The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-07
HAULED OVER TIE GOALS
FOUR INDIAN AGENTS IN THE
NORTHWEST CHARGED WITH
VARIOUS OFFENSES
ONE HAS BEEN ALREADY FIRED
The Others, 1t Is Said, Will Re Re-
1ieved of Their Posi-
lions in the Near
Future.

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 6.-The re-
| port of the Civil Service Reform asso-
c1ationS committee which as stated
yesterday found that the Indians in
many cases had been defrauded by the
governments apo ineam, seetks rsca, w
governments appointees, makes open
charges against four agents in the
Northwest. The report says: "Tne
| agency at Crow Creek, S. D., is one of
the worst examples of evil conduct. An
agent is forbidden by law to have an
intere-z or concern in any trade with. the
Indians, yet the present incumbent, J.
H. Stevens. has bought stock again and
again from Indians for his own benefit !;
at first secretly through a post trader
named Bradley, afterwards more boldly
by open and direct dealings with the In
dams themselves. Nearly twenty In
dams 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 nineteen Gays out of ghteen
months.
Since the report was prepared and just
before the president went West he APP
pointed H. D. Chamberlain at Crow
Creek to succeed Stevens. In connec-
ton with the administration Of the af-
fairs at Fort Bertholo agency N. D..
the report says:
1.-THE agent, Thomas Richards. not only
introduced and kept various kinds of
liquor in the agency, but used them
himself In excess and has been seen by
Indians several times 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 af-
fidavits by Samuel Newman, Little
Sioux, Thomas Emery and John H
Young. petition for change in
agent, submitted in connection with the
report, has twenty-five signatures of vot-
ing members of the tribes.
At the interior department it is stated
that these charges have been received
and that an investigate will be made
as soon as an inspector can be detailed
for such duty.
The charges against John w Hard
Ing, agent at Yankton, S. D, are:
He appears to have induced one Sofe
Iron Hawk to relinquish an allotment of
land through which railroad has just
been run for the nominal consideration
Of So, whereupon Lorena Pierce, his
niece, Immediately filed a homestead
claim upon the tract. The agent him
self built store on the land a railroad
town called Lake Andes was established
and the agent went into business in the
new store, where he spent most 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 unwitt.ngly sold
goods to the Inspector"
At the. interior department 1t Is said
that government Inspector named
Graves made an investigation and re-
ported that the charges made above
were true. He recommended Harding's
removal and the prediction is made that
he will have to 60
Nathan P. Johnson, who was recently
allowed to retire from the agency at
Sisseton, S. D., after serving there for
the four years for which his commits
sion was issued, also comes in for
raking over. OF him, report says that
he was implicated in charges of collu-
sion with traders and of fraudulent use
of Indian lands, and under whom
blacklist was prepared comprising over
300 names. with threat made that the
names on this list would be dropped from
tribal membership un ess an effort to get
rid of the agent was abandoned"
This agency is now n charge of School
superintendent McArthIr
The committee commends certain ex-
cellent appointments made bv President
and Secretary Hit chcock, nam
ing Capt. Mercer at Leech Lake as one.