New-York tribune., 1875-07-14


The frauds pcrpetrated in supplying the Red Cloud
Agency with beef attic have been so gigantic, aud
so long and systematically continued, that il is well
worth while to show how they are accomplished,
and who is responsible for the outrage
The contract for furnishing cattle TO this and other
Sionx Agencies for the last fiscal year was given to
| j. X Foreman, of Omaha and WIS signed by indian
Commissioner Smith, July II, 1874. Tho cattle de-
livcrcd were required to $50 pounds for the
first six months and 1000 pounds for tbe last SIX
months, and the price was 81 3Ol3O per 100 pounds,
gross weight on the hoof. II expressly stlpi-
| lated that "al tho beef offered for acceptance
! under this contract shall be subject to thorough
Inspection and it, such inspection any OF II ilS
TO conform to the requirements OF this contract inc
same shall he rejected by the parties making the m
spection.' The inspectors were authorized III SUCH
a case to require the contractor to replace the re-
iectcd cattle within five days bypro"r beer. ii hot'
the right was reserved to purchase the cattie re-
quircd at the expense of the contractor bond oil
| $3.50 600. with two good and sufficient securities,
was required to be given to insure the faithful iui
| fillmcnt Of the contract.
There is abundant evidence that this contract was
| not made in good faith. The contract was not
filled by the party tn whom II was gwen but llke
| foo many Indian contractS) transferred for
"a valuable consideration" n few days after il was
| signed to w. A. Paxton of Omaha AS this assign
mcnt could not tn he place, by the terms OF the con-
~
of the Interior" the full responsibility OF thS
transfer rests with him. This contract was nonn;
naly in force at the timo of my visit TO Red Cloud
| Agency The real beef contractor, however, whom
! found supplying this Agency, was the well-known
| Eosler, notorious for frauds IN previous contracts,
and for his reason excluded by the published rcgrI
Iaiious from any participation in future contracts.
This second virtual transfer of the contract to him
was well known to every one at the Agency, and in
that Te gOn, must have been equally well known
| to the Interior DEPARTMENT.
! On NY arrival az the Agency, Nov. O. 1871 asccr-
tanned that there had been beef iss1I" for some
time. and only seven head of cattle were then re-
! naming OYER from pre-. i0iS issues. These seven
cattle had al been reccpted for to the contractr,
IcccN ed by the agent and were in his charge. All,
or nearly ALL of them were subsequent ~ issncd 10
| the Indians. These facts, which are important l
Learned at the Agency and they fully admitted
by Agent SayiIlc 10 Tie hcv y d. IInman the official
| Interpreter of the Interior DrpaTimcnt, and to
myself, in Washington, May 29. These were the
cattle examined, at Red Clouds request, bJ Gen.
Bradley and h's oniccrs and ahont winch 80 much
| has been said. The result of that examination is
given in the following certificate, tne original oil
which s i'll my possession.
| CERTIFICATE OF ARMY OFFICERS.
We the UNDERSIGNED officers of the United States
Army were present al interview Lc! 1T Red Cloud
ssr ffof o. C. Marsh and Red cioad ana Red Dog, and now
bear Individual testimony aS 10 Inc WIechcd qiaig oi
the ratiOn. the undersize and puny condition OF
seven head of b,cf cattle uhe remainder oI hridl
which shown hy Red cloud as ha,nS bc'h Issued
! to his people by the agent tIcrc stationed. .,..,
Each u5, unknown to the other, narhed at that time
his efimaic of lhe gross welgt OF the, caitc ana re-
loud Two other Indians, and o. the her'S, assert,
Ing that these cattle not smaller ia those turned
! over slaughter al any ordinary issue day.
| l.. f. BRADLEY, Licnt.Col 3th Infantry, commanding
Dis. rlct Black HIS
! JoHN 1!IX. Captain ~ Cavalry.
LEONARD HAi, frst Lieut., Adj 9th Infantry, A. A. A.
| Fart LGran,ie, u. T.. May 10, 1879.
| This certificate, which was published while the
Sioux dclega!iOn wa in Washington, filly confirmed
my own statement in regard to the same cattle and
is entitled TO great weight these officers have had
large experience in Western affairs and are perfectly
familiar with matters at the Sioux agencies III the
| Black Hills District. The Indian Bureau immcdi-
atrly cndeavorcd 10 destroy III" effect Of Ills tcsi-
nony and the method adop ed so well illustrates
the manner in which that Office receives information
rejecting on the management of it, affairs thai il is
worthy of record here, especially MS the same
mcihoi had been employed to weaken the force of
the facts had previously laid before it about affairs
| ~ the same Agency.
| Commissioner Smith dictated to the agent of the
| Associated Press for publication. the following
counter-statement, which was widely published the
next day, May 20.
Commissioner smith of the Indian Bureau says, in re-
that the cattle spoken 81 belonged - he CONTRACTOR at
they sick. some of lcn win broken limbs ana That
they were i>sucd to Indians, and that there Vas
| no intention Of issuing item simply because they were
in such poor and ~,i condition. jle a.Nc.i- tihl i'cd
Bo.'s sa.orl incorrect, and mat Red loud M
formed nim this noinin- That Red Dog !"d Wen c "d
~tuIJ Cen. Is alley ana IIOl MhFHn INC tuii-
missioner also ,ar, tiat Gen. Brdley crud aNr 'ii-
isiici himself at s fact by slight inquiry of tie herd
| man or contractor II hc had desired 10 ito 80.
As this reply contained som. statements which
knew to be erroneous at endeavorod to asctr-
tain the exact truth about these cattle. In company
with the Rev :. H. Ilinman, tho official Interpreter
of tho Interior Department, | called upon Agent
Say iilc May % at his hotel. and asked him about
tine catilc examined by Gen. Bradley and the Other
officers. Agent Saville said that " these cattle diu
| not belong 10 The contractor, but 10 the Govern
Incnt that ne Lad accepted them nom tl" con-
tractor and given Receipts fDr all OF them, ami tmey
were his charge thai subsequently ali except tWO
of them we've aSucd hy him 10 the Indians; that
! these cattle not sick, and none of them
had broken legs; and that they we're the
! only cattle at the Agency when Gen. bradley Was
there al'o call ii on Red Ilqnd himself ami he
positively denied that he hal held any conversation
| whatever with Commissioner smith about ttSc
cattle tnat moining, rs stated and subsequently
| learned by inquiry OF oil OF the SIOUX interpreters
thCn In the city, through whom alone such cOnNrl-
| saiion could be lied, that Red Cloud had nO such
conversation with Commissioner Smith. Red Cloud
in the council ot Friday MAY ~. lie did moi mean
to say that these cattle had been reje,te by the
agent, but simply that al the time Gen. Bradley SAW
| them they had not been Issued 10 the lnilans but
had been left over from former issue" ms tcSt
| nOny fairly dispOscs of llc explanation attempted
| Oh this point by Commissioner smith.
On the morning of NOy. II. while was AT the kcd
| Cloud Agency, Mr. Boscr ono of the contractors
| brought 10 the Agency herd of several hundred
head of Texas cattle the first that had been received
for some weeks previous. lhIS lot was accepted by
| the agent ana rcceipt,d for but he only weighed
| portion OF the herd. These cattle saw ana care
fully examined. Aa or 4. :. Burt of the 3th lhia-
| Try, who commanded the escort to my cXpcaltion
| was with me at the time, and also examined them
with They were TIE poorest l0of texas cattle
| ! have ever seen during all my experience III the
| West, where have many hundreds ot herds. at
! various points between tlis Agency and Southern
| Kansas, and have myself purchased many animals
for the use of my expeditions All the cattle
l..p.l h..tl Inf