd, but they were
killed by the Indians, SO that never got them
out, and never got any pay for them"
From all the evidence we are satisfied that the
cattle were never receipted for or issued by the
agent and that they were not q fair sample Of the
| cattle usually issued to the agency.
Before passing from this subject however, it
| may be well to note how General Bradley, Cap
tain Mix and Lieutenant Hay arrived at the aver
age gross weight of these cattle. In their certif-
| cate they say that leach Of us, unknown to the
Others marked at that time his estimate of the
gross weight of the cattle, and remember the aver
age to be 35S pounds Certainly one would under
gross gross weight. The testimony Of General Bradley
conveyed the idea that the 35S pounds were gross
weight, though not distinctly 50 stated oy nm.
says: There seven head Of cattle there, and
there were two cows out Of the seven. There was
only one which might be called steer, but 1t was
not full grown at all, and the others were under
| size and meagre in flesh. MY estimate was $50
pOundsigross, Just as they stood The estimate Of
| the other gentlemen was smaller, and the total
| added up and divided by the number was, think,
some 35S pounds" 1t turns out after all, nOtwith-
| standing the testimony of these gentlemen and
their certificate that the 35S pounds represented
the net weight and not the ''gross." Captain Mix
who also signed the certificate, says in his testi
mOny, Up. ll2):
u should explain to the Commission that the es-
| Innate which we made there of the weight of the
| cattle estimate of their net weight But
Mr. Hly thought were estimating the gross
weight, and his figures were not changed, because
we thought the matter might be inquired into, and
il would not look well to change the figures. For
this reason the average net weight was increased
| about thirty pounds, think; and therefore this
average made Of 35S pounds was net weight,
| and not the gross weight"
| five correct the error which Captain Mix says
arose from Lieutenant Hays mode OF estimating
great an amount from the $50 pounds net, we
have 32s pounds net or CSC pounds gross for these
very poor cattle the remainder of herd.
We think the certificate of the army officers suf-
fers much by the correction Of Captain Mix. We
can hardly conceive of a less reliable mode of as
certaining either the net or gross weight of any
herd Of cattle than that adopted by these gentle
men. That out of several hundred delivered, seven
cattle might be found which would not average
more than go TO 40 pounds, is q fact which we
think may have existed, and yet the whole aver
age for six months be as great as the receipts of
DR. SayiIle show The fact that cattle of the de-
scriptiOn Of these seven held will average in the
neighborhOod of 200 pounds per head, may serve
to assist us in determining what herds of full
grown cows and steers four years old and upwards,
in fair condition, ought to serve.
The following affidavit is in point:
State of IoJrG, Woodbury. County, SIS:
i, Cornelius Mcnamara, of Woodbury. county,
Iowa, being duly sworn according to law, declare
and say, that in the month of November, 1874
was employed at Red Cloud agency as chief herder
under ]. J. Saville. United States Indian agent;
that after the issue of beef cattle of November 2
1874, there remained in the range two milk cows,
two yearling calves and four head Of poor cattle,
which the agent J. Sayille, told me not to issue
to the Indians, he intended to reject them from
the receipts of the contractor; that one Of said
cows was afterwards killed by bank falling upon
her; that two of said four cattle crippled in
some manner before being turned over to me, sup
posed TO have been crippled in weighing; that both
Of said cattle lsteers) afterwards died, one from
its injuries and the other from some other cause;
that killed one of the calves and used the meat
for the herders at the herding camp; that the re-
manning COW was killed by the Indians, and the
remaining calf and poor steers gave to the In
dams, making no count or charge for them.
CORNELIUS MCNAMARA.
Subscribed and sworn to before me and in my
presence by Cornelius McNamara, at Sioux City,
Iowa, this I'D day Of August; A; d; 1873:
Clerk District Court, in and for oodbury county,
Iowa.
Professor Marsh makes the charge that on the
4th day of November DR.. Sayille received and re-
ceipted for several hundred head of Texas cattle
at an average weight of 1,0i3 pounds and issued
them to the Indians while the true weight did not
sideTed a liberal estimate. He saws that ali the
cattle Of this herd "were wretchedly gaunt and
thin, and majority Of them were small, many o
them being yearlings. A large number of them
were of the kind known among cattle men as
scalawags,' and not few Of them were weak and
decrepid."
The testimony on this subject is very voluminous,
and involves the general question Of the weight
Of Texas cattle when weighed directly off the
range, and in fact the only possible system with
the facilities now at the command of the Indian
agents in that country. In army contracts 1t is
not unusual to require that cattle shall be otted'
that is, kept from food and water twelve hours
before weighing, and yards corrals for that pur-
pose are provided. Similar rule governs the de-
livery Of beef at the great beef markets of the
country, but at the Indian agencies no such rule
has ever been adopted can 1t be until the Gov
eminent shall erect cOrrals of sufficient capacity
to hold the large herds which required to sup
ply the Indians.
The Department, contractors and all persons
concerned understand that beef for the Sioux In
dams is to be delivered on the hoof directly 'of
grass and water" The difference in weight OF an
OK of grass and water and one which has been
Iotted twelve hours is differently estimated at from
80 to 100 pounds. An OK which would weigh l,05O
Pounds "on grass and water, " would weigh from
$50 to 900 pounds il lOtted twelve hours; and II
shipped long way by rail the shrinkage would
be much greater. This difference is we'll under
stood by men who take the Indian Contracts and
they are thereby enabled to put their price 40
rnuch under that { which lotted cattIa f,r