Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-11-30
Err. DAY COUNTY. SOUTH DAKOTA. NOVEMBER 80, 1893
AMONG THE ABORIGINEES
S econd EpistIe to the WebsterIte s.

oecono Epistle to the Websterites
ROSEBUD AGENCY, Nov. q. 1893
EDITOR REPORTER & FARMER: ,
Many days have interviewed since my last LET
ter to you and during that time many change
nave taken place; with our surveying party a
least, many miles have been traversed upon diff
ferent Indian reserves of South Dakota, ant
many strange sights have been observed, all O
which has tended to make our camping out lf,
interesting and well worth living.
Our party met and was made up at Planking
ton, which place we left, by team, on Octobe,
4th, en- route for the Lower Brule Indian Res
e%rvation, going thence via Chamberlain. II
TOOK us two days to make the drive from Plan
klngton TO the Agency, where our work began,
lhere we found any number of Indians, coyotes
grouse and other game. The first named an.
imals were disposed to be very friendly and ex.
ceedingly sociable, especially at about meal
time, and IL was no occurrence for a
dusky maiden of the plains to smile upon your
humble se~rvant-the cook, as a sort of bid for
something to eat, and they generally got it, for
you all know that we are beautifully endowed
with a tender heart and generous disposition
In general. As TO the coyotes, we found them a
very noisy and sneaking set, always ready TO
bark us to sleep at night, and awaken us again
at nearly dawn, with the same unpleasant
sound. We found time to shoot a great many
grouse and find them excellent eating.
For ten days our work kept us moving about
from place to place over the Brule Reserve, at
the end of which time we struck camp and
started for the Rosebud Agency; there, too, we
fnnDH tho lnIraps Ty,a rnptly Fcfo,Il,r, nl ~J.l
to see us; however, one can't always tell by the
grin OF an Indian whether he means good or
evil, and for this reason we were ever on our
guard against surprises. Our work of inspect
ing surveys on the Rosebud Reserve finished,
our party broke camp and arrived at the Rose.
bud headquarters last night, having driven all
day in a binding blizzard. Here we are told
that some of the Pine Ridge Indians are wroth
and very much opposed to having government
surveyors ply their vocation upon their reserya-
ton. We also learned that surveyor Carl Gun
derson was actually embarrassed and driven
from his work on certain contracts, by bull
dosing" and hostile, renegade Indians; this last
information rather tends to make Us wish that
we were back in Webster, ~toasting our shins be-
side the hard coal burner at the Commercial
House, since it is our duty to accompany Dep
uty United States Inspector of Surveys William
Alley, on his mission of inspecting these very
surveys from which surveyor Gunderson was
driven. But Mr.. Alley has Just this moment in
formed us of his intention to start for the Pine.
Ridge reservation, tomorrow morning, bent on
going as far as it is all safe, with his inspection.
So, kind friends, please call upon my best girl
and break the news gently; tell her not to weep
for me, nor sigh with dropping head, but to
brace up and look for another fellow, for l was
aye a rowing lad and not afraid to die, yet may
live and arrive home in time to dance at her
wedding, or stand as godfather to her first
born. And here l leave you, until some future
time. Yours truly,
THE HIRED MAN"