The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-26
A PUYALLUP TALK.
The Commission Entertained
On the Reservation.
ANSWERS MADE TO QUESTIONS.
Vital Statistics Furnished by the Indians
and Contracts to Sell Their
Land Described.


swers to the questions submitted by them
one week ago, the Indian band met them
at the railroad platform and discoursed
very creditable selections. General"
spott, typical Puyallup, circled about
the band attired in a curious uniform of
bright red, white, black and green. His
grotesaue figure was topped off with an
old army cap. At his right hip an old
sword sheath dangled. General Spott
walked with cane, and he was supremacy
happy.
Shaking of hands was INDUCED in at
the platform, and then, headed by the
band, the commission marched to the
chapel room of the reservation school
building. Every fence and stump about
the reservation grounds was fringed with
the squatty horses and bright painted
wagons of the reservation farmers, who
had come in with their families to meet
the representatives of Uncle Sam.
Some 800 men, women and children
crowded into the chapel room while the
band was playing america" Many of
the reservation counsel shook hands with
Chairman Drake, of the commission, and
all were manifestly. delighted at meeting
the gentlemen of the commission for the
second time
Just as the band stopped playing, the
primary class of Indian school children
chubby, bright-eyed, black straight-haired
and round-faced--crowded into the pas
sageway in front of the little rag carpet
covered rostrum upon which the commits
sion was seated. Miss Teachout has charge
OF the primary class, and she took her
place at the small church organ and led
the little ones in two pretty songs, ''The
Old Woman Who Lived in Shoe" and
another with chorus running
Fun, fun, fun,
On, wouldn't that be fun?"
The reservation chief of police, George
w. Bell, helped the tardy ones to seats,
arranging them SO that the women sat on
the left side of the aisle and the men on
the right Then there were class distinc-
tons. Young men who could read occu-
pied front seats; the reservation council
sat along the wall to the right of the COM
mission, in places of honor, and the old
men and chiefs sat in front of the women,
to the left. Superintendent Eells' assist
ants sat along the wall opposite the reser-
walton council.
James tiowdy, stately half-breed, came
in with cheeks aglow and acted as inter-
prefer. All of the Indians were neatly
dressed and very orderly. Judge Drake
said the commission had come to hear the
answers of the Indians, and Chief Tyee
Dick, of the reservation council, pushed
his blue spectacles upon his receding fore
head, separated himself from his col
leagues, and replied that answers had been
prepared. Nugent kurtz, a heavy-set,
bullet-headed, athletic young half-breed,
was chosen to read the address of the
Puyallups. The reply follows:
PUYALLAP RESERVATION, Jan. 26, 1891.
To the Honorable Chairman and the Mem
bers of the Puyallap Commission - Gentle
men, Our people have carefully consider
ed your address, which you left with our agent
for US, and are anxious to cooperate with you
in giving all the information we can TO enable
you to assist in relieving our present condition
We have held two meetings and present here
with the answers to your questions, which are
as correct as we are able to make them
In reply to your first question, Who among
the allottees have died since the allotment
was made to them? And the second, Whether
those who dead left any children, and
il so, whether the children are now living,
and where they are? which we answer jointly
with the first We reply that forty of the origi-
nal patentees are now dead, besides twenty-five
wives of patentees, who have also died, making
sixty two in all of both men and women, to
whom land was allotted as Joint heads of fami-
lies who are now dead.
In reply to your third question, How many
OF the allotments are now actually occupied by
the allottees or their heirs? we answer that 153
are thus occupied, leaving fourteen unoccupfed,
OF which nine are timber claims, or entirely on
the tide flats and unfit for settlement Three
allottees have died and their heirs are not oc-
cupying the places, they also being undesirable
for present occupancy, ana two are unimproved,
the allottees living on the reservation, but on
other land their own being comparatively un-
desirable and expensive to put under cultiva-
ton.
In reply to the fourth and fifth aues-
tons, the Indians presented a list of
names of Indians who had received money
on contracts taken by Tacoma real estate
and business men, and also the names of
Indians who had acted for the real estate
and business men in negotiating the con-
tracts, and also the names of the Indians
who had contracted, to deliver their lands
to each other when they were allowed to
give title TO the same.
There are in the reservation 1902 acres,
and the list included eighty-iive Indians
who had contracted to sell 10 whites, and
three who had contracted to sell TO In
dians, at prices ranging from $50 to $3.50
per acre, the total amount of money re-
ceiyed on contracts being upwards OF s25,-
600, and the amount of land sold by the
various holders of 100 acres-under con-
Unchanged from twenty to 10 acres.
Continuing the reading of the report,
Spokesman Kurtz said:
in reply to the sixth question, Whether any
allottees who have made contracts are dissatis-
fed with the contracts and wish them set
aside? We would say we have not been able TO
get definite answers from all, or any consider
able number Of them. few say they are dis
satisfied and quite number say they salts
fed, but most of them appear to be afraid to say.
They say they do not know the value OF their
land aud il the price agreed upon il a fair one
they are satisfied; ii IL is not enough they want
what il is worth. Besides these answers we
also present you herewith 4 list showing 10
whom the land was contracted, as near we
know, the number OF acres of each, and the
price we are TO receive ii we are allowed 70 SELL
Also few of our own contracts, which the par
ties holding wish to have returned We have
thus tried to give you freely and frankly all the
information we can, aud hope you will use IL for
our benefit We shall be glad to have you tell us
what you think OF this business
Jerry Meeker had some questions to ask
about the distribution of property, and
Chairman Drake explained that the In
dams had full access to the courts, and all
such questions should be carried to and
settled in the courts. There was an out
burst of applause when Judge Drake de-
clared that the Indians had all the rights
Of a white man so far as the settlement Of
estates was concerned.
Then the band played ''The Star Span
gled Banner" and Henry Martin, Of the
NesalIaliy reservation, said his people
,,-.,,ta3 10 f,,,Syr all they could learn afkouf