Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-07-06
THE RED MAN.

Charged.
ANDALusIA, July Any attention has
been called to an article in the Tribune
of the 3Olh of June, which is so divert
ingly fresh, that II might be passed as
momentary amusement for the public
did it not reflect directly on me as torm~
or United States Indian agent of the
Pawnees The author is +. G. Osborne,
Indian ngent for the Ponca, Oto, Paw
nee and Oakland, (Nes Pereesl agency.
This is now ConglomoratiOn of four
tribes, brought about by Kansas politics
inns. 1t took three or four men to man
aye these tribes. The Pawnees were
/ $50 odd souls; the Oto's 800 under Maj.
Woodin, the Ponca's 500 and odd, and the
Mes Perces about POO, under Col. Whit
ing, afterward relieved by Gen. Jordan,
beth gallant good men. We were all
fresh, but not by any means green. The
Pawnees, my tribe, had ceded nearly all
of what is now Nebraska, and had the
treaty obligations of the United States
for $50 900 per annuity, one
half of which might he in goods" Two
boarding schools were to be provided for
the Pawnee children. Only one ever
WAS No money had been paid the In
diaus for years Of their 100000 annuity
when took control of the badly demon
alI2ed tribe. There was SIS. 900, long be-
fore due, lying in the First National
bank of Lawrence, Kan, the payment of
which had been suspended, owing to
want of confidence in my predecessor |
was ordered to get this and to pay it out
to the Pawnees. who were starving
Their rations for the year to June 30,
were exhausted. | took charge May 2.
Here was clearly an emergency and eXN
pcit orders Instead OF travelling to
Lawrence with IA guard as was very
necessary in those times. | simply went
to Arkansas City with my guard, whose
expenses | paid out of my own pocket,
and got the $4,000, paying exchange Sl2
out of my own pocket This was much
less than 1t would have cost me and my
guard to go to Lawrence and re-
turn. This was peremptorily dis
allowed, as the United States never paid
exchange, 1t seemed queer then, and does
so still to me, 1t got my eye teeth
through. but not far enough. | asked
authority to purchase 20, 600 pounds of
seed wheat at seventy cents bushel.
After considerable unnecessary delay, |
got the authority. The price had al =
Yanced beyond my margin, which Na3
ten cents above market when | wrote. |
at once asked authority to buy the nee :
essary 20 900 pounds in open market
was curly informed that the United
States CHE little clerks) did not give au.
thonty to buy in open market, but mat
if | would state dehuit. figures, authority
would be granted. wrote back. "l our
official delay makes it too late to sow
4, a =
obstructed-i wouid not take personal
risk. and SO the Indians who had land
broke, teams and harness aud plows and
harrows did not have crop. Those
who had seed, or could get it. planted
and had good crop. This is the way
the Indian department clvilizes the Iudi-
ans, after taking their lands and entering
INTO treaty with them to pay them. This
is the "open market" business into which
the Agent Osborne so lnnocently plunged
in quest of ponies for lazy Indians to
ride fall races on. This would do for
public amusement did he not untruthfully
and unnecessarily, to screen himself, ami
madvert on his predecessors and accuse
them of making false annual reports y
Col. Whiting. of the Poncas, and Gen.
Jordan of same, and Maj. Woodin, OF the
Otoes, can speak for themselves. For
myself, as agent for the Pawnees, | pro~
nounce his statements. as to my tribe,
weakly and maliciously false, rs TO the
truth ut the time of making my annual
report What their condition was after
nv report and the administration of my
successors cannot say, and am not re-
sponsible When | took charge OF the
Pawnees they were starving and demon
allied. They had had surfeIt of Quaker
agents, succeeded by n New Yorker who
was afor having "a good tune how
good | leave his hondsmen AMI the
United States authorities aftC: vast
unavailing expense aud trouble, to
determine. | passed on for over
two years. Inspector after inspector
was sent to make me out II thief. | came
near to IA ten days sensation in killing
one of them, rs | had determined. lie
let himself out by pronounrinA me clean
Then came the rasCally politicians ar
rangemcnt engineered by that republican
saint r. b. Plumb, of Kansas, which
congomerated four agencies, requiring
four manly men for agents, into one
1t was the dire misfortune of this very
verdant individual to be appointed to i'll
the difficult place, where four good men
were superseded by the politicians ar
rangement,
When | left the Pawnees | had made
tifty>tiv alloLments after surveying lot
miles of lines-not in the necessary line
of my duty as agent, but out OF regard
for the Indians and for the credit OF the
American people, who, believed wished
the civilization of the Indians got no
credit for this although it took myself
and men many weeks of hard labor and
priyation to accomplish this. The allot
ments were dIsallowed on frivolous pre-
texts. was charged up with near $50,
600 when | WAS turned out regardless OF
law With my clerks | stayed over II
month replying to the prcposteroos OBJ
eciions 10 my accounts. With much
EXPENSE and time the $50 900 is cut
down to a little over Sc, 900 which is ss
unjust AS the $50 900, For this | an
sued and myself and securities are 'heiC
up"
Fellow citizens there is fearful
wrong that demands your earnest ant
energetic attention. 1t is not republican
nor democratic. The rascals of each sid
are in it for what they can make. vii
YOU do Justice to the Indians and to thu
faithful agents who have vainly en-
deavored to do justice to the Indian.
could write volumes in more forcnl
language, were it necessary and likely t
be beneficial, but in the absence of de
mand | spare you. Respectfully,
E. H BOWMAN,
Late L. S Indian Agent for the Pawuee
Don't Get Caught
This spring with your blood full of in
,>,,r;tiaS vbur DIGESTION imnaired V0l