The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-12-05
NO LACK OF FOOD.
Sioux Indians Well Fed by Un-
Gle Sam.
so SAYS A CENSUS ENUMERATOR.

His Account of the Way They Gorge
Lunch Set for All Visitors, and Improve
dence the RuIe-vauiting Ambition OF
the Ola Bucks and pure Cussedness''
| Causes of the Trouble.
WASHINGTON CITY, Dec. 3.-Acting Com
missioner Belt yesterday received the fol-
lowing letter from Special Agent Lea,
appointed to take the census of the Sioux
Indians. 1t is dated "Pine Ridge Agency,
5. d., Nov 49," ''As there are many Sto-
ries afioat, and being transmitted to the in
terror department from this agency in re-
gard to the present troubles, assigning as
cause the suffering of the Indians for
want OF food, thought the department
would not consider it presumptuous upon
my part to volunteer brief statement of
the facts as have found them to exist in
regard to their subsistence In the first
place, the department is fully aware of the
nature of my work, which takes me into
each house and habitation occupied by the
Indians, thus giving me splendid oppor-
tunity to make observations, and, / as
pecially as TO how the Indians live, and
what they live upon.
No Suffering for Lack of Food.
Il say now, that have to see the first
family upon Pine Ridge reservation that
showed the least sign of suffering from
want OF food. In order to ascertain what
they subsist upon, and what they rely
upon for subsistence, 1 asked the ques-
tions: What means of support have you
besides your rationsP II the answer should
he, none L then ask: Are the rations
you draw from the government sufficient
for your subsistenceP and l have never
had family to complain and say, no.
And not in the first single instance has an
Indian, who is reliable and intelligent,
complained to me of suffering among
their people. 1t has only been q few
weeks since one miXed-blood woman, hav-
ing six in her family, told me that they
had all the provisions that they could use,
and that if the people generally would
take care of their rations in a careful
manner, as she did, they would really
have more than they could use.
Mr.. 10 Is Great GIutton.
"Now, rs to their habit of cooking and
eating; when they get up in the morning O
pot Is put over the fire and filled with
meat. AS soon as it is cooked enough to
eat, all who are present begin eating and
never stop until so full they can eat no
longer. When the meat is cleaned out of
the pot it is refilled, and as often as they
feel like it they eat. Every neighbor or
friend who calls in has large dish of meat
set before him or her, which is invariably
eaten. The coffee pot rarely gets cold.
With their meat they invariably have
bread of some kind. Those who are most
gluttonous in their natures eat up their
rations often day or two before the issue
day, but they never go hungry. They
know who the more provident are, and
live off them until rations day.
Ambition of the Old Bucks.
''Now, when / know these facts so well,
assert that in my Judgment hunger has
nothing to do with the present trouble
upon Pine Ridge reservation. 1t looks to
me, viewing the question in an impartial
light, that the whole trouble has been
brought on by the old bucks, who begin to
become restless, partly from idleness,
partly from desire to regain their in
fiuence over the people, and partly from
undue influence of designing whites, but
largely from inexplicable causes (paren-
thetically, might add, pure cussedness).
The main leaders in the present trouble
are men who have been recognized as big
chiefs" in days gone by, but are not so
recognized now. Yet they think they see
in this movement an opportunity to regain
their lost titlesn