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

l
ANDALusGA, July 4 My attention has
been called to AN article in the Tribune
of the Both of June, which is so divert
ingly fresh, that II might he passed rs
momentary amusement for the public
did it not reflect directly on me as forms
er United States Indian agent of the
Pawnees The author is f. G, Osborne,
Indian agent for the Ponca, OtO, Paw
nee and Oakland, (Nes Perces) agency.
This is now conglomoratiOn of four
tribes, brought about by Kansas politics
ians. 1t took three or four men to man
aye these tribes. The Pawnees were
|, $50 odd souls; the Oto's 23U, under Mai
Woodin; the PonCa's 500 and odd and the
Mes Ptrces about 200, under Col Whit
ing afterward relieved by Gen. Jordan,
both gallant good men. We were all |
fresh. but not by any means green. The |
Pawnees, my tribe, had Ceded nearly all |
oil what is now Nebraska, and had the |
treaty obligations of the United States |
for $500 600 per annuity, one
hnlf of which might be in goods" Two |
boarding schools were to be provided for
the Pawnee children. Only one ever
WIS w iiipuO1 ittH Niltl the IN 1
dams for years of their $50. 900 annuity |
when took control of the badly demon. !
ahzed tribe. There was IS, 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 II
was ordered to get this and to paw it out
Ia the Pawnees who were starving
Their rations for the year to June 80,
were exhausted. | took charge MAY >
Here was clearly an emergency and rN>
pilCit orders. Instead of travelling to
Lawrence with ii 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 $1,000, paying exchange Sl2
out OF my own pocket. TIL, was much
less than II would have cost ne and my
guard 10 90 10 Lawrence and Re
turn. This was pcrcmptnrily dis
allowed Ms the United States ntscr paid
exchange 1t seemed queer then. and does
so still To me Il GOT ms eve teeth
through, but not far enough | asked
authority to purchase 2U.ohO pounds of
seed wheat at seventy cent, . bushel
After considerable unnecessary delay |
got the authority. The price had al
Yanced beyond my Margin which was
ten cents above market when wrote |
at once asked authority to buy the nee
essary 10000 pounds IN open market.
| was curly Informed that the United
States (the ilttle clerks dld not give nu-
thnrItN tA biE e. h1r that
II l would state dthnlt" hghres, authority
would be GRANTED. | wrote back. \ our
Official delay makes II TO" late To SOW
wheat th's year. Inc Indian department
oOstructtu = would NOT taNr personal
risk, ana :" the lnd'ahN VINO hnd land
broke teams ana harness ana pIo"s ana
harroWs, ulh not nave crop. lhoSt
who had seed, or could get 1t. planted
and had good crop ms Is tue way
Tue lhulhh department elEith's Tue Indl
ans, atttT thhlnE thrif 'ahos ana entering
luto Treaty win them 10 pay 'hem- MS
Is the open market business mt" when
tue agent p-h'the 50 luhotehtlF plunged
IN quest OF ponies Tor lazy lEiiAhs 10
ride fall races on. rus would do Tor
public amusement ana he not untrnthiully
anu unnecessarily /" screen himself AM
ihad'eTl gu MS predecessors ana ACCUSE
them OF making faise annual reports.
Cor. Whiting 81 me IohctS, ana ten
Jordan OF same ana Ma. "o"aih' OIL Ihe
ot"es' can SPEAK Tor themselves. f"f
myself as agent iof the Fa"hees' l pro-
hounce MS statements As To my 'flne'
weakly anu mAi'''"u7'' iht9r- NJ /" tue
l'u'n Mt me 'Iule - ''''",nS ny ahuuaI
report =" MAJ 'ne' ,'ui''l'', "aS aI'"'
ny IL pun ar" ''' ~ my
successors l rhun"t say huu a'h not re-
so"us'o'e. when l''N 'hA'Se 81 'nt
a" nee theS WIZ 1'"i''n4 huu Ieih'i-
ai'Heu- lhty hAd had ~ufitll al Quaker