The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-02-05


! pearing here occasionally to trade, the
nearest camp being thirty miles south
of the government lands. Each year
the Indians move further into the
! Glades, and it is not considered likely
they will ever occupy or accept the
lands purchased for them.
AT the United States Land Office at
! Gainesville, | learned that no record
/ Of the purchase of these lands by the
government for the Indians had been
| made, and | therefore recommend that
list of the same be furnished that
/ Office at once, in order to protect the
! timber from t-espass, which j am in
/ formed is being carried on in a whole
/ sale manner in that section OF the
1 state.
Proceeding to the east coast, Wis
/ tied Miami, where the Indians fire.
quently trade, and spent some time at
Fort Lauderdale, where they are al
ways to be found, and which appears
TO be their chief trading point at pres
ent.
Indians Buy Whisky.
AT Miami, and, in fact, at all the
smaller towns on the southern east
coast, these Indians are permitted to
purchase whisky openly at saloons,
and of INSCRIPTIONS traders, and are
usually drunk during the time they
remain in town, or until their funds
are exhausted. l repeatedly witness
ed disgraceful scenes of drunkenness
and brutality among both Indian men
/ and women at Lauderdale that should
not be tolerated by any community,
/ but l can see no means of preventing
| it without the aid Of the local authoTi-
| ties. While the government might
] suppress the open sale of liquor, It
would no doubt result in increasing
the evil through the establishment of
sO-called 'blind-tigeTs' and by bootleg
/ gers. Action by the local authorities
is not taken for the reason that il
would result in driving the Indians
elsewhere to trade. and deprive the
towns OF their chief source of revenue.
One trader at Lauderdale told me he
had paid the Indians several thousand
dollars since December /, for otter
skins and alligator hides From this
statement, some idea may be obtained
! of the Importance of the Indian to
i these smaller towns. and partially ex-
plains why they are permitted to go
oAOuhu III ali dADiOSbr nuuG COuulllOu
and do as they please.
Few in Number.
According to the last census there
are 339 of these Indians, but as Mr..
Fries, who made the census, informs
me he could obtain very little infor-
nation from the Indians, l am inclin-
ed to believe the figure is too low in
any event. From the best informa-
ton obtainable, they are decreasing in
numbers. Their contact with civili-
cation, which has crowded them fur
Their and further into the Everglades,
has made no impression on them. IN
dress, mode of living and habits of
life, they are as they were fifty years
ago, or more. They have no perman-
ent homes (unless located in the heart
of the 'Glades, where no white maa
has yet been), only temporary camps,
located on the borders of the 'Glades.
These are occupied by the hunting
parties as they come in to trade, and
are apparently established for common
use of all.
Il visited two of these camps, con-
versed with the Indians, as well as
large number of other persons (friend-
: ly and otherwise), and as a result
have arrived at the conclusion that it
would be unwise for the government
to make further purchases of land or
attempt to aid them in any way at the
present time. Their fear and lack of
confidence in state and national gov
eminent, as a result of. the injustice
! done them years ago, is so intense as
to cause them to regard with suspicion
and distrust all attempts to benefit
them, and it is not thought likely that
they will ever be induced to accept aid
: of any kind.
Provisions of State.
: The state of Florida, by an act of
the Legislature, approved May 20,
1898 (copy inclosed), provided for the
granting and setting apart of certain
lands for the use and benefit of the
Seminole Indians Of Florida. This
tract embraced about 5000 acres,
and would lead one to believe the In
dams were well provided for in land
most desirable to them.
THE provision in the act and the
fact that it covered lands then owned
by the government for the Indians pur-
: chased from patentees, caused me to
inquire more closely into the matter.
and learned from the Office of the
Commissioner of Agriculture at ITALIA
hassee that practically all the lands
mentioned in the act had been patent
ed or certified to corporations and III
dlVlduais that the act, in the first
place, meant nothing, but was intend
ed TO satisfy persons interested in the
Indians, who desired to have some
PROVISION made for them by the state.
Very respectfully.
c. F. NESLER,
T,Iion y