The Osceola times., 1876-04-01
ROBBING THE RED MAN.
Another Case Of Brothrr-in- law How u
Csst s3a. .O0e tO Get 1850

Another Case Of Rrother-tn-1 Law How 0
Cest s3s. 600 10 Oct $4,000.
A Washington special TO the Chicagt
Times says: Foryears the most notorious
class of lobbyists and claim agents il
Washington have been the half breed re
presentatives of certain tribes of Indians
The committee on expenditures OF tht
interior department have just begun an
investigation of the various claims that
have been presented by this class of men,
and in the course of their investigation
have struck a mine of information III
connection with the sale of the Usage
reserve lands in Kansas. Here it Il
found that Gel. w. p. Adair and G. n
Vaughn have obtained claim OF $780,
600 from the interior department. Tc
secure the passage Of this claim they hat
to pay the sum Of 5000. The histor,
of this claim, briefly told, is as follows
There has been a struggle for years BY
capitalists and Spectators to get contro
Of the lands of the Usage Indians in
Kansas. These, in 1861, amounted to
5000, 900 acres, the most valuable for
agricultural purposes in the state. The
Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston
railroad company, for speculative puI-
poses in 1868, succeeded in getting the
Indians to consent TO treaty agreeing
to sale of these lands. II was stipu.
lated in the treaty that the Usage In.
dians sold these lands because they
wished to remove to more permanent
home in the Indian territory. The rail-
road bargain was, that for the 5000, 900
acres of land they would pay 81 900, 900,
as follows; 500, 900 in cash within three
months after the ratification of the
treaty 81 500, 900 in bonds Of the CON-
pany bearing five per cent. interest.
The cash and bonds to be deposited with
the secretary of the interior and to be
held, and the interest therefor to be ap-
piled 10 the Use of the Indians, and as
the principal was annually paid in sums
of $iO0,0 900 it was to be reconverted, no
that the interest only might be available
for the Usage Indians. The Indians
afterward became dissatisfied with this
bargain, discovering that it was a
swindle, and in 1869 Adair and Vaughn
came here with contract with the
Osages to defeat the treaty.
The following facts have been brought
out in Col. Adair's testimony before the
committee on expenditures in the into
rior department. In reply to questions
addressed to him by the chairman, he
said that the influence of the railroad
companies was 10 great in the senate that
in the end he feared the treaty would be
ratified. 1t required great efforts on the
part of himself and friends TO prevent ac-
ton being taken thereon during the last
session OF the forty-frst congress. II was
absolutely necessary, he said, to have
the treaty withdrawn in order to defeat
the great odds which were on the side Of
the railroads, and to accomplish this he
employed Judge Louis Dent, brother-in
law of President Grant. He promised
Judge Dent that if he induced the pres
ident to withdraw the treaty from the
senate he would pay him $4,000. This
was accomplished by Judge Dent, fol
the treaty was withdrawn by President
Grant, and Col. Adair admits that il
was through the brother-in-law that this
was effected. The lands were finally
sold under provision, which was incor-
porated in the Indian appropriation bill,
passed on July Is, 1870, which required
the Usage reserve to be sold at not les
than 1925 per acre. Mr.. Adair in his
testimony admitted that he had paid
s35, 900 of the claim and had only $l5,-
900 left to divide between himself and
the widow OF Vaughn, and he could not
satisfactorily explain what he did with
the $35, 900. He said that he paid $l0,-
900 to claim agent who had considcra.
BILE dealings with the interior depart
ment. lie also paid $1,000 to the wild
ow of Judge Louis Dent. The remain
ing $40, 900 he credited to contingent ex
penses. 1t is claimed that he paid q
good deal more money to Mrs. Dent thar
he has testified 10 before the committee
1t is also charged that Cowen received q
large portien of this sum.