St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-25
The Grow Indian Troubles.
To the Editor of the Globe.


III your issue of the 18th noti:e an item
Of Washington news that Agent Arm
strong of the Crow agency had reported tt
the Indian bureau that certain Grow indians
belonging to his agency were turbulent ant
had assaulted him, etc.
Now the truth is that Agent Arm strong
has never had any control over, or inflEenc,
with. the Crow Indians. He is a Wyandottt
| himself and that is one of the reasons WIN
they have always held him in contempt anC
defied his authority. The Crows are intensely
| egotistic and consider the mselves superior tC
| all other Indians and think it a grievance
that a man connected with another tribe
should be sent to rule over them as theil
| agent. More than two years ago he had 6
quarrel with an old Grow Indian, who chased
him into his quarters with butcher knife
| If the agent had given the old 'coffee
cooler'' good whipping he would have been
| all right, but since that time
he has been constantly quarreing with the
| Indians, and in every quarrel has come out
second best, always ''weakening,' until the
Indians hold him in utter contempt.
The Indians named in Agent Armstrong;
com plant have been especially prominent in
their opposition to the lease of their reserva-
ton to the Colorado syndicate, and their ar
rest and imprisonment would perhaps silence
all opposition to that scheme by intimidatng
the rest of the Indians, all or nearly all of
whom are opposed TO the lease, and which
they signed (f they signed it at alD through
fear of starvation.
There is one thing about the Crow lease
that to say the least is a little pulling 1t is
claimed that about four hundred and fifty
signed the lease. Now there cannot be more
than six hundred and fifty adult males in a
total population of about thirty-one hundred
| and fifty. When the committee of the Billings
board Of trade was at the agency, they ex-
amined 40 Indian witnesses Gall that were
in reach of the agency and about 100 of
this number had not signed the lease-now,
If the rest of the tribe were in the same pro-
portion (ess than 80 per cent. having signed
the lease, would like to know where the
$50 names came from-and all but one of
the forty who did sign said they did so be-
cause they were told that II they did not do
so they would get nothing TO eat.
1t would seem that Agent Armstrong is
about as vindictve as any other Indian Che
is Of mixed blood and as tyran nical as weak
men usually are, and if he can succeed in
producing a revolt among the Crows, he
will be able at one stroke to pay them
they have ever manifested for him.
II Agent Armstrong finds the Crows hostile,
he is the first white man who ever did, and
his repeated calls for troops to protect him
have only provoked mirth among those best
acquainted with the Crow Indians.
But from what have learned in regard TO
the lease think the Indian bureau more TO
blame than Agent Armstrong in that matter.
One OF the gentlemen composing the Bill
ings committee informed me that the agent
received letter from the honorable COM
missioner of Indian affairs dated the 9th of
October, in which he was Informed that he
could expect no beef after the LIST Of April for
the balance Of the fiscal year, and as the In
dams were receiving only one-half pound of
-four per day, that meant actual starvation.
Mr.. Blake was on hand with his lease
scheme. and when the letter Of the commits
sioner was explained to them, and they
were told that money which they would
receive for the lease would buy beef,
to bridge over this three months Of famine
which was threatened, many Of them we're
induced to sign. This is the most favorable
view that can be taken Of the action Of the
agency in the matter. IL this was not co
ercion don't know what would be necessary
to constitute coercion, especially when 1t is
taken into consideration that the Indians
had been on short rations for more than q
year and hungry three days in the week; and
BIZ the way, it was little remarkable that as
soon as the Indians had signed the lease, the
Hon. Hiram Price, commissioner Of Indian
affairs, wrote to the agent that he could in
crease his beef supply % per cent, which
would cause any one not having the most
| implicit confidence in the integrity Of the
| Indian bureau to believe that II was a "put
up iob'' all the way through.
Now IL there had been an ytbing honest in
the scheme, and 1t was necessary for the res
ervation TO be leased, the agent should
| have looked out for his wards and seen that
! they received something like an adequate
/ compen sation for the privileges conferred.
! Nov the truth Is that the amount that the
/ syndicate agree to pay $3.50, 600 per year, is
/ not as much as the taxes would amount 70
/ on the number Of cattle the land would sup
/ port if the property was where It could be
reached BIZ taxation, so that in effect they win
/ save more in taxation than they will pay for
| the lease. as the tax collector is barred off
Indian reservations.
| Although the matter had been or more
| than year In contemplation by the Colorado
/ party outsiders knew nothing about It, and
/ when they were ready to commence opera
I tons with the Indians the whole matter was
! kept 50 secret thai the business was COM
+ pleted before outsiders knew anything about
I It. In fact some Of the employes at the agency
claim to hare known nothing Of what was
going on, a. they could not talk Crow and
the Crows cannot talk English
| Billings, Feb. 20 tx"