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Show would not commit themselves to anything until they could have s per. sonal interview with the Secretary of the Interior. Under Department authority of May 1, a delegation of Otoes and Missourias visited Washington, and as a result of the conference the Department directed, May 26, that the following proposition be sub-mitted to the Indians in council: I propose thst yon consent to allow a rebate of tea yearsrdin terest on the amount now dne jou from those purchasers of yonr lands who are iu arrears, provided said purchasers will agree to pay within ninety days the amount remainiug unpaid after the allowance of said rebate. This proposition having been submitted to the Indians by United States Indian Agent Woolsey, he reported June 5 that the Indians had accepted it by a majority vote. That report inclosing the council pro-ceedings mas transmitted to the Department by office letter of June 9, and ahteution was invited to that part of the proposition which declared that if the Indians accepted it, the local land officers would be directed by the Department to notify each l)urchaser that if he does not accept t%e proposition and pay the amount due from him within ninety tyays from the date of notice, his entry will be canceled. It is hoped that . this action will bring the matter to an early close. PONY CLAIMS OF EIDIANS ON PINE RIDGE RESERVATION. I My last annual report stated that up to December, 1894, there had been forwarded to this office proofs in behalf of 421 claims of Indians on the Pine Ridge Reservation for ponies alleged to have been stolen I from them by horse thieves or taken from them by the United States military aulhorities; also that in July, 1895, the work of taking testi-mony in the remaining claims had been resumed, Mr. 0. L. Carter, i a special attorney for the Department of Justice, representing the I Government in hearing the proofs and cross-examining witnesses. The proofs io 275 additional cases, numbered from 422 to 696? have 1 been taken and forwarded to this office by the acting Indian agent. These claims have arisen under the provisions of article 1 of the . Sioux treaty of 1868 (15 Stat. L., 635), and have been presented by attorneys, with whom the Indians made contracts for the prosecution of their claims, the contracts having been approved by the Depart-ment. The work of taking testimony was concluded on September 30, 1895, no more claimants whose cases were covered by contracts appear-ing with their witnesses to prese~it proofs, although there were about i I 125 more alleged claimants who had entered into contracts. From a tabulated statement submitted by said attorneys after the testimony in the 696 cases had been taken, it appears that the claims examined are in the aggregate as follows: 6,413 horses valued at $265,260; 31 mules valued at $2,750; 42 cowsvalued at $1,445; 5 Win-chester ritles valued at $200, and 1 saddle valued at $50; total value, $269,705. |