Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-27
NUMBER 225.
INDIAN AGENCIES.

INDIAN AGENCIES.
Ihe Contest Bet,ceea the Ciril and Aiif-
tdry authorities.
IN. 7. Times.l
If the report be correct that, as result Of
Inspector Hammond's overhauling of the
Standing Rock agency, Agent Hughes has
resigned, his obituary probably must be-
gone to join Livingstone, Gregory, Eastman,
Clarkson and Hudson. Inspector Ham
mond hardly treads anywhere, on his tour
along the Missouri, without slumpina
through-so thin is the crust that covers up
the frauds, thievings and perjuries of some
agencies, and the inefficiency and lmbecility
of Others
Standing Rock has long been standing
quarrel aud rock of offense-a pierrs
d'echdatement between the civil and mill
tary authorities. It was at the Standing
Rock and the Cheyenne River agencies that
the ponies of the Indians were seized two
years ago by the military authorities, after
the civilian commi ssoners had ex-
pressly promised that they should not be
seized, thus bringing the two in direct con-
Hlct. The feeling of hostility engendered
oy this affair between the military and civil
authorities was increased few months since
when the latter charged the former with
fearfuiiy demoralizing the agency. This
charge was made by Commissioner Hayt
directly to President Hayes, and was after
wards repeated, SO that there might be no
mistake. Gen. Terry, the department COM
mander, ordered an investigation at once, in
the course of which the priest at the agency.
the school teachers, and the Indian chiefs
were examined. Instead of fully half of the
four score and more of the illegitimate half
breeds around the post being the children Of
soldiers, only about half dozen were proved
to have this paternity, while the greater por.
ton OF them We're traced to civilian employees
connected with the agency. This refuta-
ton of the scandalous charges was however,
received in silence at Washington, whereup-
on Gen. Sheridan called attention for Sec
ond, and, finally, for third time, to the re-
suit of the investigations; and, abiding to
''the we'll known irreproachable character of
Gen. Terry, and his high sense of honor and
fairness he added, II fully sympathize with
him in his endeavor to clear his brother Off
GERS and soldiers of his command from the
charges made against them by the commits
sioner of Indian AFFAIRS Gen. Sherman
S
81 confess" he wrote, 81 have no patience to
deal with the Indian question. The expert
ence of such men as Gems. Carlin, Terry, and
Sheridan, who have for thirty years lived in
contact with Indians, is pooh-poohed by
the present commissioner, mere novice,
mere theorist, who never saw real Indian"
He also pointed out that military discipline
does sonnet ling to curb the soldiers, whereas
the agents and employees are restrained by no
consideration, moral or physical" This was
in May last.
Last month the ill-feeling between the
rival authorities eliminated in a ludicrous
incident, which might have become serious.
Some of the Indian chiefs seized Hughes,
the agent, and carried him to the river,
where, as he claimed, they attempted to
drown him, being wickedly moved there
unto by Col. Carlin, the military post COM
mander. 1t was soon ascertained, however,
that Hughes had undertaken to break sew
eral CHIEFS, and enroll them as common In
dams under other chiefs. One of these was
named "Goose," whom the Indian bureau
call "a very bad Indian" His adherents
had no notion of having their goose cooked
in such fashion, and rebelled. Hughes at
once threw himself on their line of supplies
he stopped their daily rations. They en-
dured this till very hungry, and then ran
him to the river bank, intending, not to
drown him, but to put him over, and SO get
him out of the reservation by the exercise
of popular sovereignty and lynch law. Col.
Carlin, at this juncture, hurried personally
to the scene, ordering his companies of SOL
diers to follow, rescued Hughes and arrested
| the Indians.
Accordingly, Inspector Hammond, who
was in the region, investigating the Crow
| Greek Frauds was directed to repair to Stand
ing Rock. HIS very first conclusion was
that there was no ground for presuming or
believing that Col. Carlin had invited the
attack on Hughes, or, as it was more eau
tiously stated at Washington, "that he might
have prevented it, But the investigation
soon went deeper, for already serious irreg
ularities were charged. Some of these bore
of Crow Greek. Among them were report
ing more Indians on hand than were actually
there; supplying the agency trader with
goods sent out for free distribution to the
Indians; procuring signatures of Indian
chiefs to documents by misrepresent-
ing their contents; cutting of
supplies from Indians in an
arbitrary way, either for gain or for tyrannical
power, and producing thereby serious cases
of starvation; and misusing contracts for
personal gain. 1t is due to Agent Hughes
to say that some of these charges obviously
rest on his dealings with Indians like
"Goose,' and need not imply fraud; that
the jealousy of army officers and sympathiz-
ing civilians may have supplied others, and
that few months since an indian commits
sioner examined the charges then existing,
Il and seemed to consider them of small ac-
4 count. For example, it is maintained that
, though the trader borrowed from the agency
supplies during midwinter, he repaid exactly
when the weather allowed his own store sup
plies to come through, the advance having
meanwhile been convenience to the com.
, munity.
The full results of the inquiry are not YET
officially made public; but if Agent Hughes
has been suffe, ed to step down and out, In
spector Hammond is obviously satisfied thai
the agency needs a change. Secretary
: Schurz and Commissioner Hayt have giver
ample proof this year that their promises tt
reform the Indian agencies were not empt,
words The appointment of Gen. Ham
mond, last winter, as inspector, was a clea
case of getting the right man in the RICH
place, as the work already done in the Grow
Creek agency, the Lower Bride agency, tn
e Yankton agency, the Cheyenne River agency
4 and the Standing Rock agency, will show
! But there is plenty of scope for like reform
q elsewhere.
Provision Train Endangered by Indians
$751;, 900 Failure.