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Show 90 REPORT OF THE COMMISRIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. , . , March 29, 1893, telegraphed to Dr. J. R. Walker, overseer on thcLGech Lake Reservation, ti make a thorough personal investigation of the matter and report facts. Dr. Walker submitted several reports, &om which it appears that large quantities of timber have been unlawfully cut on the reservations during the past winter. Copies of these re-ports were transmitted to the General Land Office. Meantime, March 31,1892, the matter was submitted to the Department with a letter from Mr. Edward E. Neal, of Grand Rapids, Miun., to Eon. H. L Dawes, in which the charge was formally made that depredations were being committed on the timber of these reservations, and it was rsoom-mended that the General Land Office be instructed to investigate the charges with aview to putting a stop to the depredationa and to bring-ing the guilty persons to punishment. ' Special Agent J. 0. Warfiner has bee= detaiIed by the Laud Office to investigate the matter. . . ISSUE OF STOCK CATTLE AND BROOD MARES TO INDIANS. Many of the lands occupied by Indians being well suited for stock . raising, effort has been made for several years to introduce andencour-age that industry by issuing a few head of stock at a time to the most deserving and industrious Indians, to be oonsidered as their ownprop-erty. As might be expected, in spite of regulations and precautions, some of this stock has been neglected and allowed to wander off with other cattle, and'has become lost to the owners; others have been sold, and ~, others slaughtered and eaten, either by their owners or their' Indian neighbors. In many cases, however, reports have.shown that the cattle and their increase have been well &red for, and have been disposed of only by permission from the agent; and it has been fully demonstrated that,, in time, under the care and instruction of agents and agency em-ploybs, cattle raising by Indians may be made an established paying industry at many agencies, and thit Indians may replace their herds of almost worthless ponies by a sufficient number of good American horses of their own raising to do their farm work. The stock for breeding purposes now issued to Indiam consists of heifers or young cows with calves by their sides, bulls, brood mares, . . and sheep. The agencies at which 'deliveries of cattle and mares hive been made, or deliveries have been contrmted for during the fiscal year 1892, are-fiutaaa.- Rlaokfeet, Crow, Fort Belknap, and Fort Peek. South Da1~ota.-Crow Creek and Lower Brt116, and Pine Itidge, andCheyenne River. North Dakota.-Devil's Lake, Fort Berthold, and Standing Rook. Nebraska.-Smtee. 0klolwma.-Cheyenne md Arapaho. |
