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Show 438 REPORT OF AGENT IN UTAH. slau hterhouse and corrals, and saon hlld an outfit where our killing is done as neatfy as it is anywhere; the carcass hangs over night and is cut up nest day and issued from the bloek. Later 'I asked and obtained authority to bridge two of these turbulent streams, and in Deoember completed two good bridgos, bothnent and silfe. The wood-workin machinery consisting of planer and flooring mill, lath mill, shingle mill andmJder, for ten years standing idle in a shed at Ouray I have brought up here and set it all up in goodorder in the agency sawmill. In t i i s work my engineer has shown esoeptional skill and workmanship. Last winter I asked and obtained authority to purchase quite a bill of nursery stock, of many varieties: One hundred apple trees, cherry, pears, prunes, apricots, plums, crabapples, ,grapes, gooseberries, currants, blackberrlea and raspberries. I mademypurchsseslnper8on while insalt LakeCity,of theSaltL%kkeKursery. Upon arrival I immediately had them set out in the school grounds, giving the work my personal ~upervirion. With few exceptions among the small fruits all &re doing well, and with care will saon yield an abundance of fine fruit. hisi is a.n innovation on this a. ency, to which I refer, as I trust, with pardonable pride. TheIu<li&ns are eo wellpcaeed with the apparent success that they wish to try it for themselves next spring. I have also bought, by authority, wire and fenced in an adclitional pasture of about 70 sores for school cows and agency horses; hove lsidneet board walkson both sides of the plaza, added kitchens to two agency dwellings, besides many minor improvamsnts, as sheds, gates, outhouses, eto. The carpenter has in addition made floors, windows, and doors for twelve Indians houses, twenty-five bedsteads and thirty hayracks, cupboards and other household conveniences. Indoshies.-Theeffect of a year of activity is most marked among the Indians. Evary man has somoaotiveemp1oyment; absolute idlenessis almo~tunknown. Farm- ' ing and herding are the ohirf oeoupations, but if any chmee of working fur wages, freighting, wood hauling or other Isbur is otfered there are always plenty to avail themselvaa of it. I have fonnd none as yet who hdve proved steady st learning a trade. No allotments in severalty have as yet been made. At a council held by Spocial Agent Parker, an his recent visit hare in July last, the s~tbjeoot f "severalty allot-ments" was considered, the Indians olnimillg that they were not ready to answer, did not quiteunderstanditseffeet, and said they would talkit mer withchiof Tabby. That was msde the ooossion of the recent visit of that dignitary to the agency, when he expressed his entire disapproval of the matter, seeming to fear the con-traotion of aheir territory and the probable sale of the surplus if thoy took their lands in severelty. Notwithstanding this affair, I see a. strang i~lulinatiorl on the part of the moreenlightened too- their owntiirms andhomes, and1 wouldstrongly recommend that an effort be msde by the speoial agent early next apring. Not less than 150 heads of f8milies are ooenpying definite tracts ofland, though u~~allotted. Cattle grazing on the reservation early occupied my attention. I tbnn* the bnai-ness in an unsettled and exceedingly unsstiafaotory condition ; no dctiuite bnrgnins with myone, but any who chose drove oattle onto the western end of the reserve, where summer range is fine; nor oould definite numbers be ascertained, a. sort of " o-as-you-please," "catch-you-as-catoh-oan" way of doing business, which was odonloted to foster dishonesty in counting for cattle, and endless suspioiona of dis-honesty on the pmt of the agent, and troubles between oow men and Indinus. At a oouucil held last fall (Ootober) the Indians unanimously requested me to drive all stockmen off the reserve. I immediately lair1 the mnttor before the Iudian Offioe, nndwns promptly directed to move them all off before April 1,1891. A peti-tion of numerous cattle men to Department led to the extensioll of tho time far. removal until Anfllust 1,1891. I, as before, promptly notified all stockmen by letter of such order and to be prepared to move off at the spaoified time. I followed up such notice by attending in person as the time apprasohed at the severe1 ranches, to see to it that the order be strictly complied with. Just so soon ns thoy became convinced that no modification of the order would be made they a11 moved off in good faith. Liquor selling, and oonaequent drunkenness, is the bane of all agencies, and to su press or guard against it is the "philosopher's atone" of the Indian problem. early last October I laid the matter before your office; steps werepromptly taken to look into the matter and to devise wa s to cope with the giant evil. This led to tho appointment, a t Fort Du Chesne, o ? ~ M. . Curtisa, deputy United States mnr-shal, and J. T. MeConnell as United Ststos commissioner,-thus giving us a. tribunal olose at hand for the apprehension ilnd trial of offenders. Three oases are now bound over for trial at the September term of supreme court. But, owing to the almost insuperable diffioulty of securing evidenoe, ossea of pullishmeut commensurate with the crimes are rare indeed. I still, hope to make example of some of the worst offenders yet. |