The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-02-05
Indian Commissioner Hayt's Removal
From ONCE.

A Washington special of the goth ult.
to the Chicago Inter- Ocean gives the
following account of the confessions
made by ex-1ndian Inspector Ham,
mond, and of the summary manner in
which Secretary Schurz dealt with Com
missioner Hayt:
The investigation of the Indian Office,
which has been going on for two weeks,
under the direction of General Clinton
b. Fisk, OF St. Louis, and the Board of
Indian Commissioners, ended to-day in
q very dramatic manner, and the re-
moval of Commissioner Hayt from Office
was summary and instantaneous. When
the Board of Indian Commissioners,
consisting of the representatives of the
various religious bodies, met here for
its annual meeting, on the 10th
of January, General Fisk submitted
series Of charges against Indian Com
missioner Hayt and Indian Inspector
Hammond, accusing them of malfeas-
ance and corruption in Office. The
charges were Indignantly denied by
both gentlemen, and Secretary Schurz
himself pronounced them the out
growth of malicious prejudice on the
part of General Fisk. The board APP
pointed committee consisting of its
President, Mr.. Barstow, of Providence;
its Secretary, Mr.. Stickney, of Wash
ington; and Friend Smiley, Quaker
member of Pennsylvania. Mr.. Barstow
heard the denia1s of Hayt and Ham,
mond, and left for home. writing
a statement, which was published
in the Providence papers, and
telegraphed everywhere by the
Associated Press, in which he acquit-
ted both Hayt and Hammond of the
charges, and pronounced them both
honest and efficient men. But with
General Fisk as prosecutor, Messrs.
Smiley and Stickney went on with the
investigation. They were given room
in the basement of the Interior Depart
ment, and invited Commissioner Hayt
to appear before them. Much to their
surprise Hayt requested that his coun-
sci, Messrs. Shellabarger and Wilson,
be allowed to be present during the in
vestigation, and although the commit
tee had neither executive nor, judicial
powers, and represented only an adj
visory organization, without power to
send for papers or compel the at
tendance of witnesses, Commissioner
Hayt contested every step with as
much vigilance as if he had been on
trial for his life. General Hammond
| was one of the first witnesses sent for,
and the committee was second time
surprised at the announcement that he
was no longer connected with the In
dian Bureau, having resigned and left
for Chicago few hours before. But
the committee proceeded without Ham,
mond up to Monday, and found abund-
ant proof of the truth of every charge
that had been made by General Fisk.
Most of this proof came from the Off
cial records. Among other charges was
one that Commissioner Hayt was cor
ruptiy interested in Il silver mine that
had been found on an Indian reservation
in Arizona, and that Hammond had, at
Hayts request, resurveyed the bounda-
rles OF the reservation, 80 that the mine
should be left out and upon the public
domain. Hammond, at the same time,
| was in Arizona investigating charges
| against Agent Hart, of the San Carlos
Agency, and Hart became aware of the
transactions about the silver mine. In
order to close his mouth, by direction
of Commissioner Hayt, in July last,
General Hammond wrote a letter to
Hart. promising not to prosecute him.
This letter came into the possession of
General Fisk, and, in its very language
showing All improper transaction, the
committee wrote several letters to
General Hammond, at Chicago, urg-
ing him to come here and explain
the matter. They also endeavored to
impress upon Commissioner Hayt the
necessity of an explanation, and it
seems that he telegraphed Hammond to
meet him in New York. The two met
there ON Sunday last, and arrived here
on Monday morning, and, instead of
going to the Riggs House, where he
had always stopped, Hammond went to
a sccond-class quiet hotel, and his pres
ence was unknown here until he came
voluntarily before the committee on
Monday morning, and, in the presence
of Commissioner Hayt, swore that the
letter to Hart, alluded to above, was
can elegant forgery" Hammond was
examined at length and denied all the
alleged crookedness of the mining
transaction. The same evening he left
town.
On Tuesday the committee had be-
fore it Secretary Schurz, Chief Clerk
Lockwood and several attaches of the
Indian Bureau, who were familiar with
General Hammond's penmanship, and
every one, unhesitatingly, pronounced
the letter genuine. Secretary Schurz
said very emphatically that he believed
| it to be SO. 1t was carefully COM
pared with other manuscript of Ham,
mond's, and no doubt on the subject
| was left in the minds of the committee.
On Wednesday the committee, having
completed its work, requested Com
missioner Hayt to make Il statement in
explanation of the excellence, but he
declined to do so, for the reason that
his counsel were absent. The commit
tee accepted this excuse and adjourned,
first placing a copy of the testi-
mony they had taken in the hands
of Secretary Schurz. Commissioner
Hayt was to have been heard to-day.
This morning about ten o'clock, when
General Fisk, who had been prosecutor
in the case, was leaving the Riggs
House to attend the meeting, he met
General Hammond at the door, looking
very pale and haggard. General Fisk
was surprised to see him out, offered
mis- hand, and Hammond said, "Gen-
eral, I would like few moments con-
versation with you before you 60 to the
committee" Fisk exclaimed, in reply,
"Why, Hammond, what is the mater
with you?'' Hammond replied that he
was suffering very much in mind and
| in hndv Ceneral Fisk led him tn the
sofa in the reading-room of the Riggs
House. and Hammond commenced to
make an explanation of his evidence
before the committee on Monday.
He said that the letter to Hart was
not forgery, but in his own hand
writing. Hammond had got this far
when he turned very pale, asked Cen
eral Fisk to get him a glass of water,
and sank into Inconsistencies. Cen
eral Fisk called for help, carried him