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Show 164 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. since onr agents reached the field of their labors, we have done, as yet, very little. The first trouble we met with was to secure the services of suitable men as agents, for the Pfiy which is allowed them by the Government. We made application to men that we thought would be the right men for the positions, but they declined on the ground of inadequate compensation. We have had a feeling among us that I might as well express, and that is that these agencies have, paid heretofore by cheating, and \ ve trust now to carry them on without cheating. We have an agency among the Pi mas and Maricopas, upon the Gila River. Schools have been established, and the agent reports that the Indians are cultivating the land, manufacturing to some extent, and are dis-posed to accept civilization. They wish instruction, and we hope to send out a mis-sionary and teachers to assist the agent in the work. He is quite well contented, and is able to live on his salary from the fact that the teacher employed there is his wife, and that helps him out. We have sent out supplies of ail kinds, from a melodeon down to a primer, and articles of different kinds for the Indians. Besides that, we have an agency among the Apaches. The agent reports from six to seven hundred Indians; and others that have, come in will make the number eight or nine hundred. There are some other Indians, about four hundred, on the other side of the Colorado River, who wish to unite with the Indians of this agency. The agent is a man of rare ability and character. I judge, from one of his letters, that he is the only white man there. He says, " Send out some one to join me to keep me from barbarism. 77 Mr. BUUNOT. You are going to send somebody out ? Mr. FKKHIS. Yes, sir ; we hope to send some one out in the spring. The agent reached his post in September last. We understand that others of the Apaches have been set-tled upon reservations, and there has been some intimation to us that we might, perhaps, be requested to take charge of them. We are disposed to do what we can. The Indians are represented to us as cultivating the land and disposed to settle down and accept civilization. The Pimas and Maricopas are civilized to some extent, and are cultivating the land and manufacturing to some extent. Mr. BKUNOT. It is proper to say to the gentleman who has just spoken, that the new reservations of the Apaches in Arizona are proposed by the Secretary of the Interior to be placed under the care of the Reformed Church, and no doubt there will be consider-able preparation necessary, and a demand made upon the efforts of your society to carry on that work. Mr. FKKRJS. Well, sir, we are a little church, and have a pretty large mission iu hea-then lands, but we will try to do all we can. BAPTIST" MISSIONS. Mr. BRUXOT. We will be glad to hear from Dr. Bachus, of the Baptist denomination, Mr. BACKUS. In 1817 our people- commenced with the Pottawatomie Indians, in Michigan. Afterward, we went to Kansas and continued the work there until 1868, I believe. In 1818 we commenced with the Cherokees, then in North Carolina. When the Government moved them from that State the same missionary went with them. The mission is very prosperous. Our communicants are numbered by thousands. Our laborers by scores. Several places of worship were burned during the war. We now have about fifty schools. Onr . society commenced with the Creeks, in 1823. They were then in Alabama. I think it was in 1832 that they went to the Indian Territory, our representative going with them and continuing the work. We have twenty- four ardent missionaries working there now as helpers. In 1826 wo commenced our work with the Choctaws, then in Kentucky. They passed into the Indian Territory, and our missionary went with them In 1828 we commenced with the Chippewas, of Lake Su-perior, erected a building at an expense of two or three thousand dollars, and continued the work until it was broken up by the removal of the Indians. In 1830- 7 31 we com-menced with the Shawnees. In 1833 with the Delawares. We continued with them inore or less until they were removed south. In 1H33 wo commenced our mission with the Ottawas. We continued it down through a long period. The Ottawa mission was remarkably blessed, a large percent, oftho population becoming communicants in the church. In 1833 we commenced with the Omahas instead of the Ottawas. I c > nfouud the oiKi with the other. In 1834 we commenced with the Kickapoos. I could . speak of schools and missions, & c. I will say I believe what Dr. Treat has said. I think I can tthow that our people have spent more than a million dollars in these Indian missions. We have now live agencies; the Cherokee, the Creek, in the Indian Territory, the Pi- Utes, in the eastern ai> d northern part of Nevada, the Walker River, in the southern and western part of Nevada, the northwestern Shoshones in Central Utah. Onr agei. t with the Cherokees is J. B. Jones. He is pin- haps the best Cherokee, scholar that lives. The Creek agent has been with the tribe for a long time, and is present here, and I hope he may be heard from. Our present agent with thePi- Utes is Charles F. Powell. The first man obtained for the position died soon after arriving on the ground. At tin; Walker River agency, C. A. Bateman is the agent. At the Central Utah agency George VV, Dodge is the agent. We have been very much embarrassed, as my brother has |
