, 1878-08-10
plyNpERiHc the INDIANS.
Startling Er;dcnce C,.arihed at The Cro,r
Greek IyencH
FoRT THOMPSON, July II, via
N,pl.t,n II IT Irly II

! Startling Er;dence T,.eariI.e5 at the Cro,r
Greek IgencH.
| FoRr THOMPSON, July II, vial
Yankton, ID. T., July Il. 1
Commissioner Hayt, from Washington
is visiting the agencies IN this section.
To-day he dropped down on the Crow
| Creek agency, and Inspector Hammond $
sealed book was opened 1t revealed
fraud aud robbery mheard Of on the
Missouri river. Last March, the Crow
creek, Lower Brule and the Cheyenne
agencies were all seized by the military.
4 secret investigation into their affairs,
still incomplete, has developed 4 conspir-
acv between agents and traders that
startles even the natives. Dr. Living
ston, of Crow creek, WAS taken without
warning, and his office safe captured be-
fore he had time to remove the evidence
Of his wealth and guilt. The mountain
Of testimony still piHns up against the
ring, and Livingston in particular, Is
simply overwhelming. The details show
that they have stolen everything IN sight,
and prosiituted the whole agency maehln-
ery To their Own private Use. Feeding
and civilizing the Indians was a secondary
matter The aiiidavits, false vouchers,
forged pay-roIis and ring letters laid be
fore Commissioner Hayt, prove that Liv
imgston began MS robbery IN 1870, when
he WAS first appointed. Since then he
has accumulated fortune. Besides his.
large landed interest, he is y part owner
-, Navajo
Livingston and his pards own two cat
tie ranches with stock, ratinns, etc, regu-
larly supplied from the Crow creek and
Cheyenne agencies. They we're both
seized by the government, They con
dncted hotel, supplied regularly beef,
mix and potatoes from the agency, and
forced Their employees to board there.
They used tie agency blacksmith shop
and materials for private gains kii their
private stock were fed from the govern
ment cribs. 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 Deadwood. Indian annuitIes and IA
tions were stolen and sold. Two steam
boat loads of Indian goods for the Lower
Drnle agency were unioaded at Crow
creek, under the protest of the steamboat
caDtain, w..o insisted that they belonged
to the Brules. The Indians put up large
quantities Of hay and of wood, and they
were paid III their own raticns ard annul-
ties The rin2 then charged the govern
ment for this hay and wood, got paid for
them and then sold them to steamboats,,
military POSTS, and bushwhackers, and
thus GOT paid second tine- The crops
raised on the agency we're sold, and the
proceeds not accounted FOR. The trader
would sell the Indian his own potatoes.
The traders warehouse WAS inside Of the
stockade, and not ten feet from the gov
ernment warehouse.
The former was stOcl,edfrom the latter.
OF course. all the stolen property was re-
ported issued To the Indians. Whole
bands. dozen times year had their IA
tons cut off for alleged offences, and yet
the rat:onS were not accounted for There
were rati0ns and annuities drawn for
three hundred more Indians than were on
the agency.
The money appropriated By congress
during Livingston's administration for
the management OF the agency, employ
ment and incidentals, amounted to Sll0,-
O00 Livingston stole all he could His
employees were ali very ignorant men,
and any kind Of an excuse for the non
receipt OF wages WAS accepted. They
we're glad enough to get their clothes and
their rations, The false vouchers already
number one hundred and fifty, ranging
from $50 to $500. One laborer, whose
name is Hooker, was frequently used IN
fraudulent vouchers, and was badlyfright-
ened by the rins that he went up into
loft and shot himself through the heart
Instances of perjury are too numerous TO
mention. Livingston was an EPiscopaiian
appointment He gave fonts and stained
windows to many of the chapels-