The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-09-28
THE INDIAN AGENT as HE rs.
a Dark Picture of the Condition of AZ
fairs I'm Agent THffany's District.
Correspondent of N. Y. Sun.)

AA &ASSAAO &ASS .
Correspondent of N. Y. Sun)
Eastern people have but little idea of th,
influence exercised by the fringed frontiers
men around and over the Indian agencies.
A large majority Of them are naturally in
clined to ''dead beating" and they faster
like barnacles upon a reservation, which they
run reckless of consequence to the Indian or
the Government. Most Of them have squaW
wives, and through this quasi connection
with the tribe they secure and maintain a DOW
er for mischief which is employed to hold
the agent in submission and keep the reser-
walton in turmoil. It is ordinarily supposed
that the agent is absolute on the reservation
to which he is appointed. AS a fact, how
ever, he has perhaps less to say than any
man in the agency, and it is to the fact that
he is generally q timid man and readily in
duced to yield that may be attributed the fur
Their fact that the Indian agencies are under
like control Of a band Of INSCRIPTIONS fell
lows, who are not responsible to the Govern
ment, and whose fun and subsistence depend
upon the amount and extent of the rows
they can kick up. Especially is this the case
70 the southwest. Tbs average agent in this
locality IS an Ohio man, whose chief quail
tcatlon Tor his office is profound ignorance
o. the Indian character and language.
Around him swarm 8 band of men primarily
remarkable for their lack of conscience. and
upon them he is compelled to rely for his
q QCnnYafinp mill I;a m
are banded together for their personal infer !
ests. Each one thinks be should have beer
the agent, and in default Of the appointment
they unite in making it absolutely imnossihle
tor the agent to successfully administer bis
Office. ="
On the contrary, the agent occasionally
Turns OUT 70 DE o strong man, and in that
event the mob comes down on him and
MAKES the temperature as high as he can
stand. Tiffany, the agent at San Carlos. is
20 Illustration Of this proposition. He took
lod ot his agency prepared for war on
everything and everybody. His frontier en-
ployees, who had up to that time carried On
the government with pronounced financial
success 20 themselves, were panic-stricken at
flrst, but on their recovery they launched
upon q scheme to make him come to terms. {
operations were opened By informing the
Indlans that Tiffany was concealing and ben I
7htlng Dy stores sent out for the use Of the /
tribe. Ibis was q baseless ground for at
TACK, Tor Or course no stores had been sent. /
being one OF the virtues Of the Indian Dol. t
icy to send nothing and charge It up. This
created Ill feeling among TIE redskins, and Q
=. laYes''as cation resulted il the conviction Of 3
! lffany Of other offences not suspected by :
lis allied enemies, his employees. tt ap- :
,eared from the evidende adduced that Tif- !.
any had claimed to have found a coal mine
N the reservation, which was really q silver
nine, and which be proposed to work to his
benefit. How good the ore was
1e did not know, but specimens promised 4
yell. Such 6 find, when revealed, startled :
enemies and they manifested an anxiety
9 establish 8 more friendly relation; but Tiff
any declined, and the operatives around the
lgencY betaok themselves to arranging mat
ers for his discontinue. Tiffany was pre-
Dared to buy the mine at s fair price, but
he scouts, ct I'd genus onsne, convinced the =
ribe that his heart was bad and his purpose =
,raadulent, which led to discomfort, and may \
end in war. The agent and the saw =
1ges are now at swords points, and parties
Q full war paint are reported as leaving the
Igency daily.
The departure Of an agency Indian from
lis reservation is a peremptorY and unmis- 4,
declaration of war. not to be misun-
by an agent who has a clear insight %
nto the peculiarities Of the savage. Shut
ling Goose never writes to an agent demand y
ng 8 retraction or satisfaction. He goes,
nd when he has acquired an initial velocity
Vhich will carry him beyond the reach of
gency rifles he begins TO depredate. All
7hite men become his foes, and he steers II
} the nearest ranch with projects involv- VI
~ his cominissariat and his quartermaster's d
apartment. The unsuspecting settler, who
probably busy in setting up jobs to steal
10 reservation, is first informed Of the out
reak BY the disa ppearance Of his horses, =
nd finds the news confirmed by the raising
Z his scalp. Thereupon troops are sent for
hound the saYages down. The first INSTALL III