The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-27
WRONGS OF THE INDIANS
CAUSE OF THE ssUPRIsING- OF BEAR
ISLAND PILLAGERs.
Commissioner Jones Says the Chippe-
was Are the Victims of Greedy
80, Federal MarshaIs.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26-Commlssioner
has been for a week in Minnesota making
negotiations. which were successful, with
the Chippewa Indians for the resumption
of peaceful relations with the government,
has returned to Washington and to-day
made verbal report to Secretary Bliss
upon his work. Commissioner Jones says
the trouble is attributable to the methods
of the whites in the vicinity who are taking
gross advantage OF the Indians. In discus
sing the outbreak he said to-day:
The origin of the whole trouble was
dissatisfaction with the handling of the
indians timber. but the immediate cause
indians on trivial causes, often for no cause
at all, taking them down to Duluth and
minneapolis Tor trial, 200 miles away from
their agency, and then turning them adrift
without means to return home. l have in
formation that there is regular arrange
ment between deputy United States mar
shalS and some boarding houses where the
courts are located by which the deputies
are to bring down delegations of Indians
as witnesses in whisky and other cases.
money for the boarding houses. At Brain
erd Mimi. while l was going north | met
party of twenty Indians on their way
10 court at Duluth, many of whom were of
absolutely no value to the case at issue, but
whose presence as witnesses would inure
to the financial benefit of others The In
dlans were prompted to their outbreak by
the wrongs committed on them and chafted
under unfair treatment. When / reached
there they were surly, ugly, defiant; but
soon adopted conciliatory attitude and
finally agreed to negotiate for the sur
render OF the men wanted. All but two
We're surrendered They said they would
not allow two men to bring their whole tribe
into trouble and proudly insisted on sending
themselves for the two men remaining. Old
Thew
Indians claimed they had whipped the SOL
diers and that not GDe of their own num-
several Krag-Jorgensens taken probably
from where the soldiers had the fight, but
they did not understand their use.
The Indians now will go back to their
homes and live peaceably if the whites will
treat them fairly, which is very likely, as
the whites were thoroughly impressed with
the stand taken by the Indians. In this
lesson.
Commissioner Jones will recommend a re-
form in the existing timber methods, either
adopting the scheme now practiced at Me-
nominee, Wis., of keeping the timber profits
within the tribe itself. by having the timber
cut by individual Indians, or of advertising
certain portion of the reservation each
year to be sold to the highest bidder. The
latter system would include both grown
and dead and down timber and the timber
would have to be cut clean.
The alleged threatened outbreak of West
ern Shoshone Indians in Nevada. has not
been reported to the Indian Bureau and
in the absence of any word of any kind
officially on the subject is not to be appre-
hended. There are 645 of the Shoshones all
told leaving very small number of braves.
The official reports of the tribe refer to
its members as simple kind and gentle
people" and the latest one states dis
turbances are not as frequent among them
as they would be among an equal number
of white people dwelling together" The
Shoshones, it is possible, may have had a
little controversy with whites on adjacent
lands, but the idea of serious trouble is
secuted. These Indians have reputation
as willing workers, but their land is poor
agriculturally and they have not the means
to go into stock raising