Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-18
A RECORD OF INFAMY.
The Work Of "Christian, Thieves
Among the Michigan Chippeuas.

! lUdll lOluls Vi the ulciOIl VI III
Isabella reservation and the fate o
the Indians who were placed Their
) at the mercy Of Methodist priest
and other white-skinnei, but black
hearted thieves. 1 promised an
other article setting forth the fraud
prac;iced upon the Indians. Evil
do that now to some extent, but car
only show you in a limited way
what actually was done. 1 have
sufficient material relating TO that
reservation TO make good-sized
book, and collected it all myself
and know il TO be true. In the same
way know what / am about tc
write here is true and you can rely
upon il. will show how Chris
tan ~ people treated the Indians
on a reservation, not far removed
from civilization. but in the midst
OF it, in the heart Of the State Of
Michigan which has been Boosting
for , ears that it is one Of the most
enlightened, advanced, civilized
and Christian States in the
Union. Remember that the In
dams. too, were not savages,
not dangerous, but Christians
also. Then, too, they were
largely mixed with white Chris
tian blood. The white Chris
tians not only robbed and debauch-
ell Indians, they were doing the
same thing to men and women who
were often as white-skinned as
themselves. Remember, too, that
in 1852 the State Of Michigan adj
mitted TO citizenship all her Indians
who would break up their tribal re-
latiOns and Ia every treaty made be-
tween the Michigan Indians and
the United States since that time
this relation has been recognized
and admitted by the General Gov
ernment. These white Christians
were therefore not only rObbing
fellow Christians, many OF whom
were related to them by blood, but
they were also rObbing fellow citi-
zens. The Isabella Indians have
voted ever since they entered upon
the reservation, anu their vote has
simply been another means by
which scOuudrels have degraded
them. You can easily see how.
The Isabella reservation being in
n ''civilized" state it was necessary
Tor the thieves to remember that
there were laws and that ii was
necessary % move in their thieying
schemes in such wise as 10 cover
their tracks, or at least TO keep them
selves in position TO defy the law.
The worst thieves were those who
had siuiied law. Among that class
were two men who went 10 the res
ervatiOn pennilCss adventures and
inside OF three years claimed TO own
over 81 400 acres OF the Indian land.
These men are known all over isa-
bella county and far beyond it.
They male firm for law OF and real
estate business 81 when they went
TO the reservation. What law and
business meant to them / will show
you rs | proceed.
The Indians could not read. Few
Of them cOuld speak or understand
cur language. None of them
knew the meaning of deeds,
notes, bonds. 1t was easy TO
deceive and rob them. Thus a white
would go TO an Indian. buy his eak,
ash, pine er other timber for a
trfl-. The Indian put his mark OH
what was explained TO him 10 be q
timber deed" The white wOuld
have that recorded as a warranty
deed Of the Iniian;s land. Then
the land would Ice sold TO a white
settler, and if the Indian protested,
his signature was shown. on the deed,
witnessed by some halIbreed inter
prefer who knew the fIGud he was
helping. The Indian would ke told
20 go TO hsli!'' / have an afii iavit
from one Of the Indians setting forth
the following:
81 git patent frum guvmnt. 10
acres. John Leaton, he offer me SIS
fur my oak timber. Bymuy Lsston
he ask NE bring my patent 10
Brown, Lsaton offs. | bring Jim.
LeAton he take my patent look at,
rat 'ins nay. say- noe tiaIs ssS now.
come agin. L come tmOTra, he gone.
Brown he say come next day. /
come an come, heep come, s'mOder
day long time. Bymby h.say 20 TO |
he'll you damn Injun not got your
paleui. | never get my patent am
lose my land for Sl5.''
An old, half blind sguaw received |
a patent for so acres. she told me
her story through an Interpreter,
one OF the most reliable men on the
reservation. l. went 10 her
house Aith a half breed Interpreter |
AID offered her SIS for her timber.
she was afraid 10 sell knowing how |
her people were robbed and refused. |
l. kept raising his offer until |
he reached SIS. The old lady was
too much tempted and yielded. She
put her marx on timuer dee aud |
received what L. said through
his interpreter was n SIS bill. He
borrowed the squGw's patent telling
her that he must have it 10 get his
timber deed recorded. The old lady
never saw her patent again and was
.orced of her land by law. The
'orty five dollar bill was IS, and that
vas all she ever got for all she
owned in the world.
There were hundreds OF such
'ases. There were plenty Of half
breeds who we're mean enough TO
lecome the tools of the whites in
heir infamous work. One inter.
lreter named Barrows helped
b anu L. h many a lot Of
and. He hai forty acres himself.
&c died anu LEFT the land 10 his two
Ons, mere boys. The men who had
ised Burrows TO help them rob other
men rJbbed the boys OF their land.
have material copied from the
ecOrds Of Isabella County to sub
tantiate every statement make in
eSard to the transfer Of lands. |
ave evidence against one man who
as been governor of Michigan, an
Their who has been mayor Of Sagi-
Iaw, and others who write "Hon.. 6
rfOre their names, and men who {
re worth millions of dollars. One
lan forget his own fathers name {
, papers marking transactions with !
ndisns, because he did not dare let I
IS o%E name appear. / have in
~ possession an old note made and {
Secuted by a Saginaw man VINO is {
nd to be worth millions. The note !
given TO an old Indian and is for \
800, payable at stated times, aud a
reconsideration for the pine tim o
n. On the back the Indian agrees i
lat IL one-half OF the timber Is Off
a given time then the. sl42. 50
lall be payment for the land. On
ie back Of the note are
Inury endorsements in the hand
ritinS OF the Christian 90 white
iliionaire- In two instances he !
Is written ''20," ''20." They are q
- Il