Year: 1875

asserted that every witness whose name he furnished
/ has been examined where that witness was at al
accessible also every other person whose relation
the affairs Of the agency gave suppose that hC
| possessed any information on the subject; and that
every document asked BY him to be procured the
Interior Department ordered and promptly fur
nished The body Of the testimony accompanying the
report comprising upward OF 800 octave pages, int
mates the thoroughness OF the investigation The
charges preferred by Professor Marsh taken and
considered seriatim.


THE INDIAN AGENT CLOUD AGENCY


Tho charge Of ncompetency FOR the position Of In
dian agent preferred against J. J. save sustained by
the commission for which reason they recommend his
REMOVAL but nothing appears the testimony TO sus-
tain the charge that he n league with the con
tractors to dcfraud the Indians OF the food and clothing
furnished by the government II should be SAID IN
justice Dr. Sayile that his lack OF success as an In
dian agent is wholly attributable TO his want OF adapt
ability to such place and that he combines many ex
celent qualities Of and heark He s pointed TO
as being an example Of Indian agent, al least who
goes out OF Office poorer man than when he entered
The general msmanagement Of affairs about ked
Cloud Agency produced very unfayorable impression
The low and inferior character OF the employees the
want Of order in the arrangements Of the
government stores and the ounging OF Indian women
and children around the stockade all atesed the loose
manner in which the business conducted and
want OF administrative capacity in the agent Spotted
Tail Agency presented striking contrast Dr. Save's
position, however in the establishment Of new
agency the midst OF hostile surroundings should be
considered and the condition things better there
now than Il two years ago.


ovER-EsrmATs INDIANS CLOUD AGEscY.


The report points the advantages taken by the
Indians the Government by concealng heiractua
numbers, and the difficulties and dangers experienced
by the agent in obtaining an enumeration which was
Anally effected only by starving them into subms-
sion. The count made by the most reliable men
available showed the numbers to be:-Arapahoes,
lS21; Chcyennes, eS4; Sioux, $3.50. To these were
afterward added the Kiocsies band Of Sioux which
was or hunting the time OF registration, and num-
bering 700; Arapahoes and Cheyennes subsequently
registered 629; making total OF l3 423 II is true
that army officers with Professor Marsh in esti-
mating the numbers much smaller sum, but they
at least estimates without any Of the aids Of
an accurate enumeration. The Northern or wild Sioux
Indians liable visit the agency any day and de-
mand supplies These augment the numbers for the
tma 1t very clearly in evidence that there was a
large body OF these at the agency in October 1874 and
If The Professor did them in November wnen
no crossed the White River hts failure TO see them
can not overrue the evidence that they had
been there 1t is recommended that Savlles successor
make another and more perfect Of the Indians
encamped around the agency, and that whenever
Northern Indians appear there he shall keep separate
account or numbers and the supplies that may be
/ furnished them


ISSUE OF ANNUITY GOODS.


The commission find the system Of keeping accounts
at the agency exceedingly loose and defective and for
this the Indian Office is Justly censurabe 1t is only
within the last few weeks that the government has sup
Piled books the agent and required the adoption Of
system calculated to exhibit clearly his accounts The
provision of the Treaty OF 1868 requiring officer Of
the army to be present and attest the delivery of the
! annuity goods and 70 inspect and report on
their quantity and quality and the Of
| their delivery has been utterly disregarded
The admirable recommendation OF the Bishop Hare
Commission that an beef and other provisions be issued
by orders Of the clerk which orders should pass
through the ONCE order to their appearance the
books has not been carried out While the commits
SION agree with Professor Marsh TO the general loose
ness in the system or distribution, they cannot accep
as Just some OF his statements evidence Of irregu
arity and fraud His charge that the 12tt
| OF November not than twenty-certainly
not more than twenty y-fve-bales Of blankets
were issued based partly his own
passing observation and partly upon GER
tincate OF Louis Reahaw q half-brced who assisted





OF the agent which show distribution Of thirtyseven
bales Professor Marsh jumps the conclusion that
gross fraud has been practsed both upon the govern
ment and the Indians Now II there is fact which
the entire evidence renders perfectly clear and ndis-
putabe It is that those thrtyseyen bales were fairly
distributed This Is shown by the voluntary declara
ton made BY Red Cloud his first speech TO the com
mission (which published in full exclusively IN the
HERALD al the tme and by the testimony Of Sitting
Bull OF the faithful Of the ogalalla chiefs
who had actually counted them; by the receipt OF
Louis Reshaw himself given the day Of the delv-
/ cry and by clerks and employees who were present
as well by the positive statement Of the agent In
his examination Reshaw repudiated tho certificate
given TO Professor Marsh, with all the conclusions
based upon it Tho commission do not concur in tho
censure which tho Professor has passed upon the
agents late distribution Of blankets that fall because
they had been withheld order to force the Indians
To consent be counted The rapdty with which the
supplies and annuity goods issued in single day
instead OF being for censure should be consid
cred rather TO his credit because the day was cold th'
snow falling fast, the Indians were there with
their wives and children, many from distance OF or
teen and twenty miles, and they hungry and des
titute


THE BEgP CATTLE QUESTION


The question OF beef forms principal part OF the
report Beei Is the Indians staple article Of food
The annual expenditure for its supply is large, and thc
frauds charged in connection with the contracts
commensurate with the magnitude OF the in
vuiyed In taking up this subject the commission 70
captuats Professor Marshs charges-that tho cattle
have boon very inferior, owing 70 systematic frauds
praetsed BY the agents and contractors that
9uence Of fraud and mismanagement the Indians suf
fered greatly during the past winter for food; thai
I Vii wl from VIII ch
he charged against the government having been IS
sued 70 thcm, that the frauds IN weights
mated By direct colusion the agent and the
contractor, and that equal rascalty practsed in
gard to the number Of CATTLE that another fruitfu
Of fraud is the system Of stampeding thai
these frauds have been gigantic and long systemat
icaly continued Professor Marsh's pamphlet partake
rather the nature Of argument than pure presenta
tion or facts, and in reviewing these severa