The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-02
Halls FROM KANSAS
Special Agent Brosius a Post
Trader at White Cloud.

White Cloud. Kan. Oct as. NJ.
Brosius, agent of the Indian Rights as
societion. who has stirred up so much
trouble in the Indian Territory, stopped
off here on his way to Washington the
other day. This he still claims as his
home and whenever he is in the west he
spends a day O SO here. Rrostus is Il
cautious man. He eVades newspaper
men, He shrirfks from notoriety. TO I,
group of old White Cloud friends he
said: "They are giving me entirely too
much notoriety out of this Indian Ter
ritory investigation. but I guess there
is nothing to do but take it until the
thieves are all cleaned out down there"
Asked about the threatened damage
suits against him. he said: II am not
afraid of such suits. 1 still stand by
my original report Those whom I
showed up do not want me very badly.
They have known all along of my
whereabout have not Travelled under
an assumed name at any time: have
sailed under my own scolors and nave
been where they could get service on me
any moment if they wanted 1t. They
don't want me-
Brosius SAYS his stopoff at Parsons a
few days ago was not for the purpose of
nvestigating Pete Foley's company and
Governor Stanley s connection with it.
4 have not reached Governor Stanley
YET, SdiQ he. HAVE COl1lIlCO lily LII
Vestigation to conditions generally.
"Mr. Bonaparte will go into details in
his examination. Our association has no
power to remedy evils. All we can do IS
to create sentiment. Publicity is our
only weapon. If we can stir up the
thing to protect the Indians then we
will feel satisfied. Mr.. Bonaparte will
no doubt make a thorough investigation
and no CRATER or guilty official will es-
cape.'
He said he didn't know Mr.. Bonaparte
was member of the Indian Rights as
ISOLATION until he read it in the pa
perS.
His connection with our association
is confined to the payment of Dues said
he, and ! am sure he is in a position
to make an unprejudiced investigation.
Brosius has gone to Washington to
make a supplemental report covering his
last tour of investigation in the Indian
country.
In this town where Mr.. Brosius has
been known for almost thirty years his
word is as good as his bond. He has
the reputation of being an honest, up
right citizen and can be relied upon alb
solutely. These traits in connection
with his long association with the IN
dians makes him an especially bitter
enemy of grafters engaged in robbing
the red men. Everybody at White
Cloud calls him Sam. He is a widower
the seventies NJ. D. Kent. a Quaker of
Philadelphia, was appointed agent of
the Iowa band of Indians. The agency
council house and traders post were
located about seven miles northwest of
White Cloud The old post trader had
been robbing the Indians. Kent de-
cided on change. He knew Young
Sam BrOsiuS. Quaker college student
sprung the post trader proposition on
him. BroSiuS was poor. Some rich
Philadelphia Quakers agreed to back
him and he came west.
That was in 1874. He became the post
trader for the Iowa. Sac and Fox
tribes He was put upon a salary and
commission by his Quaker hackers. All
profits above per cent after all e7x-
penses were turned into a fund for the
relief of the Indians. This fund had
reached $4,000 when Brosius quit the
post ten years later. A dispute arose
over it's distribution. The Iowa, Sac and
Fox Indians from whom these profits
had been wrung wanted the $4,000 dis
tributed among themselves. The rich
Quakers said it should go into gen
eral fund for the relief of all Indians in
general and none in particular. The In
dams made a roar, long and loud but
the Quakers put the money in the gen.
eral fund of the Indian Rights assocla-
ton.
During his control of the traders
post he married a sister of Mrs. Kent.
,
was buried at White Cloud, where her
body still rests. Brosius has never
married again. and every time he comes
west he visits his wife's tomb. In 1885
he quit the post and engaged in the
hardware business at White Cloud. Mr..
Kent was his partner. Two years later
he sold his interests to Kent and be-
came interested in a bank at Lamar,
Col, although he made this place his
home. To most people here he was
t0 ha a T0f leisure But
he wasn't He was at that very time
one of the secret agents of the Indian
Rights association and frequently made
trips to the Indian country and to In
dian reservations throughout the west
to investigate conditions A brother
of Brosius' succeeded Kent as Indian
agent.
Seven years ago "Sam," as he is called
here was appointed agent of the Indian
Rights association. with headquarters
at Washington. When congress is in
session he watches all legislation af-
Testing the Indians. In fact, he is the
lobbyist for the Indians of the whole
country. He plays no favorftes- All
tribes look alike to him in his lobbying
capacity During the recess of congress
he spends his time mostly out west look
ing after the welfare of the Indians and
making life a burden to grafters-offieial
and otherwise He is q matter-of-fact
man and a persistent worker in running
down thieves Not long ago he headed
off the payment of $4,000 head money
to the minors in the Iowa and Sac and
Fox tribes. 1t was planned to dis
tribute this to the parents of these
minors Brosius claimed that the PSI
rents would scuander the money. It
amounted to almost $500 per capita. he
got the Indian department to withhold
the payment of minors head money. In
dian Agent HonnelI then appointed a
couple of men guardians for whole
raft of Indian minors This proved
- =
vetoed it. The head money for minors
is still being held in trust until some
satisfactory system for its distribution
can be devised.