The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-24
too soon.

scoundreEsm generally which have distin
guished the administration of Indian agents
are perfectly astounding, notwithstanding
the people have been made familiar with
every conceivable form of rascality as prac-
ticed by the radical party. These Indian
agents have robbed the Indians, robbed the
government, robbed the frontier settlers, and
robbed the employees of the government
They have been in the business for years
and have doubtless divided with heads
of departments a la Belknap. is not pre-
sumable that the government was not cog
infant of the thefts, embellishments and
fOrgeries and perjuries of its agents. The
probabilities are that the rascals had been
stealing upon shares under Grant, and now
Hayes desires to make changes, by virtue of
which some lusty conspirators will have
chance to place their friends where they can
steal themselves fat and rich, and at the
same time pay liberal per cent. into the
radical corruption fund. Livingston began
to steal as soon as Grant gave him an oppor-
tunity, and has been stealing since 1870.
The telegraph account says:
The details show that they stole everything
in sight, and prostituted the whole agency
machinery to their private use. Feeding and
civilizing the Indians was secondary mat
ter. The affidavits, false vouchers, forged paw
rolls and ring letters laid before Commissioners
HOyt prove that Livingston begsu in 1870,
when first appointed. since then le has ac-
cumulated a fortune. matter of record. Be-
sides his large landed interest, he Is part
ingston and his "pards'' owned two cattle
ranches, with stock, rations, etc, regularly
supplied from Crow creek and CHEYENNE
agencies. They were both seized by the gov
eminent. They conducted hotel, supplied
regularly with beef, milk and potatoes from
the agency, and forced their employees to
board there. They used The agency blacksmith
shop and material for private gain. All their
private stock were fed at the government
crib. Livingston sold agency wood to the
steamboats, and hay to the Black Hills wagon
trains. Crow creek is the stopping
place on the Fort Pierre route to Dead
wood. Indian annuities and rations
Were stolen and sold. Two steamboat
loads of Indian goods for the lower BruIe
agency were unloaded at Crow creek, under
the protest of the steamboat captain, who in
sisted that they belonged to Brule. The Indi
ans put up large quantities of hay and wood,
and were paid in their own ratlons and annu-
tiles. The ring would charge the government
for this hay and wood, and get paid tor them,
and then sell the same to the STEAMBOATS,. mill
itary posts and bullwhackers, and get paid a
second time. The crops raised on the agency
were sold, and the proceeds not accounted for.
The trader would sell the Indian his own pOta-
toes. The traders warehouse was INSIDE of the
stockade, and ten feet from a government
warehouse. Inc FORMER was SLOcK eu from the
latter. OF course all the stolen property was
reported ISSUED to the Indians. Whole bands
dozen times a year had their rations
cut off for alleged. offenses. and t4e
ratiOns not accounted for. There were
rations and annuitiess sldrawn for 800
more Indians than there were on the agency.
The money appropriated by congress during
Livingston's administration for the manage
ment of the agency ana the employment and
incidentals amounted to $4,000. He stole all
he could. His employees were all very
Ignorant men,and any excuse for non-receipt
of.wages was excepted. They were glad to get
ratiOns and clothing. The false vouchers, not
all discovered, already number $50, ranging
from $50 tn 81 500. One laborer, whose name was
Hooker was freely used on fraudulent vouch-
ers, was so badly frightened by the ring that
he went into a loft and shot himself through
the heart. The instances of perjuries are too
numerous to mention. Livingston was an
Episcopalian appointment. He gave fonts
and stained windows TO the chapeIs. This is
only skeleton of the worst plundering ever
made public in the Indian service out west.
The forgery, perjury, and robbery continued
over eight years, and turned in to the agent
thousands OF dollars.
There are other chapters of this radical
management of the Indians equally repul-
sive. 1t will be remembered that the DEM
ocrats tried to get Indiana affairs out of the
hands of thieving radical agents, but this
didn't suit radical senate, and the impor'
tant change was defeated. The conclusion
is inevitable, that the radical senators know
full we'll that the change proposed by the
democrats would lead to the exposure of
more radical thieves, and this, in view of
the Investigations of the Potter committee,
was not desirable. But the rascalIties of the
Indian agents are so overgrown that they
can be no longer obscured, and now, after
eight years OF stupendous villainies, great
hellabaloo is kicked up, as much as to say,
"All this stealing has been going on I'M
known to the government" As conse-
quence, the old thieves will be removed and
fresh set put on the trail of the Indians
to steal and rob and lie as in the past, and
when sufficient time has been given for all
hands to get rich another discovery will be
made, provided the radical party has control
OF the government, that stealing has beer
going on upon large scale. The way tC
get rid Of this public stealing bushes is Il
get rid of the radical thief party. AS Ions
as it is in power thieves viii be appointed
TO important offices and stealing everything
in sight will be the rule.