The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-09-20
ASSlNlBOlNES' $l5,OOO,OO0
CASE HEARD BY CLAIMS COURT

Unheralded by any blare of pub
licity there took place in Wolf
Point last week one of the most
significant events of many years.
Though few citizens knew that
anything unusual was happening,
for three days, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, in the Sherman
hotel palm room, the United States
Court of Claims was in session
and testimony was taken in the
S15,000,000 litigation suit institut-
ed some time ago by the Assini-
boine Indians against the United
States For years they have been
working for an opportunity to
present their case in the white
mans court but it was only recent
ly that the way was cleared for
them to do so.
Honorable Elsie A. Cannon of
Washington, D. c., commissioner
of the court of claims, presided
and took down the testimony of
the 80 witnesses called. Judge
Dan M. Jackson, Washington, was
attorney for the court Of claims,
while the Indians were represented
by Everett Sanders, formerly sec
retary to President Coolidge, but
now of the law firm of Sanders,
Childs, Bobb and Wescott, Douglas
and A. Busick, all Of
D. c.
Many Witnesses
Taking of testimony was a slow
inasmuch as many of the
witnesses were old or middle aged
Indians who could neither under
stand nor speak English and with
hem Interrogation and replies had
% be made through an interpreter.
lanes Archdale, Joshua Wetsit,
George Connors and Mrs. Mary
4aRoque acted as interpreters.
those who gave testimony during
he three days were Bear Cub,
Martin Mitchell, Last, Blue Cloud
Nick Alvars, Red Dog. The Man,
eagle Feather, James Mcdonald,
Sr, Blue Horn, James Fast Iron
Horn, Warren Carl, Henry Arch
lale, Sr., Looking, Mrs. Annie
Roberts, Crazy Bull, Thos Duck
No. 2, White Man, Rattling Stand
or Standing as he is now called),
rhe Shooter, Red Feather, Night,
hos. r. Forbes, Gabriel Beauch-
nan, Circling Eagle, Beats His
Wife, Mrs. Medicine Walt and
In brief, the history of the case
S this. The Assiniboines claim
hat under the Laramie treaty of
S51 they were given tract of
and between the Missouri and
Yellowstone rivers and extending
yest as far as a line running be-
ween the mouth of the Mussel-
he'll and the mouth of the Pow
er river A considerable tract of
and north of the Missouri river
-as also theirs according to their
laim
Winter of Starvation
In 1880 the country between the
issouri and Yellowstone was
,ened up to white settlement
ithout the Indians claim, their
eing given any recompense for
le land thus taken from them,
he white hunters came in and
killed off the buffalo by
lie thousands. Following the ex-
of the buffalo, which
ad supplied the primitive Indians
18th the sport of the chase, with
eat for winter and with hides
ON which to make tepees and
hes, there came the winter of
18S3-S4 1t was esti-
ated that that winter in Wolf
pint some 200 Indians died
starvation The bodies were
-apped in blankets and they lay
along from Oldtown to
e foot of the hills. Conditions
ere pitiful according to Indian
;timony. Meagre rations were
ued by the agency, but there
-sn't enough food to keep them
alive. Now the Assiniboines
2 asking the government to pay
: some of those buffaloes so
slaughtered by the
lite hunters nearly half cen
~ ago. They are asking pay
10 for part of the land which
ey say was taken from them
udulently
Land Taken Away
{ seems there was another
atty, the treaty of 1886, by the
ms of which the Assiniboines
inquished the rest of their land
the territory included in the
It Peck and Fort Belknap re-
urn to page s, col. 2, please)