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Show I 34 COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. ments have been found in such cases under section 37 of the United States criminal code for conspiracy to defraud the United States. Action in these cases, which are awaiting trial, is the result of in-vestigations by United States Indian inspectors of complaints made by Indians and others, the evidence adduced being placed in the hands of the Attorney General. In a few instances, where it ap-peared that the person procuring aq Indian's signature to a deed or mortgage believed the land was unrestricted, and that there was no intention to violate the law, a reconveyance was accepted and no other action taken. Civil suits have been filed and property recovered, qf which In-dians have been deprived through fraud or through Illegal taxa-tion, a recent case being the United States v. Yalnma County, Wash-ington, et al., involving land purchased for Indians with funds held in trust by the United States and land. conveyed wlth restric-tion against alienation. A number of s ~ i l a cra ses will soon be sent to the Attorney General for appropriate actlon unless efforts now being made by the office to settle out of cou~t are successful. Some counties have already refunded amounts illegally assessed and paid, and in one case the office has been able to recover land from the holder of the tax deed. DEFRAUDING OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA INDIANS OF MICHIGAN. Early in the month of June the' United States district attorney for Grand Rapids, Mich., brought to trial a full-blood Ottawa Indian of Michigan, Dr. William Jones Masqueskey, alias Petoskey, who had been arrested and indicted for illegally and fraudulently collectin moneys from the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michi-an whik clairninw to be a Government official connected with the fndian Service. 8 e was placed on trial June 13, charged wlth usin the mails to defraud and with impersonating a Government 02 cial. The evidence showed that he had collected from $1,000 to $2,000 from these citizen Indians whlle posing as an agent or officer of the Indian Bureau, and that he was clearly guilty as indicted. It was adso shown that he had served 20 xears in the Michigan State penitentiary for forger1 and o t h ~ rc rFes; and as the evl-dence adduced was overwhelmingly against him, he pleaded guilty and ere this has probably been sentenced. , ' It is ho ed that his arrest and conyictio? practice o ! a number of Indians, espemal!y in gan, in collecting moneys from these citizen Indians. FISHING IN RED LAKE, MINN. , . During the World War, under the special need of increased ro duction of food, a cooperative arranngement was made @th the hein: nesota State game and fish cornmissloner,, worklng ln coanection with the Minnesota Public Safety Commlsslon, for th6 Rtdn of fish from Red Lake within the Red Lake Indian Reservation, AM. By this arrangement, opportunity fof employment of Indian. was provided, the food supply to the nabon was mcreased, and a rev- |
