New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-29


eehurs answered nuthlne at al. She said further
that g eonfsEencs today when her uncle White
Swan. waS asksd r he would not rather 80 back to
Dakota AGENT Whiting looked at him 20 hard that
the penpirAtion burst ftUm tho Indians brow. aud
he answered evasiveIy
Mr. Nbbles naya that the letter which WAS recently
received By Secretary Echun from the POnca chiefs,
expressing their willingness to cede their Dakota
ands which was made the basis for the present No.
gOtiatiOn, b only portion Of what was dictated BY
the Chiefs and that the suppressed portion was Of
such character as would II mAde public present an
entirely different phase Of the question. He accuses
Agent Whiting Of having made tool Of +" Joe
Esau, the Pawnee interpreter, who
living with his own tribe in the
Indian Territory naturally prefers it as home
He says that last summer Whiting said Of Esau:
He is my meat" by which he understood that
These same ndans bSs SaVs d o. to him as
t. yco 60 back to DO Both TSbs: and
OF tne Interior Department, not even sparing Mr..
It is understood that General Crook has
to do anything here with the Poncas; as
will be, useless. inasmnch as they
and will act accordingly. The Commission, accord
,ngly, goes West Immediately, most of the members
ieaYlng Tomorrow
Senator Dawes visited the President to-day, and
personally protested against any conclusion Of pend
ing negotiations until the other side be heard.
M. Dawes IS reported to have said to-day that If
the Special Commission finds set of facts existing
wholly diferont from those presented By Agent
Whiting and Inspector Haworth, and 80 report, the
matter, let 1t hurt whom it way. Meanwhile Secre-
tary schurz considers the Ponca matter settled and
looks upon the action of the Boston Commission q
piece OF sentimentasm.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.
lGENERAL PRESS DIsPATCHl
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2S.-Senators Kirkwood and
Dawes, of the Senate Poncas Investigating Com
mttee, met at the Department of the Interior to-
day for the purpose of pursuing their Investigations
in regard to the condition of the Poncas at their
new reservation
Indian Inspector j. NJ. Haworth. who was sent
last November to visit the Poncas testified that he
remained at the reservation ten days. during which
time he held council with their principal chiefs
and head men, and came to the conclusion that the
POncas desired to remain where they were. He was
satisfied, from the testimony which he heard while
there, and from conversations with the Indians
themselves that there had been cOercive in
duence used, and that the Indians had abandoned
the idea of returning to Dakota after free consua
ton among themselves. He also testified that the
Poncas were enjoying good health; that they had
Indian neighbors than they enjoyed the old
reservation lie also testified regarding the excel
lent quality of their lands in the Indian Territory.
and thought that cut cut OF the lO2,o90 acres allotted
Agent Whiting corroborated Mr.. Haworth in re-
gard to the feeling OF cOntentment prevalent among
the. Poncas. de was questioned concerning the
authority under which he arrested Mr.. Tibbles last
summer and claimed that he found ample authority
for his actions under the Presidents proclamation.
which was issued soon after MI IDDles went 10 the
Ponca reservation.
Standing Buffalo, one of the POnca chiefs, said
that at the time of Mr. Tbbless visit to the Indian
Territory last summer he would have been pleased
to 90 back to Dakota had the President desired 1t
and had everything else been right" For three
years they had waited for their friends to move them
back to Dakota and finally they got tired waiting
and resolved not to 60 back"
White Eagle, another of the Ponca Chiefs admit
ted that he had once said he would not remain in
the Indian Territory even If the Government pre-
sented the lapd to the Pof1cas and made them
comfortable there; but" he continued, IL
have come here twice to fix up our
business and when found could not, changed
my mind. got tired, and on turning over sent
the letter to the Great Father came here several
times to try and get back to Dakota and when 1
found could do nothing turned over and changed
my mind"
Mr. Tibbles was also examined in reference to his
attempt last summer to induce the Poncas to leave
their reservation and go to Dakota. He said he had
to the POnca reservation at the request Of the
committee in Omaha, for the purpose of seeing |
whether the POncas would not leave the Indian |
Territory and return to Dakota, that might
be made up by them in the Supreme Court, and that
to and the Poncas in leaving the Indian Territory
money had been furnished HIM to provide for them |
on the way. |
Secretary Schurz made statement cOntradicting |
the report that onethird of the Poncas had died in
the Indian Territory and that only about 44O Of |
them were left. He asserted that there are 515 IN
the Indian Territory now, eight at the Carlisle
school and 130 In Dakota. which proved that the
among them mad not been One-half of
what had been represented. He also showed that
the charge that the Poncas had been kept in close
so as to make it impossible for any of
their friends to them on or about their reserya-
tion was untrue. inasmuch as they did their own /
freighting, were very frequently going 70 Arkansas
CITY, in the State Of Kansas, with thei wagons, and
did some of their trading there.
IL was stated by one of the Poncas present that
few of the Poncas now in Dakota desired to return
to the Indian Territory If they could be helped with
money in dong so.
RESULTS OF THE CENSUS.
THE POPULATION OF THIRiY-THREE STATES AND
TERRITORIES ACCORDING TO THE FIRST COUNT.