The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-01
INDIANS N DIRE NEED
Kiowas and Comanches Driven
to Eat Carton Flesh.
GOVERNMENT FOOD ISSUE
Scanty and Behind Time
Money Payment Ditto.

Guthrie, o. T., April so-That the In
dams in the Kiwa and Comanceh coun-
try are INDUCING in the revolving habit
which travellers used to see from the
trains before the Cherokee strip was
opened, is shown by an article in the
Mountain View Progress, which reads:
THAT many Of the Indians on the Kiowa
Comanche, and Apache reservations are
in condition of hunger, is a fact too well
known to be denied. AS an evidence of
their condition, one need but to watch
cattle trains that come IN from Texas
with cattle for the pastures leased by
the stockmen on the reservation. Many
of the cattle die in transit and after being
trampled and mangled by the other cat
tie are thrown out on the prairie to be
rayenously devoured by the half-staryed
Indians, who swarm around the ratten
carcasses like a lot Of buzzards. They
will also eat the flesh of horses and mules
that haze died of disease
THE conditions of the Indians on the
reservation referred to above are worse
than they have been for years The
causes for this can easily be traced
Formerly the Indian was given a weekly
issue of rations, which consisted Of meat,
coffee, -four an dother necessary articles
of fod. They now receive only monthly
issue of beef alone which will last them
more than one week. In addition TO this
issue of their cash payments has been
dedlalyed. The payment that should have
been made in December was delayed I'M
til the latter part of February. When
the payment was Mt made at the regular
time the Indians were told that they
would receive a larger payment when it
was made. The merchants were also led
to believe that this would be done and
consequently more credit was asked and
given ar the stores. When pay day came
they were paid $50 instead of so or $50,
as had been expected. AS a result they
could not pay their debts. Many of them
pand out their last cent on their debts 1
leaving themselves with nothing to live
upon. The merchants who had been do
ing a credit business with the Indians
we're caught in bad place and some of
them failed as a result. This destroyed
the red mans credit almost completely
and today many of them are without
food. money or credit, and are actually
from hunger.
THE next regular payment should
come in May. but the indications are that
it will be withheld until July or August.
The excuse given at the agency at Ana !
darko is that the clerks will not have |
the pay-rools ready until then. When the |
weekly issues were made and there was
two or three times as much work to do |
at the agency as there is now the work |
was done by three clerks, and five are |
now employed If about two OF the sine |
cure clerks now employed in warming |
chairs and spending their Saturday after |
moons with gun clubs and gymnasiums |
were filed and the other three made to |
get down and work. there would be no |
necessity for delay on that account. The |
government holds a large amount of |
money for these Indians and 1t should be |
paid them. 1t is theirs. and they need it |
to buy food that they may not starve."