The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-06-19
NO ORDERS ISSUED

The following letter from Major
Smead was received yesterday by a
prominent citizen of Kalispell, and
was written from agency headquar
tiers at Jocko, viz:
Dear Sir:
have been informed that recently
newspaper in Kalispell has made
some very severe criticisms on me,
alleging as a basis therefor that l have
driven or caused to be driven from the
reservation some Cree Indians afflict-
ed with smallpox.
1t seems strange to me that any
newspaper would print such a report
without first having made an investi-
cation as to the facts.
Such an act as charged by the news
paper would be nothing less than in
human and criminal and any person
that would be guilty Of such crime
would merit the condemnation of all.
1t seems hardly necessary that
should 60 into details relating to the
smallpox that has existed on the res
ervation for the past three months,
suffice to say that every precaution
has been taken to care for the sick
as well as to prevent it's spread by
quarantining suspects etc.
The government employees have had
every disadvantage to labor under in
trying to stamp out this disease. The
Crees in particular when sick with
smallpox have tried to prevent our OBJ
tanning information of the fact, and
in numerous instances, search of
their camps have been necessary in
order to learn the truth. They seem
| to fear quarantine and have thus at
tempted to prevent our gaining any
knowledge of their sickness. So per-
verse have they been at times in COM
plying with quarantine rules that en-
ployes have been forced to draw their
revOlvers in order to enforce regula-
tons. Under such conditions as tn ase
have we been compelled to combat
this disease among these renegade
Crees and prevent their getting away
from us and spreading the disease
among our own people as we'll as the
whites on the outside.
| If you will refer to the board of
health of Kalispell, l think they will
sustain me in saying that I was the
first person to warn them of the ex-
istence of small pox and diphtheria on
the reservation March 14th) and ad-
vised that the county place a deputy
at Dayton Greek in order to prevent
any Indian leaving the reservation that
might be infected.
On April 10th l was advised that
some Crees had escaped from our
quarantine camp. Immediately wired
the sheriff of Flathead county as fol
lows: Several Cree families afflicted
with smallpox have escaped quaran.
tine and started toward Kalispell
Look out for them"
think Sheriff Hand and the board
of health will bear me out in saying
| that l consulted with them freely in
my visits to Kalispell this spring rel
alive to proper measures to adopt in
order to prevent these diseases from
spreading in Flathead county as well
as among our own people.
1t would hardly seem from the
above that I was trying to run infect
ed Crees from our reservation into
your midst, do you think that any
reasonable person would think so?
Furthermore every employee at this
agency knows that an act of tina,
kind drumming off infected Indians)
would mean their immediate dismis
sal from the service. In fact the es
cape of the Crees above referred tt
came near causing one employee tt
lose his position.
We now have large detention ant
large sick camp, with nurses, at
tendants, etc., that are caring for thu
sick and OBTAINING suspects. A force
OF employees are constantly searching
for and bringing in the sick and ex
posed Indians, and if any sick Gre,
Indians hae left the reservation, the,
have done so without my knowledg.
or consent, and for the purpose of es
Gaping quarantine.
!, write the above as statement o
the facts in the case and, If you believ
that the people of Kalispell and vici
a nifty have any doubts as to where
stand in this matter you are at libert
to use this letter. believing as d
that any fair paper that has made mis-
leading statements, and unjust cri:
cisms relative to this. will now b
willing to publish the truth.
With best wishes, remain,