The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-14
INVESTIGATING INDIAN { AIMS
ID Wculties and Frauds Experienced BY
the SPECIAL Agent

ID 0culties and Frauds Experienced BY
the SPECIAL Agent
G. T. Bayard. special agent for the invsstiga-
ton OF Indian ella ms Il ct tne Bellevue hotl
an will mako seattle his home for the next
month or more.
In conversation with . Posr-INrE LLIeENCER
Reporter. Mr.. Baysrd laid:
"A great deal OF dissatis action has been ex-
pressed in this Sc t ON over the slowness with
when Indian claims are passed upon. How.
ever. II one witi investigats, ne viii ind that
there are sufficient reasons Tor this apparently
tnexcussble delay. Most OF these aims run
back - far Is the Indian outbreak of 1850 and
You can readily SEQ how d ficuit matter It is
TO collect the ev. drncs In ouch cases. A very
common reason 10 the long delays that have
occurred IL the fact that the claimants post
Office Is unEaown. Thy are known &, live In
certain county. but hav furnisned no informa.
sion as 20 their postoffics ad iresa Another
reason Is fund Ia the Il that the claims Of
Washington - . territory have not been pre-
scented in congrsss 40 they would have been had
she been state. Aga n. afidavlts are improp-
ely made out or do not convey definite infor.
nation, and frequeusiy there are conflicting
afitavits or d rent claimants for the same
property destroyed.
Let me give you an instance. have now on
hand Claim fied py Plum ner 4 Chase, asking
for 81, 600 ior the Destruction of . sawmiu on
Black rlv ~ hostile Indians during the depre-
dati ms OF 1851 The 81 ain 10 f,r the destruc-
ton Of the mill and the machinery. Another
cain for the same loss was 6led by . woman,
VINO claimed that the mill was owned by her
husband and two other men. Ali the evidence
Can md to support this claim IL that r um-
mer d Chase Were indebted TO thess parties for
suppliea The records of those times are very
incomplete. and can aud nothing more than
the fact that the machinery was brought into
oo~S a a>AS W. M
mer d Chase claim was for the destruction Of
this machinery which had been taken away
At the time they nled their claim On affidavit
from third party was presented. testify ing to
the justice of their claim. Within the last year
9 letter from this same party has been received
BY tho department. in which he den0unces the
administration for its slowness in the adjust
ment Of niiau claims. He admits, however
that there ara some unjust claims. and men
tons one-tnat Of the arm Of Pinmmer d Chase,
who claim to hnv had their mill on Black river
turaed by the Indians, while, as q matter of
fact, they had no mill 1t the time OF
the outbreak, 1t having previously been
swept away by food. This viii give you an
idea OF the ,idiculties with which We have to
contend. have now on hand thirty two claims
from different counties in Washington, twelve
Of which are from King county. The amounts
Of these range from $50 to SO COO
'sLast month In Idaho investigated one claim
OF $13. It was from an old lady who claimed to
have lost two canary birds and q number OF
Oh ck ne dulng the Nez Perez outbreak of
1873 Investigsion showed that the hosfilss
had not been in her neighborhood. but that
when she from her home, the oirds aud
chickens were stolen by same half-stxrved,
friendly indians, who had previously mani
T. . ed longing for the brightcoiored songsters.
my instructioas from the department. are to
make my investigations ~ tn rough ~ possible,
AMI. owing TO the age of the claims, this will
take great deal OF work. 1 am under great
obligations to rome Of the old settlers In this
section for the aid they have given me in this
work. / am particularly indebted to A. A.
De my, Henry Van A,slt and Daniel Bagley."