St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-12-20
AN INDIAN AGENTS EXPERIENCE.

The history of the dealings of the
United States government with the In
dams comprises far more of wrong thar
has ever found it's way into print
Helen Hunt Jackson's Century of Dis
honor is but the lifting of single vel
from a portion of the humiliating spec
tacle. The time has come when it ii
both safe and right to speak plainly
and calmly respecting grievOus injus
tice done by the government not di-
rectly to the Indians, but to one who
labored heart and soul four years fol
their welfare.
In 1874, Joseph C. Bridgman o.
Springfield, Mass, for many years an
hOnOred bookseller of that city, was
appointed by President Grant, at the
recommendation of the American Mis-
sionary Association, Indian Agent fol
the three tribes in Upper Wisconsin,
known as the Stockbridges, the Me-
nominees and the Oneidas, with his
headquarters at his own request, at
Keshena on the Reservation. His pred
ecessOrs had had their headquarters al
Green Bay, fifty miles away. For fOul
years he administered his duties to the
satisfaction of the Indians, and with
apparent acceptance to the Indian de-
partment. Business methods, ecOnO-
my, sagacity and attention to details
marked the conduct of the affairs of the
agency. Himself a warm hearted
Christian, Mr.. Bridgman gathered
around his own family Christian men
to serve respectively as teacher, car
penter, blacksmith, farmer physician
and storekeeper. From this little col
Ony of white people, in the heart of the
MenOminee reservation, went forth
wholesome educational and Christian
influences, which little by little were
leavening the entire Indian population.
The red men respected their agent,
trusted him-many of them loved him.
Meanwhile trouble was brewing.
The Wisconsin timber ring and the
politicians had no use for a man of Mr..
Bridgman's character. Almost his first
act on coming to his post was the de-
feat of an attempt to make the Indians
believe that outside help was necessary
in order to secure the payment of GER
tain moneys pledged them for lands.
Had no obstacle been interposed by
him, the Indians by that single, under
handed scheme would have been cheat
ed out of tens of thousands of dollars.
trading firm at the entrance of the res
ervation by going to the larger cities
for supplies, withholding his trade from
the local house only because he was
thus able to buy goods twenty-five per
cent. cheaper.
During his administration Mr..
Bridgman was obliged to prosecute a
number of men who preyed upon the
timber belonging to the Indians. And
in the eight or ten cases brought be-
fore the United States circuit court, he
lost not one. One offender got sixty
days in jail. Perhaps fifty more cases
were brought on with the distinct
charge of selling liquor to the Indians,
and here, too, Mr.. Bridgman almost
invariably won. In these various pros
ecutions, judgments amounting to
thousands of dollars were entered
against the defendants.
AS the years went on, the opposition
to Mr.. Bridgman became more bitter,
while he remained intieXible in his
purpose that neither the government
nor the Indians should be fieeced out
of one dollar by the whisky drinking,
selfish, INSCRIPTIONS timber thieves
who hang on the bOLders of every In
dian reservation. Anonymous letters
came to him, threatening his life, and,
in one instance, bride of $500 was of
fered him to allow certain unjustifia-
BILE claim against the Indians.
Finally political Vaccinations prov
ed too strong, and, at the expiration of
Mr.. Bridgman's term of service in 1879,
the Wisconsin ring brought such in
fuence to bear at Washington, that he
failed to secure a reappointment. In
his place was set man who, both in
administrative ability and in private
life, was, to put it mildly, leagues be-
low the man who had to make way for
him. At the same time, reports of Mr..
Bridgman's defeat were telegraphed all
over the country, and with them, in
some instances, were coupled malig
nant statements taken from one or two
local papers respecting malfeasance IN
Office and his personal character. owe
will now root out that Christian COM
mission nest at Keshena," said one of
his most active opponents.
Naturally enough Mr.. Bridgman and
his friends demanded vindicatiOn.
During his administration, the agency
had been visited, as was the custom,
by several inspectors, who uniformly
praised it's management. One inspec
tor declared that of the sixty agencies
he had visited, but one was equal, and
none were superior, to this agency.
AS Mr.. Bridgman's term of office was
drawing to it's close, an inspector, who
had before reported favorably concern
ing the conduct of affairs at Keshena,
was told to return thither "and find
evidence to convict Bridgman of ras-
cality," with an intimatiOn that Mr.. !
Bridgman's place was wanted by
another man. The inspector would
not be partner to such an er-parte !
examination, and subsequently resign
ed his office; whereupon another in
spector was detailed TO the work. This |
man, prejudiced from the outset,
brought back, nevertheless, a similar
of Mr.. Bridgman, to whom
he remarked when at the agency,
''This sending me out here to make
you out rascal is all - farce"
But Indian Commissioner Hayt, ap-
parently bent on finding some ground
on which to justify his action, and |
or other possessed of a most
bitter antipathy to Mr.. Bridgman, sent
this second inspector again with still
more definite instructions. This sec
ond visit was after Mr.. Bridgman had
left the agency, and by overhauling all
the books and accounts-Mr. Bridg-
man not being at hand to explain his
procedure in certain technical matters
the inspector was able to make up
case. For instance, the inspector rul-
ed out explanatory statements from
only apparently damaging
evidence being allowed. Mr.. Bridg-
mans travelling expenses were charged