Year: 1876

Recently 1 had a visit from Sc Rum, one of their principal chiefs, who came to assure me of his peaceful disposition, and to ask to be permitted to remain in his own coun- try. told him he must see Dr. Ton ner, the Agent, and arrange with him that had nothing to do with Indians, unless they committed depredations. He desired to know whether he was to go back 10 the Colorado reservation, but l could give him no information on that score. 1 asked him why his people had left He stated that his people could not live there; that it was very hot; that water was bad, and bis people sickened and died; that there was no grass, and their horses had nearly all perished; that whilst they were permitted to remain at La Paz Captain Byrne saw that they got their rations, when they went up to the Agency they did not get enough to eat, and instead of getting twenty-four beeves per week, his people only got seven. How true these complaints may be, have no means of ascertain ing He told me, however, that his people would rather die than to go back there. There is a widely extend ed belief among the people of the Ter ritory that these Indians were not prop erly fed.

 With regard to the removal of the White Mountain Indians to the San Carlos, the case is taking very simi- lar form. The White Mountain h. dians were, until recently, under mill tary control, although there has been an Agent there for them, but the counts were made by the commanding officer, and orders for the discipline and man agement of the Indians emanated from him. They had planted extensively more than ever before-and were dolng exceedingly well, when Agent Cum arrived and assumed charge of the Agency, and informed the command ing officer of it several days afterward.

 Also, that the management and control

 of the Indians and all affairs connected

 with them while they remained at peace,

 was vested in him as Agent. Having performed his duty, he left the Agency

 in charge of L. C. Jenkins, and proceed cd to Washington. When he returned to the Agency again he had an order

 from the Interior Department to move the White Mountain Indians to tho San Carlos reservation. The absence

 of the Agent, and the rumors in rela ton to his absence-that it was for the purpose of obtaining the removal Ol the White Mountain Apaches-caused

 much apprehension among the Indians

 and when it was announced to them the great majority refused positively to go

 but finally something less than half ol those pertaining to the Agency were induced to move. Questionable in lfuences were used to induce the In

 dians to remove, particularly the burn l ing of the Agency buildings, and the statement to the Indians that the troop;

 would be used to compel them to move

 Even had the Indians desired and Iinaugurated this movement, I should

 question the wisdom of it. The White

 Mountain Indians proper have beer born and bred in the mountains,-thC

 valley of the Gila is much lower anc hotter, and the locality of old CamE Goodwin proved unhealthy, and wa, abandoned on that account. The pres ent location will adjoin the new anc

 growing settlement called Pueblo Vie

 io, on the Gila above, whilst the White

 Mountains are too remote to be in de

 mand by settlers. Two or three band. that formerly affiliated with Cochlse':

 Indians may have favored the move but at a recent interview with Eskyin law, or Diablo, he stated that many

 who went were opposed to going

 and drew pitiful picture of the sor

 row and distress felt by the Indians II consequence of the removal. He beg

 ged me to represent the case 10 Wash ington, and ask that they might be per mitted to remain in their own country His and PitOne's bands-two of tho largest-with one other, have positive ly refused to go He claimed that they had aided the whites to preserve peace and had pursued and hunted their OWL

 people as well as those of other tribes in order to compel them to remain or their reservations, and all they asked

 was to be let alone. He said they diC

 not want any aid from the white peo pie, if they could be permitted to re main where they are. He also stated

 they had been promised by Genera | Howard that they would be permitted

 to remain where they are as long a they were at peace with the whites ! He said their people had planted ex

 tensively, and were now required t' leave their crops, and lose their work ! I make these statements at the earnes request of Diablo, that l would com municate them to the authorities II Washington.

 I was particularly careful not to en ,,,,,,,,,-a him in the refusal to move