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Show mately $25,000 to buy out all the settlers, and an additional $3400 to build necessary ditches. But should only the north half of the reser-vation be given to the Indians, it would support about 45 families, as it contained about 900 acres which could be irrigated, half of it being then under ditch. In this case $3,500 would be required to buy out settlers' claims, besides $1,200 for the purchase of the "main ditch." Many of the settlers on the reservation would be glad of the chance to sell out, as they were speculators who held only to sell, and moved from place to place. The whites considered the Indians among them as being the real obstacle to their securing all the land at Fort McDowell, and took every means of showing their dislike. If the land should be divided between the white people, trouble would be sure to come, as the white man would place every obstacle in the path of the red man. Therefore, if the Indians were to be settled at Fort McDowell at all, Mr. Mead recommended that the Government buy out all legiti-mate claimants or settlers and give the entire reservation to the . Indians, especially as the influence of the existing white community, which maintained a flourishing saloon and gambling house, was very bad. Mr. Mead's report was submitted to the Department on September 12, 1903, with recommendation that the President be asked to with-draw such of the lands of the abandoned military reservation as might not embrace or infringe upon the bona fide claims of settlers which had already attached to the lands under-the act of August 23, 1894. On September 15,1903, the President issued the following order: WHITE HOUSES, eptember 15,1905'. It is hereby ordered that so much of the land of the Camp McDowell Aban-doned Militaw Reservatlon as may not have been legally settled upon nor have valid claims attaching thereto under the provisions of the act of Congress approved August 23, 1%)4 (28 Stat. L., 4911, be, and the same is hereby, set aside and reserved for the use and occupancy of such Mohave-Apache Indians as are now living thereon or in the vicinity and such other Indiana as the Secretary of the Interior may hereafter deem necessary to place thereon. The lands so withdrawn and reserved will include all tracts to which valld rights have not attached under the provisions of the said act of Congress, and in addition thereto all those tracts upon the reservatlon contalnlng Government Improvements, which were reserved from settlemerit by the said act of Congress, and which consist of (1) the immediate site of the old camp, containing build-ings and a good artesian well; (2) the post garden; (3) the United States Gov-ernment farm; (4) the lands lying north of the old camp and embracing or containing the old Government irrigation ditch, and ( 5 ) the target-practice grounds. THEOWBER OOBEVELT. On September 30,1903, the Rev. W. H. Gill, a missionary who had been living near the Camp McDowell Reservation and had been of the greatest benefit and help to the Indians there, was on Mr. Mead's - I |