OCR Text |
Show 44 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. assistance in ridding the agency of a mischievous element. In Minne-sota, a small military escort was sent to arrest four turbulent pillagers, Chippewas, at Leech Lake, west of the Rocky Mountains. Military aid has been invoked to protect the Nez Perc6 agency from at,tempted seiz-ure, by W. G. Langford, under the claim of ownership. Troops have also been put in motion in Nevada, on account of great alarm by the citizens, caused bv the murder of a white man bv aw Indian whom he had dispossc.sscd ;f his land. The alarm proved, i i a large degree, rritll-out fou~~datioanll,1 1n o i~~tetiereuoref tl~c~* o l d i ewr ~as f o~~n~dle cess:~ry. In Sew hlcrico. the militarv at l.'ort S t n ~ t t ow~er~e callrd u~)out o 1)l'o. tecr the i-desea~kro~ ~ e c h ebsu;t were not able to pre\,eut thrir maahi~:re by whites ou their owl reservation, aud within sight of the thg-staff of the militnrj post. At the Navnjo ngenry, n~ilitarya id was sought, but not sec~lreu~l~ ~ tailll need for it llnd p:~ssed. 111 Arizona, wnntof co.op. emtiolr bet wet^^^ post-commanders at C;imp Apache has ren~lere~thle im-u~ etli;iteaido fthe militarv of r~e rvl i t~l cvnlued~~r invecatrl.~ rT het'actof the presence of troops wiihin theV~erritorhya s, how&er,"axercised amoral effect, of which agents have availed theruselvrs in keepir~go rder without calling for actual interference by the soldiers; and there is little doubt that Sibting Bull and his followers among the northern Sioux have been restrained from overt acts by the fact of military posts being stationed on the Upper Missouri. PRIVATE CLAIMS FOR DEPREDATIONS BY INDIANS. The attention of the honorable Secretary is called to the service re-quired of the Bureau under the rules and regulations prescribed in com-pliance with eection 7 of the act of Congress approved May 29,1872. These regulations provide for an application for indemnity for loss or injury sustained by the action of Indians to the Indiau agent in charge of the tribe to which the depredators are supposed to belong, such appli-cation to be supported by the sworn testimony of the claimant, giving full description of the property and a detailed statement of the I,' '~rcum-stauces b~ which the loss occurred, also by the deposition of two or more uersons coanizant of the facts set forth bv the claimant. This aplblieatio~t~h ns~opporterli s to IIC iuvestipnted Gy tllc Ii~glianr tgeut as to the p1~0nhlefa cts of the cage and tho validity oi ~\~iden~cueb mittecl, and then by him presented to the tribe with a clen1n111t1u r satisf;lctio~~ to the claimant. i f the demand is not complied with, a report is to be made as to whether the tribe admit the depredation to have been com-mitted by some of their number or deny the charge, the case to be then reoorted to this Office for examination and reDort to the Deoart-ment. 61a ccorda~~wcoit h law the Secretdry has bcreiofore beeu req;in.d ttb repnrt to ('ongress at each acsslou all suelt claim^, with the action taken by the Defartment thereon. In the Revision of the United States Statutes, however, this require-mentsf a report to Congress i~ omitted, and it is provided only that upon the report of the agent, as above set forth, to the C~mmissioner ot Indian Affairs, '6such further steps may be taken as shall be pro?er, in the opinion of the President, to obtain satisfaction for the iujury." I t will be readily seen that such extended official action in compliance with the requirements of law 15 calculated to lead parties who have snf-fered loss by Indians to expect to receive satisfaction therefor, and in this expectation they proceed to conform to the regulations prescribed by he Department, and often incur no inconsiderable expense in theemploy- |