Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-07-16


fundamentally the Misses McBeth-
the best friends the Indians ever had
were removed from the reservation in
opposition to Indian wishes. He has
ordered his subordinates on the police
force to shoot down inoffensive and
unarmed Indians who were attending a
Sunday school pic mic, and through his
misie representations of the affair to the
departments at Washington, govern
mental interference was invoked to
shield the murderer from punishment
and to defeat the ends of justice. Under
his administration and at his caprice,
Indians have been arbitrarily deprived
of their liberty and subjected to fine and
imprisonment, without the right of
appeal as provided in the code of Indian
ofIenses. And it is singular fact that
these incidents invariably happen to
those Indians who by outspoken denun.
citation of his acts, or by petition for his
removal, or by refusing to act as a spy
upon their brethren have incurred the
personal displeasure of the agent. He
has surrounded himself with horde Of
renegade traitors. sneaks and spies.
There are Indians on the police force
who are neither honest nor loyal. Tom
Hill is a renegade who was taken pris-
oner bearing arms against the govern
ment. Indian Sam is under indictment
for horse stealing. Another is a renegade
Blackfoot Indian and a fugitive from
justice. The judge at Lapwai is tool
of the agent and is not a Nez Perez
Indian by any tie of consanguinty.
James Lawyer resigned or was removed
from the position of judge at KamIah
because he would not prostitute his
official position to sustain or endorse
the agent in arbitrary, despotic and un.
lawful acts. The shining lights of
civilization in the tribe have been SUBJ
jected to insults and persecution for
purely imaginary offenses. Under this
treatment the Nez Perez nation, in its
individual and collective capacity has
become restless and discontinued, large
numbers OF them neglect the labors of
civilization which formerly occupied
them and go to the mountains to escape
the tine and imprisonment to which
their head men have been subjected.
Every detail of the foregoing can be
hxt h,, Il &c
sive evidence. Indeed the facts are
public property, and have been discus
sed on and off the reservation for
months. MIR. Monteith once printed
over his own signature that we were
presumpluously medd.ing with affairs
which did not concern us when we dis
cussed Indian matters, and his sub
agent told us only last week when we
asked upon what charge Indian Dick
was arrested that il was none of our
business. Esop tells of tomtit which
rode into heaven on the back of an
eagle, but on the Neg Perez reservation
we are treated to the edifying spectacle
of a buIl-frog, big with the bug-a-boo OF
official egotism attempting to override
every principle of justice and to thwart
inquiry into the same because of his
supremacy on the reservation. I'm
fortunately for the agent we are living
under form of government from which
bayonets are banished, and as officia
displeasure hath no tencrs for oul
iconoclastic soul, it is not at all lik ely
there will be any cessation of hostile
criticism OF his acts SO long as he stub.
bornly continues his present wrong
headed policy.
, HOME RIFLE DEFEATED