The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-05-16

|cept Byron Carrolton, made any
effort to reside on his claim IN
what is now the town of Robbins,
although q number had prescriptions
and would come up and fish day or
two at a time. For weeks I
would not see a sign of a white man.
During the winter Of 1883-1884 there
was so much comment by the press
about the manner in which these lands
were opened that the attention of con-
gress was called to it. By resolu-
ton of Senator Holman of Indiana a
demand was made on Secretary Teller
to know by what right or authority he
opened these lands. Secretary Teller
in response said: 'No order or in
structions appear to have been is
sued by this Office to the local Office
regarding the allowance of entries or
filings on said lands, save the letter
addressed to them on August Is, 1882,
reinstating the entries above referred
to, and it would seem, therefore, that
from the entries and filings allowed
by them in 1882-1883, and during the
current year, that without waiting for
| instructions from this Office in the
premises and as previously ordered,
said officers have been acting upon
their own judgment blouse Elk. Doc,
14S, 48th Cong, 1st Sess):" Con-
gress thereupon, in view of the con-
dition of affairs disclosed by said re-
spouse to said resolution provided by
the act of July 4,1S84, (23 Stat. S9)
that said lands ''shall not be patented
or disposed of in any manner until
further legislation by congress-"
Nothing further was done for
several years, button January a.,
1889, congress passed bill entitled
San act for the relief and civiliza-
tion of the Chippewa Indians in Min
nesota us Stat 642)," (Which provided
for the appointment of three commits
sioners to negotiate with the Chippewa
Indians in the state of Minnesota for
the complete cession and relinquish-
ment in writing of all their title and
interest in and to all the reservations
| of said Indians in the state of Mime
sofa, except the White Earth and Red
Lake reservations, and to all and so
much of these two reservations as in
the Judgment of said commission is
not required to make and fill the allot-
ments required by this and existing
acts. Section 3 of the act provided
for the removal of all the Chippewas
in the state of Minnesota, except the
Red Lake Chippewas, to the White
Earth reservation, but provision in
! the same section stipulates that ANY
Indian residing on any of said
reservations, may, in his discretion
take his allotment in severalty under
| this act on the reservation where he
lives at the time the removal herein
provided for is effected, instead of be-
ing removed to and taking such allot-
ment upon the White Earth reserva-
tion." ?.
During the period from 1884 to 1889
all land matters lay dormant. The
writer, with others, made application
to prove up, but our applications we're
turned down to await the action of
congress. But there we're numerous
commissioners and special agents
coming and going continually. The
Indian agents would tell the Indians
the settlers were stealing their lands,
and to make it as uncomfortable for
US as possible without using violence,
that the government would
soon remove us. Then would come
special agent from the general
land Office and he would tell the
settlers they were all right, to keep
cool and the government would soon
remove the Indians. In fact their in
| structions were so at variance with
one another that the Indian depart
ment could not have known what the
land department was doing, and vice
| versa.
The first regular commission
to present itself was the Wright-Larra-
bee commission in the fall of 1885,
The commissioners held their pow-wow
with the Indians on what was known
then as Spirit point on the hill now
occupied by the hotel near the outlet.
1t was then almost covered with In
dian graves from which I suppose it
derived it's name. There was perfect
mass of boxes or hen coops and
eleven hundred Indians assembled to
hear the good words spoken that the
good Father at Washington had dele
gated three commissioners to tell
them. They presented very gaudy
appearance, as many of them wore
nod h1o pCotc Tho bovo, rza.. II I'LL