The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-05-06
Charges Investigated by Commit
tee OF the Civil Service Re-
form Commission.
Four Agents in the Northwest Ac-
cused in the Report of Various
Kinds of Abuses.

From The journal Bureau. Room 90, Post
Building, Washington.
Washington, May 6.-The publication
committee of the civil service reform as
sociation has presented to the council of
that association report on abuses in the
Indian service, in which charges are made
against four agents in the northwest. The
report is signed William Dudley Foulke,
Richard Henry Dana, William A. Aiken,
Charles Richardson and George McAneny.
1t says:
The agency at Crow Creek, S. D., is one
OF the worst examples of evil conduct. An
agent is forbidden by law to have an interest
or concern in any trade with the Indians,
yet the present incumbent, J. H. Stevens,
has bought stock again and again from In
dians for mis- own benefit; at first secretly
through post trader named Bradley, after
wards more boldly by open and direct deal
ings with the Indians themselves. Nearly
twenty Indians have testified to these sales.
Farmers hired to teach Indians have not
taught them but have 'hauled ashes or
done chores" for the agent most of the
time. One farmer gave three days out of
six months to teaching, another only nine
teen days out of eighteen months.
This case has been exploited in twin
city papers for some time. Since the re-
president went west he appointed H. D.
Chamberlain at Crow Creek to succeed
Stevens. IL connection with the admin
istration of the affairs at Fort Berthold
agency, N. D., the report says:
Liquor offered to Indians.
The agent, Thomas Richards, not only in
troduced and kept various kinds of liquor in
the agency, but used them himself in excess
hoe btrT
under the influence of liquor. This agent is
shown to have tempted the Indians to drink,
offering them liquor himself
In support of these allegations are affi-
davits by Samuel Newman, Little Sioux
Thomas Enemy and John H. Young.
petition for change in agent, submitted
in connection with the report, has twenty
five signatures of voting members of the
tribe.
At the interior department it is stated
that these charges have been received and
that an investigation will be made as soon
as an inspector can be detailed for such
duty.
The charges against John W. Harding
agent at Yankton, S. D., are:
He appears to have induced one Sofe Iron
Hawk to relinquish an allotment of land
through which a railroad has just been run
for the nominal consideration of So, where
upon Lorena Pierce, his niece, Immediately
filed homestead claim upon the tract. The
agent himself built store on the land, a
railroad town called Lake Andes was estab-
lished and The agent went into business in
the new store, where he spent mCst Of his
time, and neglected his agency work During
three days spent by an inspector at the
agency, agent was not to be found there and
was only to be found at the store where he
Lnwittingly sold goods to the inspector.
Harding Will Have to Go.
At the interior department it is said
that a government inspector named Graves
made an investigation and reported thai
the charges made above were true. He