The Evening critic., 1883-03-08
THE oSAGE INDIAN AGENCY.
Special Agent Smit.,'s Reply TO Dr
RlnuU.

My attention being directed 10 the following
extract from communication to THE CRITIC
OF the 4th instant, made by Mr.. II. A. Bland,
Of the Council EiTe, I ask the courtesy OF a re.
ply to the foil jwng statement;
Commissioner Price sent Special Agent
Smith TO the Oeago Agency to investigate and
report. Some person In the indian Onlce tele.
graphed TO Miles that Smith was coming and
he mot him at the railway station with his
carriage, took him to his home, told him his
side OF the story, and entertained him In
hospitable style. Smith took anldaylts from
quite large number Of witnesses, who sworo
10 the truth Of the charges, and then he wrote
letter to the Commissioner as favorable to
the agent as he possibly could.
Smith and Miles reached Washington on the
same day, and few hours after Smith had
filed his report.
First-That "Agent Miles met him (me) at
the railway station" is false. l went from
Coffeyville, Kansas, to Usage Agency, sixty
five miles, In an open blackboard. had never
seen Mr.. Miles until reached the agency.
Second-ThatA Agent Miles stock him (me) to
his house" Is false. l was never Mt the home
or residence Of Agent Miles at tho Osage
Agency or elsewhere. l boarded at private
house, preferring, as ! always do, to obtain
outside accommodation, away from the agent,
wherever practicable so as TO command abso.
Lutte Independence OF action.
Third-That Agent Miles "told him (me) his
side of the story Is false, except In so far as
making statement which was taken down
verbatim and forwarded to Washington as
Fourth.That Agent Miles "entertalned him
(me) in hospitable style" is false. l never ate
meal with Agent Miles at the Usage Agency,
and was mover the recipient, at that or any
time TO the present moment, of hospltaole
favors at his hands; but only the simple
courtesy that might be demanded by special
agent of the Government on an official visit OF
Investigation.
Fifthe-That ''wrote a letter to the Commls-
sioner as favorable to the agent as he N
could Is false. In the face of facts and the
evidence embodied In my report, It is malig-
nantly so, and without q shadow OF truth.
Subsequently MIR. Bland statcs that the
charges against Miles ''are all sustained by
the evidence In the report" 1t is not prob.
able that should hayo stultified myself with
the Department by making report ignoring
the testimony.
That SMILES and Smith reached Washington
on the same day" / believe 10 be as wholly
false as all the other statements have refer
red to. Agent Miles drove me to the Kaw
Agency my Department instructions) and
from thence TO Arkansas City, where we parted
at once, and took the first train East.
on the report made in 1881, on the Usage
Agency, stand now. have not seen 1t since,
but whatever 1t was, II was made consclenti.
ously and justly as l saw It, An order to In
vestlgato an agent and his methods Is not
necessarily an order to convict him.
All irregularities found by mo In Agent
Miles administration of affairs, plainly set
forth by evidence In my report at the time.
Ifound a combination formed against Miles
at the agency. 1t was made up Of a cunning,
| well educated, but most disreputable Half
breed, named Conner, 80 a ,ssgnaiw,man, me ,e
| one of the agency trading stores.
The charges on file against Agent Miles
were signed by leading osage chiefs. I ex,
amined some of these and found they had nc
accurate knowledge of the document thoy had
| signed.
| They had been led, one by one, into little
back room of the disgruntled traders store by
| Connor and others, chiefly by Connor, apd In
| duced by him and others to sign the paper
containing the charges, they believing for the
pI,nlI ftntt tln1 doc
was petition for the restoration OF the old
| council of seven, each of whom had received
from $500 to $500 each, which council had
| been abolished.
| Two or three days after my arrival Como,
| appeared on the scene, and from that no more
| chiefs were permitted by him to come before
| me, except one. They held council three
| miles away, and asked me to go to them.
refused but continued TO take such evidence
as Connor chose to produce. remained there
ten or eleven days, accepting all tho relevant
evidence offered, and gavo TO Connor and his
friends of the combination every facility t
make their charges good.
On the last night of my stay the chiefs, a
my suggestion (through Connor), appointed
committee of three TO meet me to talk abou
the charges against Miles. This committed
was composed of the irrepressible Connor
| Racing Man, and another-name not remem
bered. Racing Man was the spokesman. HI
insisted on talking about the re-establishmen
| of the council. refused to entertain the sub
ject, and would talk of nothing but tho charges
against Miles. After 10 at night Racing Mai
admitted they had no proof, and so the tall
| ended.
These are the outlining facts, and presen
them not for the Information of Mr.. Bland
| who probably knew all these before, or SHOULD
have known them, but for the public, VIII
may have been momentarily misled by MI
BANDS pure inventions.
Mr.. Bland has gone out of his way to attacl
me by ungentlemanly inferences as we'll &
by unqualified falsehoods. Possibly becaus
he thought was absent. The ulster OF tn
dead Meachem does not sit gracefully on tn
shoulders OF Mr.. Bland. 1t is too large 70
him, and l may add for MS informatio
gratuitously that the Connect Fire will not bur
at all when fed by interruptions mtsreprt
sentations. Yours obliged,
| ARDEN II. SMITH,
Special U. S. indian Agent.