The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-31
cus.er as q witness.

-, Custor as q witness.
se" w., Baltimore Americana
especial I" wv, ox March 29.-General George
WAsFiN',,, ,;,rd States army, detailed to
4. Custer ,,,,ice to-day what he knew
C5DeE:s ', ,nrccrnins the sale OF post'tfa.
?s.. .bns and what ne ma" tmn,oT on The
tc'sn1< that were common i ssau ~ ~ n, ,mo
ws"tH Caster is and has been 70 com.
i;ooilfi, vSrt Abrsham Lincoln, 10 Dasots'
m.pd a ,c.rs. When he assumed com.
70; ta'ff mo nost s A. Dickey. brother OF
r.ad OF "" sc,,n Dickey. OF Psnnsy lvanis,
txCor S'r'" ',Irader. On the 9th OF Janu-
VS. ne ?1,S,cr received letter from ex'
Sc. lS,4' R.tnsp sis,iug that the PRESIDENT
>e,Te's'l * armed that Diekey had intro
hsd been , ,T.N into the post, and that it was
dseed ,qr ',norcd that one Bob Wilson bad
genera! '" 9th him, WHO was reported as
80 'a'S''' 4, investigation was mace
d,.l'ys'. .harces, and 1t was deyei.
i5o w Dckrv had brought liquor
csHA ,"'' 1o1,an Territory, but by mill
ito 'nI .;,r. The charge OF disloya!ty
~, ,at r,ovrn agslnst MiiSon. anu Ssn eas
"a, NV ,srs reported TO The War Department.
a',t . ,%v N his report to secretary per
H. n'%N f,rih that Dickey was not NJ man
EsrI>S no nos, on account OF his intempe'
. ID" ~, ON the och OF May following
ra' -, r,s .unerseded by Il. G. Sipe, OF
il<N? when Djckey and Wilson were
h''.'",5,h c Is, er sent 10 some newspaper
GsPh3.'.,is,mept, which was published,
50 'r So, tn,t ex- Secretary Belknsp was
civ interested with Sipe In the pro-
iT,'..han,., This advertisement fell into
. t,r5. q, General Custer, and through
" .n'Sdi,,c uii'ary channels be sent 1t to
!s' .,~-c,qrr Of War. Subsequently General
=: .,.,.,gn repjcd to the accusation IN writing,
"J Isconncci the publication as an infs-
NJ, he. ,oot hold If the
-, lf began 10 charge outrageous prices
!. ii: Gods. About five miles below where
=. - ,.,6ns were stationed was small tradlRg'
49,. where supplies could be bought al
:.,". orc half the price charged by SIpe. In
la- N ave the soldiers from the eXtortion
,t,ho trader a. much as possible, one OF the
..a;,. n the Second cavalry frequently
,+,rb, Goods at the lower post, brought
...",,o Tort Abraham Lincoln, and disposed
~ hem 4, cost price. When Sipe became
..,r, n this he wrote letter of complaint
,,cy.secrctary BeIknip, which was forward
- ,,-an,h General Clusters headquarters,
:, IN. r,urse Of mail General Belk1ap sent
,.rrnRr OF the War Department TO Gene
-,,Cusrer. which set forth that no person
,,3 The IN, 70 sell or peddle goods at any
=. mo military posts except the regularly
s.y,oi..ianad post-irader. In addition,
fsrsrsl B,lkuap. 10 his own handwriting,
.ajs6 = nos,scrrpt. That the circular, he
,houp,t, WAS ~ plain as lsnguage could
make il. ard that 1t meant what II
Sud-" After this Sipe held high
hand oyer both The officers and men
I'm .rycraI occasions General Custer testi.
f.d TIN, be had known Sipe 10 stop az
officer, w,g0n and inSi &c, and search it to
=, that be brought no goods Of any kind
rom any other losl. When the exposure
n Genera! B"lknnp WAS made known on toe
frontier, General Custer, who said that ne
VA. SATISFIED from the beginning that Sipe
VA. payipg money to hold the post, sent fol
him and S,k.d hiu what he bad been pay
Inc to hold il. tie replied that he estimated
HI, ycsrly profits at SIS 900. Ore third OF
hi, amount be pad 10 General Hedrlck, OF
Ioaa, snd another third 10 General Rlce, Ii
Washington. General Rice denies this.
"a, OF his profits OF $4,000 Sipe said be
onty re,liz for himself about 81 500 to
5000. tie .ai that be did not know the
fact Of his own knowledge, but that he had
been uiven 10 understand that some portion
Of il vent TO The secretary Of War. When
Secretary B"kuap visited the military posts
on the North Missouri river last fall General
Custer met Bclknap at Fort Abraham Lin
coin. ard told hlm that Sipe was holding a
WIN over The h"aCs Of the officers on &C.
count Of assuming to have great influence
with bin. General Belknap said nothing
but tossed bis head rs if to say, "You
shouldn't believe all YOU hear"
The IcGera was asked if he ever person
sil7 called the attention of eX Secretary Bel
susp 10 the abuses al Fort Abraham Liucolu
lie replied that he did not, because he wa
4, suspisOu> Of he Secretary OF War as ht
was Of Tie sullcr. He stated, also, that TIT
t!rctor he Presidents proclamation extend
.us the great SIOUX military reservation en-
HANGED the value OF the tradiug.posts on the
NoNh Missouri river. because it rendered
them more complete monopoly. Under il:
provisions he AAG been called upon by TIT
pos..lFader AZ Sanding Rock TO remove al
Indian sQuaw and ccsa up her store, but tha
he refused because the Indians wanted her Il
remain.
The witness also detailed how frauds were
committed IN the delivery OF corn by con
tractors both at military and Indian posts
By collision with The agents contractors
would gel cer'iii ate of delivery for giver
number Of busaeis, and, having secured it,
.t4l kk.,.. u Il.
some oInrr p0s's. lie said also that the In
diah Bureau and the military did not ge
along well together. On one occasion 1t wa,
reported To nun that the Indians at STANDING
Rock were IN a starving condition tina
there were no PROVISIONS on hand, although
twas estimated tnat they should have bat
enough 10 Rave lasted TWO months longr
ttan The time al "ncl they were exhausted
Navigation va closed and railroad travel va
Interrupted. Uuder these circumstances
ha'lnE more thsn full supply at the fort, ht
srn' word 10 the Indian agent that the law die
no' allow bin 10 send provisions to an To-
Gan agency, but that if he would send thu
lAilans up 10 the fort he would feed then
nn'II they received their supplies, and theI
'te Indian Department could refund the
I''ors issued TO tee War Department. hi,
request was sent b. the agent to the Com
.4,Ncner Of Indian Affairs, who replied
we prefer to feed the Indians ourselves
a'noOgh At the ume the Indians were eating
'1v'f PONIES to sustain Lille. General Custer
"s' TOD by Chairman Cl,mer that it had
os'n asserted hat Ioe President had ex.
"hueu Inc Great Sioux military reservation
10 order TO pr veat The Indians from getting
!uM andto protect the morals Of the Indians.
Neetfs' Custer replied THAT he didn't think
~, We iadians got one drink less, AID tina,
tae ptohs OF the post.trader left the morals
o' 'he Indians a long way behind" Wit.
s sad that Professor Wilson, an
"a Posttrsder, wrote him letter on enc
v,casion 10 which be said he was prepared
prove that B. lkusp made post-tradersh p;