The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-15
INDIANS STORY.
Details Of POttawatomie Reser-
vatiOn Scandal Made Public.
Indian Rights Association In
vestigates the Facts.
SALE OF THE LANDS.
Claim That Advantage Was
Taken of Red Men.
Affidavit Concerning Sale Made
by Indian Woman.
Congressman Curtis Is Not In
cluded in the Charges.

The facts with reference to the al
legged frauds in connection with the Pot
tawatomie land sales are gradually 1
coming out. The Indian Rights associa- /
ton of Philadelphia has taken hold of
the matter, and the Washington agent
of the association, S. NJ. Brosius. has
been looking up the evidence on file in
Washington concerning the frauds. The
association has forwarded to the State
Journal a statement prepared by Mr..
Brosius which seems to show that not
only has the public in general been
shut out from bidding on the lands. but
that the Indians have suffered gross
mistreatment- The statement of Mr..
Brosius Is as follows:
More than three months ago charges
were filed with the Indian department
against the agent for the Pottawatomie
and Great Nemaha Indian agency, in
Kansas, that have not been investigated,
although OF a sufficiently serious na-
ture to demand that they should have
been given immediate attention,
Rev. F. E. Gates. a missionary 10
Gated among these Indians for several
years, charges that the affairs of the
agency are not managed in the best in
terests of the Indians. The special
cause OF the complaint grows out of the
abuses of the trading system, and the
sale OF the lands of deceased allOtteeS
which has been authorized by congress.
It is charged that there is an apparent
combination to secure the Indian lands
at from $3.50 to SIS per acre while sim
lar lands off the reservation command
from $40 to $40 per acre.
1t is claimed that the Indian agent,
/ W R. Honnell, is president of a bank in
one +. r. HOYey, cashier, that z. I.
/ LetsOn owns shares of the bank stock,
as well as being a land speculator and
all around Indian trader. The private
! office of the bank is headquarters of the
combine referred to in carrying out their
plans, and by reason of having access
+ TO the Indian tribal rolls they secure
great advantages over their competitors,
/ who have not the same privilege It is
/ claimed that Cashier Hovey and LetsOn
are present at the annuity payments
made by the agent to the Indians. and
on account of having typewritten lists
/ of the annuitantS, prepared by the
+ agent in advance they almost have a
monopoly, and cash checks and coIlect
/ their claims for money loaned at high
rates as well as for other debts due
from the Indians. These collectors have
I a desk on the only available route for
the Indian to pass after receiving his
/ check for annuity due, who is checked
i in his course sufficiently long for these
/ collectors to secure their claims, while
/ honest tradesmen who have furnished
! the Indian with groceries and clothing
1 for his family must stand back and Sc
cure what they can of the remainder.
The complainant states that it is the
general belief in the community that
Agent Honnell, together with Hovey
and LetSon, formed a company for the
purpose of purchasing the lands of the
deceased allottees; that Letson immed-
lately set to work to secure deeds from
the heirs to these lands, and that they
resorted to reprehensible means to ac-
| complish their purposes
nf 10 "a fa
under oath that Agent HOnnell and
| Trader Letson came to their home dur
| ing the past summer with a deed al
ready filled out containing a descrip-
/ ton of their land available for sale un-
der law; that Agent Honnell told them
to sign the deed and they did so be-
cause he was their agent and believed
/ they should do as he desired. They
state that they had repeatedly refused
to sign a deed for the same land when
/ importuned by Letson, who had ap-
preached them several times with an
interpreter to induce them to do so.
In view of the fact that Agent Hon
nell was appointed by the government
to protect the interests of these wards.
the following recital under oath will
be read with interest:
State of Kansas, County of Jackson.
IS.
"Op-tuck-wah, of lawful age. being
duly sworn upon oath states that she
is a Kickapoo allottee, and is the wife
of Albert Ross; that she is the mother
of Edna Ross. a minor KickapoO alIot-
tee; that the said Edna Ross died on
the 26th day of July. A D. 1902 that
E T. Letson obtained in some way the
signature of Albert Ross, my husband,
to a deed conveying to him the west
half of the northwest quarter of sec
tion 81, in township 4, range Is, Brown
county. state of Kansas, which is the
land allotted to my daughter. Edna
/ Ross; that the said Lets0n kept after
me every time that I went to Horton
to sign the said deed to the said land.
and that I at all times refused to sell
the land; that I wanted that we should
keep the said land, as my husband was
a drinking man and that we should
need the said land for our support My
husband signed the deed when he was
drunk. While ] was in Horton at the
date that the deed was signed I was
in the National hank of Horton, and
Mr.. Letson called me into Mr.. Hon
nelfs office. the agent. and locked tbs
door and kept me there for severa
hours trying to get me to sell him the
land: that I did afterwards sign the
said deed for Letson because I coulc
not stay there all the time, and hs
would not let me go until I had signed
the deed
L wish further TO state that on tn.
27th day of July. 1902, Sunday ". r
Honnen and f T Letson came to m7
home and wanted to purchase of me tn.
land that was allotted to my daughter
Edna Ross lTa-nas-sa1. We were thel
: holding the funeral services, and the.
: called my husband out and wanted t.
buy above described land
albert told them that he though
: they might wait until the girl was bur
: led I did not want to sell Edna's land
and the thought that they would com
3 there for that purpose while the chill,
still lay IN the house made me feel lik
Il 70rr r. int -