The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-30
The Small Pox Infected Cree
Indians
w ERE DRIVEN OFF
The F1athead Reservation by Major Smead
The Cost to this County to
Be Repaid.

Dr. A. F. Longeway, secretary of the
state board of health, is in receipt of
letter from the secretary of the in
ierior, in which that official states that
If Dr. Longeway will substan.iate the
charge that Major Smead, agent of
the Flathead Indian reservation, drove
from that reservation Indians who had
been exposed to infection from small
pox, the government will refund to
Tlathead county the amount expend-
ed by that county in quarantining
such Indians, says the Tribune.
The secretary of the state board has
arranged to have certified to him from
t'lathead county the expenses of that
county ON account of the quarantine.
This will be done Immediately after
the September meeting of the Flat
head county commissioners, when the
claims on that account will be allow
ed, and DR.. Longeway will immediate
ly thereafter present the claim to the
government.
In his letter, the secretary of the in
terror states that the government will
recognize it's obligation to bear the
expense if incurred through the fault
of its agent, but he states that Major
Smead denies that he ordered the In
dians from the reservation.
In substantiation of the charge, the
| doctor has secured the affidavits of the
Indians who were Quarantined by
Flathead county, the substance of
which has heretofore been published
in the Tribune, and these affldavits
of the interior in support of the claim
They all tend to show most conclusive
ly that the Indians, who are Crees,
| were driven from the reservation by
order of Major Smead. One of the
indians testifies that Smead in person
ordered him to leave the reservation
at time when he was convalescing
from smallpox, and others testify
that they were driven away by the
chief of the Indian police, who said
that he was acting in accordance with
Smead's orders. Others testified that
they heard Smead give such orders to
the police, and all testify that when
they were driven from the reservation
there was smallpox among them in
houses where they had been living.
| Leaving the reservation, the In
dians went to Kalispell, and as soon
as the authorities discovered they had
come from the reservation, they were
paced in quarantine and the one OF
them who was i'll with smallpox was
placed under treatment. by a physi-
clan who was compelled to remain in
the camp. 1t was also necessary to
employ guards, and the total cost of
the quarantine was about $4,000,
which the government will be asked to
pay.
Reports to the secretary of the state
hoard of health show that there are
fewer cases of smallpox in the state
at present than at any time in the
past two years. An occasional case Is
reported from Lewis and Clarke, Mis-
soula and Park counties. The source
Of infection in Lewis and Clarke cOun.
ty seems to be confined to the Prickly
Pear valley, belo wHelena, and quar-
antine seems to be efficient In Mis-
soula county, on account of the proxi'
nifty of the Flathead reservation and
the disagreement of physicians, con
ditions are by no means satisfactory
and the state board will probably in
tervene.
There are two cases in Teton coun
ty.
The epidemic on the Flathead reser
vation continues and an occasional
case is reported from the vicinity oi
Missoula in Park county. there have
been a few cases and conditions have
been bad because the county authori
ties have not properly fought the dis
ease. Instead of establishing a pest
house, they have treated each case
where it developed. thus creating sew
eral foci of infection in the county ant
permitting convalescents to be Al
large at the most infectious stage o.
the disease, dropping scabs at man!
places and making thorough fumiga
J ton impossible. The state board hal
, intervened and has ordered Parl
county to establish q pest house ant