The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-30
PRICE TWO CENTS.
FRAUDULENT LAND SCRIP.
4 GREiT SWTNDLE UNEIRTHED BF
IHE INDIAN COMMITTEE,
Thousands Of Acres Of Valuable Mineral anA
Timber Lands Located on scrip Issued %
Mythtcnl fIippcMa IlnIf flrccds.

Thousands Of Acres of Valuable Mineral sua
Timber Lands Located ON scrip Issued %
Mythical Chippewa Half Breeds.
WAsHISGToN. March 29.-Another grand
swindlc has been partially unearthed by the
House Committee on Indian Affairs. Under tho
treaty of1S5l with the Chippewa Indians It was
provided that half breeds belonging TO tho Chip
pewas Of Lake Superior, VINO were at that date
twonty-one years old. should have eighty aoros
OF land. A census was at once taken. and II was
ascertaincd that three hundred and 0fteen half
breeds were entitled to the land certificates
under tho provisions OF the treaty. Certificates
OF Identity, enormously called scrip. were al
once Issued TO said half breeds and thus the
business was closed.
In 1868. under the administration OF John r.
Usher, Secretary OF the Interior, aud william r.
Dole, Commissioner OF Indian Affairs, this scrip
business was reopened, and some LOO pieces OF
sscrip were issued making In oil about f,sOe
pieces OF scrip issuod 20 Chippewa half breeds.
Ihe nrst issue Of 3l5 pieces covered probably
every half breed who was entitled to them AVID
the subsequent issue under Usher and Dole waa
beyohd n doubt fraudulent. In 1854 the census
OF the Chippewaa of Lake Superior. including
adults aud children W IA only 2t3j Of tuIl bloods
Consequently 3l5 would be q fair allowance fos
the number Of half breeds: and subsequent In
vestigations have demonstrated that not moro
than that number wore entitled to the scrip.
and that LOO pieces for eighty acres each.
amounting to 10000 acres, was a fraudulent
To give this SCRIP value, Usher made II locata.
BILE upon any Government land surveyed or un-
s,irveyed. Consequently the market valus
thereof was from four TO ten dollars an acre. II
IS proper to state that this Bctun by Usher in
regard to tho location OF the scrip was on tho
recommendation Of Dole aud J. N. Edmunds,
then Commissioner of the General Land Onico,
ana now postmaster nt this place. Many thou
SANDS OF acres OF our best mineral and timber
lands have been located with this fraudulent
scrip. ana patents have boon Issued therefor,
but II is believed that 70.0OO acres unpatentsd
can be saved II prompt action IL taken by Con
gress.
IL the Committee on Indiin Affairs 40 deslre.
tue ABOVE facts can all be proved and wit nesses
can be produced to show First, who composed
THIS scrip Ring; second that most of the half
breeds 10 whom this scrip was issued did not
belong TO the Chippewas OF Lake Superior-in
fnct. tnat large portion of them wcrs British
subjrets third that forgery and perjury were
practised In getting up the half breed appIlca-
tions for scrip; fourth, that Usher and Dole
We're cognil INT Of the fact that large numbers
OF the half breeds who received scrip were not
entitled to II and hnh, that Dole, while Com
missioner OF Indian Affairs, was a heavy dealer
In said scrip. as well "a Gen. Luther Il. Webb
anu Other Indian agents at that time