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 UNITED STATES' COMMISS 
 
 POTAA^fATAMIE PAYMENT, 
 
 September, 1§36. 
 
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 1837. 
 
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 New. York, December 2, 1837. 
 
 To 
 
 Hon. C. A. HARRIS, 
 
 Commissioner op Indian Affairs. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 By your letter of instructions to me of the 20th April last, I was 
 directed to inqLiire into the cause and origin of the difficulty which 
 occurred at the payment of the annuity to the Potawatamie In. 
 dians, in September 1836, and its results; and particularly whether 
 the officers connected with your department had properly discharged 
 their duty in the matter; and whether there was sufficient cause 
 for calling out tlie troops. 
 
 Pursuant to these instructions, on my arrival at Logansport, In- 
 diana, in May last, I entered on the duty committed to me, by in. 
 forming Col. Pepper of their nature, and submitting to his exami. 
 nation the papers which you had transmitted to me. 
 
 I gave to Gen. Grovcr a copy of the communication of the 
 Chiels, in which he was implicated. 
 
 I appointed the 13th of Jane a's the day on which the investiga. 
 tion should commence, and gave public notice thereof in the news, 
 paper, in which all persons conusant of the transaction were re- 
 quested to give me all the information in their power. 
 
 I requested the assistance of T. A. Howard, Esq., attorney for 
 the U. S. for that district, which was promptly and efficiently ren. 
 dered. 
 
 The Chiefs of the tribe were notified, and requested to attend. 
 
 A list of witnesses was prepared by Gen. Howard, and I caused 
 them to be summoned ; and I announced that all persons implicated 
 might appear before me, either in person or by their counsel, and 
 examine and cross-examine the witnesses, and have such sworn on 
 their part as they might deem expedient. 
 
 On the appointed day, I proceeded in the investigation. 
 
 Mr. Howard attended as counsel on the part of the investigation, 
 and Messrs. S. S. Tipton, Cowdrey and Dunn appeared as counsel 
 for different persons implicated. 
 
 Some doubts having been suggested to me a^- to the genuineness of 
 the communication from the Chiefs to the President, I commenced 
 by first examining those of its signers who were present. Po-ka. 
 gos, and No-taw-ka denied that they signed the letter ; We-wiss-ah 
 signed it, because he was urged to do so by Ke-wa-na and Nes-wa- 
 
 ^J- 
 
ky, and those two said they signed it because the others did. They 
 said it was written by Col. (Jeoige W. Ewing, and interpreted to 
 them by Joseph Barron, the Government interpreter. 
 
 I then read tlie paper to them, parngraph by paragraph, and 
 caused it to be interpreted to tliem by Luther Rice, whom I em- 
 ployed for that purpose, and who approved himself to be a capable 
 and inteihgent interpreter. 
 
 As each part was interpreted to the Chiefs, I inquired of them 
 whether they had said, or intended to say, as was written. 
 
 The particulars of this examination, and the answers of the 
 Chiefs, will appear on pages 7 to 13 inclusive, of the record of my 
 proceedings herewith submitted. They disavowed some parts of the 
 paper — those particularly which were calculated to be offensive to 
 persons whose names were mentioned ; but in the main they ad- 
 mitted that it correctly set f^jrth that which they had intended to 
 say, and that their o!)ject had been to tell the President what had 
 occurred at the payment, and to " ask him to send one of his wise 
 men to inquire into it." 
 
 I then proceeded to take the testimony of witnesses, called by 
 any of the parties. The testimony was taken publicly, and after 
 being written down, was read over to the witnesses in public, cof- 
 rected by them if they desired it^ and then signed. All the testi- 
 mony thus received, is herewith submitted, and will be found on 
 pages 14 to 94 inclusive, of the record of my proceedings. Va- 
 rious documents are also herewith submitted, either separately, or as 
 forming a part of that record, to which I shall have occasion here- 
 after to refer more particularly. 
 
 From these sources I draw the following conclusions, and in doing 
 so shall pursue the course indicated by Gen. Howard in his pro- 
 gramme, which is hereto annexed. 
 
 1st. " The difficulty at the payment, embracing the Riot, or mob, with 
 the attendant circumstances.'^ 
 
 Before the payment of the annuity to the Indians, the Chiefs had 
 determined that the money should be paid to them, and some of them 
 had requested Messrs. George W. Evving and Cyrus Taber to assist 
 them in counting and dividing it among themselves, and in paying 
 their debls. After the payment to the chiefs, they and Messrs. Ewing 
 and Taber, Joseph Barron, and some of the guard (which the disburs- 
 ing officers had employed) were assembled on the payment ground, 
 with the money before them in a shanty, which had been used as the 
 council house. In 1835 the Indians had adjusted the debts they 
 then owed, and had promised to pay a part of them in 1836. The 
 
5 
 
 ,* 
 
 paper showinp; the amounts thus to be paid, was in the hands of 
 Col. Pepper, who stood at the door of the council house, and called 
 over the names on it. The persons thus called went into the build- 
 ing, and received their money. In this manner the sum of $5142 
 was paid to sundry claimants. 
 
 After those sums were paid, Col. Pepper retired ; and Messrs. 
 Ewing and Taber in the presence of the Chiefs, proceeded to 
 make farther payments on claims against the Indians. They thus 
 paid the following additional siuns, viz. Luther Rice $200, Brewyett 
 $7ii, Joseph Barron $S000, Evving, Walker & Co., (a firm consisting 
 of G. W. Ewing^ W. G. Ewingi'and G. B. Walker) $16,000, A. 
 Hamilton and Cyrus Taber $S000, E. V. Cicott $249;3, and Peter 
 Barron $618. The firms of Evving, Walker & Co., and Hamilton 
 and Taber, were the largest claimants. The money of Ewing, 
 Walker & Co. was put aside in the council house, that of Hamil- 
 ton & Co. was carried to Taber's quarters, and that of Barron to 
 his quarters. 
 
 Before these payments commenced, a good deal of dissatisfaction 
 was expressed by the other claimants at the selection of Messrs. 
 Ewing and Taber to distribute the money. They were apprehensive 
 that they would not receive their share, and the dissatisfaction was 
 greatly increased by the payment of such large sums in the three 
 instances named. 
 
 The first appearance of any violence, however, grew out of a per- 
 sonal altercation between Wm. G. Ewing and Alexander Coquillard ; 
 the former being a large claimant, and the latter avowing that he 
 was no claimant, but was a friend of the Indians, and determined that 
 they should not be cheated. Prior to, and during this quarrel, Gen. 
 Grover and some other claimants entered the council house, peace- 
 ably, and endeavoured to have the payment of claims stopped until all 
 should be presented and investigated or adjusted, but without success. 
 Francis Comparet, was one who made such an effort. Failing of 
 siccess, he was vehement in his remonstrances, and was turned out 
 of the council house by the guard . " Mr. Comparet made considera- 
 ble noise," which added to the excitement. Mr. Eldridge, (former 
 sheriff of Cass county, Indiana,) ran up to Mr. Coquillard and 
 said something to him, which none of the witnesses seemed to have 
 heard, and then those two persons rushed towards the council house, 
 accompanied by a large crowd, some crying out — " Pull down the 
 house," others saying, " No, No." 
 
 The guard were stationed in front of the house ; but the crowd, 
 although powerful enough to have borne down all their opposition, 
 made no attempt to force themselves in. They hurried to the back 
 of the building, and Coquillard attempted to get on its roof. Pierre 
 
Andre, the Captain of the guard, pushed him off. In falling, he 
 seized the butting pole of the house to save himself, but it fell with 
 him. Andre threatened to blow out his brains if he repeated the 
 attfjmpt. He then went to Barron's house, which was close by, 
 clambered on its roof, and made a speech in the French, English, 
 and Indian languages. The crowd consisted of some 300 or 400 
 whites and about as many Indians. Coquillard's speech is des- 
 cribed as being inflammatory, and as having been interrupted by 
 frequent exclamations of applause ; and there was a general shout 
 of assent at its termination. 
 
 It was urged to me, that his object in getting on to the council 
 house, was to aid in, or effect its demolition ; but the testimony is 
 satisfactory that he was only desirous to obtain a conspicuous place 
 from which to address the crowd. I am also satisfied there was no 
 attempt to tear down the house ; the butting pole was thrown down 
 by accident, and the clapboards, or peices that had been nailed over 
 the crevices between the logs, were torn off in order to enable peo- 
 pie to see what was going on inside. The cry of " tear down the 
 house" may have been intended as a feint to intimidate its inmates, 
 or it may have truly expressed the feelings of some of the crowd. 
 If the destruction of the house had been intended, it could easily 
 have been done, for the power was with the crowd, and there was no 
 force sufficient to stay them. 
 
 It was also urged that Coquillard, in his speech, endeavoured to 
 excite the Indians to acts of violence, and to kill the Chiefs who had 
 sio-ned the treaty, and had attempted to alienate their affections 
 from our government by accusing the President and his officers, of 
 lying to them, and cheating them out of their lands. Upon this 
 subject the testimony is contradictory. This view of it is sup- 
 ported by Col. Ewing, who says he made a memorandum of the 
 speech at the time, and therefore is less likely to err in giving now 
 the impressions which it then made upon him. Several other witnesses 
 however, in relating Coquillard's speech, do not agree in the state- 
 ment that he abused the President or excited the Indians to kill the 
 Chiefs who had signed the treaty. It is, however, evident that he 
 made his speech under great excitement, having come fresh from a 
 violent quarrel with one of the claimants— that he was vehement 
 in his manner— that he dwelt most upon topics which were irri- 
 tatingboth to the whites and the Indians— and that his whole opera- 
 tions°were calculated to produce excitement in the camp. His ob- 
 ject, however, seams throughout to have been to protect the Indians 
 from the frauds vvhich he believed were about being practised upon 
 them. Meritorious as this purpose may have been, there was great 
 indiscretion exhibited in the means resorted to attain it. So great 
 
was the excitement, that all agree in the opinion, that one blow 
 struck, would have led to a general fight and much bloodshed. 
 
 The disturbance broke up any farther distribution of the money 
 by Messrs. Ewing and Taber. The latter retired to his house, and 
 having learned that some one of the crowd had threatened him per- 
 sonally, he armed himself. The sons of Barron prepared to defend 
 the money taken by their father, and Col. Ewin,-: remained in 
 the council house with the Chiefs, determined to defend his pos. 
 session. 
 
 Coquillard's speech was followed by one from S/iadrina, a half- 
 breed, who was intoxicated, and who, at Coquillard's request, in. 
 terpreted to the Indians what he had said. Speeches were also made 
 from the house-top by Gen. Grover, C. Carter, (posimaster at Lo- 
 gansport,) Allan Hamilton, Wm. G. Ewing, and Col. Pepper. Gen. 
 Grover insisted that the proceedings of Ewing and Taber, in distri! 
 buting the money should be stopped ; that the money already paid, 
 should be returned, and none paid out until all the claims were pre* 
 sented. Mr. Carter's speech was to the same purpose, and he pro- 
 posed an investigation of the claims. Mr. Hamilton proposed that 
 the money should be returned, and Mr. Ewing avowed his willing, 
 ness to have his claims investigated. All attempted to allay the 
 excitement and prevent violence. Some proposed that Col. Pepper 
 should investigate the claims. Others, that he and the disbursing 
 officer should do so. To these propositions, those gentlemen would 
 not assent. Mr. Carter then proposed that they should appoint five 
 persons to discharge that duty. This was assented to on all hands • 
 Col. Pepper resting his assent upon that of the Indians. ' 
 
 This proposition, and that of Mr. Hamilton to return the money 
 allayed the excitement, and the crowd dispersed. Mr. Hamilton 
 immediately returned the money which he was to return. Gen 
 Grover and some others proceeded to Barron's house to superintend 
 the return of his money. His sons first attempted to resist but 
 upon being threatened with having their house torn down about 
 their ears, they gave it up ; and it was then discovered that he had 
 taken $2000 more than the Chiefs and Messrs. Ewing and Taber 
 had set apart for him. Col. Ewing's money was taken by the guard 
 and put into the general pile, and the whole was then put under the 
 care of the agent. 
 
 Col. Pepper was at dinner when the disturbance began. He im 
 mediately went to the council house, and as soon as he could obtain 
 a hearing, he addressed the crowd. He asserted the right of the 
 Indians to do what they pleased with their money, and said thov 
 should be protected in the exercise of that right. He endeavoured 
 
8 
 
 to allay the excitement, and conducted himself throughout with the 
 discretion and energy becoming his station and the occasion. 
 
 This was the disturbance, as it occurred on that day. It was 
 not, thus far, attended with any other consequences than those de- 
 signed, viz. : breaking up the proceedings of Messrs. Ewing & 
 Taber. and the return of a portion of the money paid out by them. 
 The high state of excitement, however, which existed in the camp, 
 and th^ fact that the Indians were armed with their knives, and the 
 whites with clubs and sticks, might have rendered the consequences 
 more serious if it had not been for the efforts of Col. Pepper, Mr. 
 Hamilton, Mr. Carter, and others. 
 
 2d. " The cause and origin of that difficulty.'''' 
 
 Excitement existed both among the Indians and the whites, but 
 produced by different causes. 
 
 About 50 Indians of the St. Joseph or Chicago agency, accom- 
 panied by their Chief, came down to the payment, and encamped m 
 a body about two miles off. Their object was to receive a share of 
 the payment, and some of the Wabash Potawatamies desired they" 
 should do so. The Chiefs, however, in council determined that this 
 should not be done, and Col. Pepper avowed his intention of carry- 
 ino- that resolution into effect. This created much di.tatisfaction 
 amoncr those northern Indians and their friends, so much so as to 
 induce them to leave the council called by the agent in a tumultu- 
 ous and insulting manner, and to threaten to fight with the Chiefs 
 
 who had denied them. c ^ a 
 
 By the treaty of 27 October, 1832, certain reservations of land 
 were made for particular Chiefs and their bands; among others, 10 
 sections to the band of Che-chaw-kose, and 16 sections to that of 
 Ash-kum and Wee-si-o-nas. Col. Pepper was instructed to treat 
 for the purchase of all those reservations remaining unsold. Ash. 
 kum and Che-chaw-kose refused to treat. Col. Pepper then avowed 
 his intention of treating with the proper Chiefs of the whole nation 
 for the cession of those reservations, and he did so. The treaty of 
 the ^3d of September, 1836, was that which he thus made, to which 
 neither Ash-kum nor Che-chaw-kose, nor any of their bands, were 
 
 ^""Thb as might have been expected, produced great excitement in 
 those two Chiefs and their bands. They denied the right of the 
 Chiefs of the nation to sell their particular reservations without their 
 consent. They remonstrated against the treaty thus made, and 
 insisted that it should be broke. They appealed to a letter from 
 Gov Cass, which they had, as evidence of their right to a separate 
 
and exclusive enjoyment of their particular reservations ; and they 
 repeatedly threatened the lives of the Chiefs who had thus assumed 
 to cede their lands. 
 
 The disturbance which I have described, occurred on Sunday, 
 the 25th September. This treaty was made on Friday the 23d, and 
 became publicly known on Saturday the 24th. 
 
 The Indians, whose dissatisfaction was produced by these two 
 causes, numbered about 300 in camp, as many as, if not more, than 
 those who were friendly. 
 
 The state of feeling among them was known on Sunday, and both 
 Coquillard and Shadrina alluded to this subject in their speeches on 
 that day. Their appeals seemed to meet with a ready response 
 from the Indians, who were mingled with the whites in the crowd. 
 
 The excitement among the white people was produced by a dif- 
 ferent cause. Almost all of them were claimants against the In- 
 dians. The claims amounted to nearly double the sum which the 
 Indians were to receive. One of the witnesses described the whites as 
 composing " two parties on the ground — one consisted of those who 
 had the money, and the other of those who wanted it, and the latter- 
 was the strongest." The officers of government stood alooffrom both. 
 
 The Indians received $63,000. Of this they set apart $16,000 
 for themselves, and appropriated $47,000 to the payment of their 
 debts. The Chiefs, and their friends Messrs. Ewing and Taber, 
 had already paid out to three persons $32,000, leaving only $15,000 
 for distribution among the other claimants. It seemed to be gene- 
 rally understood among the claimants, that no debts (excepting 
 only those adjusted in 1835) should be paid, until all the claims 
 should be presented, so that all should have an equal chance. On 
 the contrary, the payment of new claims commenced without wait- 
 ing for the presentation of all of them. The remonstrances of the 
 other claimants were disregarded, one of them was ejected by vio- 
 lence from the room. And the payment went on with a liberal 
 hand to those who were permitted to remain inside. Hence the 
 excitement among the white people. 
 
 Their object seemed to be solely to arrest these proceedings, and 
 bring about a more equitable distribution of the money. None of 
 the claimants alluded to the topic which had produced the excite, 
 raent among the Indians. And as soon as the money was returned, 
 and it was determined to appoint other men to pay it out after re- 
 ceiving all the claims, the excitement among them subsided, and 
 the disturbance, so far as they were concerned, ended. 
 
 It is, however, contended, that the disturbance was the result of 
 preconcert among some of the leaders. This allegation is based 
 upon the evidence of Saml. D. Taber, " that Grover and Coquillard 
 
10 
 
 appeared very much enraged that claims were to be paid, which 
 ought not to be ; and the latter said, before that should be done, he 
 would tear down tlic house and give tbe money to the Indians. 
 Carter told him to stick to that, and Grover said they would make 
 Coquillard foreman, and the three then went off together; that 
 Eldredf^e said thev would have had a disturbance before, if they 
 could have got any body to talk Indian ; as soon as Coquillard came, 
 
 they went ahead." 
 
 I cannot learn from the testimony, that Mr. Carter did any thing 
 more in the disturbance, than to make the proposition, which was 
 finally acceded to, and quieted the excitement. The other three gen. 
 tlemen were active in leading on the crowd. But I am not satisfied 
 that they intended any violence. They talked loud, and made a 
 great noise, but committed no further violence. 
 
 3. '« Its results, and particularly as to the conduct of the offi- 
 cers,'^ «SfC. 
 
 ' One result was, that part of the money of the Indians was miss- 
 in-, and never accounted for. They received $63,000. Of this, 
 $472 was paid for depredations, $12,328 was paid by Messrs. 
 Ewing and Taber, and not returned, $16,000 was paid by the new 
 Commissioners to the Indians, $32,832 to the claimants, and 
 $128,00 for their services and expenses ; making a total of $61,760. 
 And showing a deficiency of $1240. I cannot, with all my inqui- 
 ries, ascertain what became of that sum. It was probably extract, 
 ed from the mass during the disturbance, but by whom I cannot 
 even conjecture. It seems to have been lost to the Indians at all 
 
 events. 
 
 Another result was, that when it became necessary to have a 
 guard, it was no longer discreet for Col. Pepper to rely upon the 
 assistance of the white people on the ground ; for most of them had 
 been engaged in the disturbance, and some of his guard had aban- 
 doned their post and made common cause with the people. He 
 was therefore obliged to resort elsewhere for a force which, under 
 other circumstances, he might have obtained on the spot. 
 
 Another result was, an entirely diflTerent distribution of the mo. 
 ney. On Monday morning Col. Pepper announced the appoint- 
 ment of Ebenezer Ward, William Polke, R. B. Stevenson, S. B. 
 Barthelet, and E. V. Cicott. This appointment was very judicious. 
 They were gentlemen of high character in the community, and dis- 
 charged their duty with fidelity and scrupulous integrity. There 
 is no^foundation whatever for the charges of mal-conduct against 
 them, which are contained in the letter from the Chiefs. If they 
 
11 
 
 paid any false claims, it was because they had neither the time nor 
 the opportunity of investigation. And in every instance, where 
 either of them was interested in the claim presented, he was care- 
 ful to abstain from acting upon it. Tiiey rejected some claims, and 
 upon all that were allowed, they paid something. 
 
 Another result is so intimately connected with calling out the 
 troops, that it will be considered hereafter. 
 
 I felt myself especially required to investigate the conduct of the 
 officers of government in these transactions. 
 
 The conduct of Barron, the interpreter, in taking $2000 more 
 than was allotted to him, was without excuse. 
 
 The Chiefs deny that they intended to make any charge against 
 Col. Pepper, but there are some implied in their letter to the 
 President. These are, however, complaints that he had not remained 
 among them as long as they deemed it necessary. He did remain 
 as long as there was any real necessity for his doing so, and then he 
 was called away by other and equally pressing official duties. 
 
 It may also be, as the Chiefs and Mr. Coquillard seemed to sup- 
 pose, that if he had undertaken the task of distribution, there would 
 not have been any disturbance. But that was not within the scope 
 of his official duties, and his predecessor had incurred some cen- 
 sure from having, on previous occasions, undertaken it. 
 
 " 4th. Was it (the disturbance) such as to justify calling out the 
 troops ?" 
 
 The state of feeling among a portion of the Indians, on Sunday, 
 has already been adverted to. On the evening of that day Col. 
 Pepper held a council with the Chiefs, to select the new commis- 
 sioners. Ashkum, and others of the disaffected Indians, intruded 
 themselves rudely upon that council, and broke it up. 
 
 At the execution of the treaty of the 23d September, the Chiefs 
 who signed it expressed their fears that their lives would be endan- 
 ed if they did so. Col. Pepper promised them his protection. After 
 the execution of the treaty, he was informed that the dissatisfied 
 Indians had held a council, and determined to kill all who had 
 signed the treaty ; and the feeling which existed among them, was 
 apparent to him as early as Sunday morning. After the coun- 
 cil was thus disturbed on Sunday evening, the Chiefs who had 
 signed the treaty called upon him, told him their lives were threat, 
 ened, and claimed his protection as he had promised them. At this 
 time there were many in the camp, both Indians and Whites, who 
 were intoxicated, and these Chiefs armed themselves with knives 
 and pistols. 
 
 There were no government troops nearer than Chicago, and they 
 
12 
 
 could not have been procured in less than five or six days' time. It 
 was not to be expected, under the circumstances, that the agent would 
 attempt to organize a force among those whites who were in the 
 camp, and who had, most of them, been engaged in scenes which 
 encouraged, if it did not engender, the bad feeling among the In- 
 dians. He had no alternative but to call upon the militia ; and he 
 did so by a requisition upon Col. Ewing, a copy of which will be 
 found in the record of my proceedings. This was issued on Sun- 
 day evening, and the troops arrived in the neighbourhood on Mon- 
 day afternoon. 
 
 Apprehensions of further disturbance continued on Monday, and 
 it was the opinion of the most candid and dispassionate among the 
 witnesses, that, in consequence of the excitement during that day, 
 no distribution of the money could have taken place without the 
 aid of troops ; and that opinion was repeatedly expressed to Col. 
 Pepper. In the course of that day, Ashkum, and an Indian named 
 Ship-she-wa-eno, made some speeches to an assemblage of about 
 200 Indians, in which they were very abusive to Col. Pepper and in- 
 sulting to the Chiefs who had signed the treaty, daring them to come 
 out of doors, telling them they were not Chiefs, &;c. 
 
 The conduct of this Chief and his party, on this occasion and on 
 Sunday evening, was the natural consequence of the previous dis- 
 turbance. They would not have ventured upon it, if the example 
 had not been set them the day before, if they had not looked for 
 countenance among the white people, and had not discovered the 
 want of power in the agent to control either the whites or Indians. 
 
 On the same day Coquillard went into the woods, and made a 
 speech to 40 or 50 Indians, in which he accused the Ewings of at- 
 tempting to cheat them. Col. Pepper hearing of this, went to the 
 place, and forbid Coquillard from going any farther, and he de- 
 sisted. 
 
 In the course of that afternoon, the news reached the camp that 
 troops had arrived in the vicinity. The excitement became imme- 
 diately very great. The people rushed towards the lodge, in which 
 was Col. Pepper with the money. He met them at the door, and by 
 his resolution and energy prevented any farther disturbance there. 
 The camp was in great confusion. Some abused the Colonel ; others 
 talked of preparing to meet the troops ; but nothing more than noise 
 happened. 
 
 The next day the troops arrived at the camp. The money was 
 put into the possession of Mr. Ward and his associates, and the 
 troops under their orders. And then, without any farther molesta- 
 tion, the task of distribution was completed. 
 
 Those Commissioners made to me a report of their proceedings 
 
13 
 
 which IS herewith transmitted. The troops were on duty for several 
 days, and, accompanying the evidence, will be found sundry docu- 
 ments showing the particulars of their service. 
 
 ft might have been, that the money could have been distributed, 
 and the Chiefs protected against the threatened violence, without 
 any resort to an armed force. But there was too much excitement 
 and well-grounded apprehension of violence, to justify an experi- 
 ment which, if unsuccessful, would have been attended with dis- 
 astruos and fatal consequences. And in my opinion Col. Pepper 
 was required, by the obligations of his office, to call around him 
 such a force as would cause his station, as the representative of the 
 government, to be properly respected, and would enable him to 
 afford to the Chiefs that protection which they had, under the cir- 
 cumstances, a right to require at his hands. 
 
 During the investigation before me, there was some conflicting 
 testimony, and some imputations upon individuals, which induced 
 me to announce, at the close of the testimony, that I would receive 
 any written communications upon the subject from any person who 
 might choose to make them. 
 
 In consequence of this announcement, I received the letters here 
 to annexed from M. Coquillard, E. V. Cicott, G. W. Ewing, Joseph 
 Barron, and Peter Barron. I do not know that I am called upon 
 to take any farther notice of the three former. The two latter are 
 from two of the witnesses to the letter of the Chiefs to the President 
 and they aver that the letter in my possession is different from that 
 which they signed. 
 
 Having received only a copy from your department, in conse- 
 quence of these letters I applied to you, as you are aware, for the 
 original. Upon receiving it, I discovered at once, from an inspection 
 of the paper, that the whole of it-signatures of Chiefs and witnesses 
 —was all in the same hand-writing, and therefore color was given to 
 the assertion of the Messrs. Barron. I then applied to Col. Evvina 
 for the original, by letter, a copy of which is annexed. He prompt! 
 ly furnished it to me, and I herewith transmit it to you. It will be 
 seen on examination, that though it differs in some respects from 
 that on your files, the difference is not very material, and does 
 not exist m those points in which the Barrens suppose it did. 
 
 Your instructions direct me to report to your office all the facts 
 which shall be elicited by my investigation, together with my opi. 
 mon whether any, and if any, what farther action is necessary on the 
 part of your department. I hope I shall be pardoned for taking in 
 my answer a wider range than may appear to be strictly neces- 
 sary. 
 
 In regard to the conduct of Barron the interpreter, I must beg 
 
u 
 
 leave, before your department shall arrive at an opinion, to refer 
 you to my report in some of the debt cases, and particularly in his 
 own case, No. 17, and to his letter to me of the 19th of June, which 
 is herewith transmitted. 
 
 I am not aware that it will be necessary for your department to 
 take any measures, even if any should be deemed proper, in refer- 
 ence to the conduct of the parties engaged in the disturbance. An 
 indictment has been preferred in the State courts of Indiana against 
 Coquillard, Grover, Eldredge, Comparet, Shadrina, and Carter for 
 a Riot ; and that tribunal is competent to try and to punish, if justice 
 "shall require it. A copy of the indictment is herewith transmitted. 
 
 By referring to a letter from Gen. Howard, a copy of which will 
 be found on page 103 of the Record of my proceedings, it will be 
 seen that Col. Ewing preferred a complaint against Coquillard and 
 others for a violation of the laws of Congress, and that Col. Pepper 
 addressed a communication to the U. S. District Judge upon the 
 subject. In consequence of the latter, a grand jury was summoned, 
 and the matter submitted to them. They found " that the breaches 
 of law complained of, referred themselves for adjudication and pun- 
 ishment to the laws of the State of Indiana, and the courts thereof ;" 
 but they expressed an opinion that Coquillard and Shadrina had vio- 
 lated the 13th Sect, and the latter clause of the 15th Section of the 
 Act of Congress of the 30th June, 1834. 
 
 It is proper, therefore, as suggested by Gen. Howard, that I should 
 express an opinion whether the latter part of this finding of the 
 Grand Jury is correct. The District Attorney certainly acted with 
 propriety in deferring the commencement of prosecutions for the 
 penalties prescribed by those sections. He was not bound by that 
 finding, yet it would have afforded him a good excuse for commenc- 
 ing suits. But it was altogether most discreet to wait until all the 
 facts should be fully developed. 
 
 I have already adverted to the discrepancies in the testimony in 
 reference to the speeches of Coquillard and Shadrina. It is stated 
 most strongly against them in the testimony of Col. Ewing. 
 (page 70.) Even if we should consider that as the correct version, 
 there will not, I think, be found enough to justify the finding of the 
 Grand Jury. 
 
 This is a penal law, and is to be strictly construed. The 13th 
 section renders it penal to send any talk, speech, dec, with intent to 
 produce a contravention or infraction of a treaty, die. or to dis- 
 turb the peace, &c. Now, this cannot properly be construed 
 to relate to a speech or talk orally delivered by its author, but only 
 to one sent by its author through some other channel than a personal 
 (delivery. The next (the 14th) section strengthens this view, for i t 
 
15 
 
 inflicts a penalty upon any person who shall deliver any such talk, 
 &c., to or from any Indian nation, &lc., from or to any subject, citi- 
 zen, &c. ; clearly contemplating only a case of a speech or talk 
 sent from one person to another by a third. This was not the case 
 with Coquillard and Shadrina. They delivered their own speeches, 
 and did not send them by a third person. Although as much mis- 
 chief may be done in the one way as the other, and a penal provi- 
 sion be equally necessary in both cases, that will aflbrd no good 
 reason for extending the operation of the statute to cases not strictly 
 within its letter. 
 
 The latter clause of the 15th section renders it penal for any 
 person to alienate, or attempt to alienate, the confidence of any 
 Indian or Indians yrom the government of the United States. If we 
 still continue to take the view of their speeches which Col. Ewing 
 gives, we shall not, I apprehend, be able to find any thing in them 
 which would subject Coquillard and Shadrina to the penalty pre- 
 scribed in this section. The utmost that they said, was accusing 
 the agent of having cheated the Indians, advising them to disavow 
 the treaty and require it to be broken, and charging the Agent or 
 the President (which of them is uncertain,) with having lied to 
 them. All this may have had a tendency to alienate the con- 
 fidence of the Indians from the Agent, but the alienation of their 
 confidence from the government would not necessarily ensue. The 
 speeches were consistent with the entire confidence of the Indians 
 that the government would break an unjust treaty, and protect them 
 against the deceptions of which they complained, and may have 
 contemplated an appeal to the justice of government for that pur- 
 pose. It is true, the speakers may have intended to effect their ob- 
 ject by a resort to violence. But in the absence of testimony, we 
 are not at liberty to presume, in order to bring them within the 
 provisions of a penal statute, that their intentions were unlawful. 
 On the other hand, it is our duty to presume that their intentions 
 were lawful, until the contrary is proved. No such proof was 
 given in the case, and I am of opinion that the Grand Jury err- 
 ed. 
 
 I have carefully examined the act of Congress, for a prohibition 
 against any person's making a speech, or any other direct and per- 
 sonal effort, to alienate the affections of the Indians from our 
 government, or to disturb our peace or tranquillity. I have searched 
 in vain. Such a provision seems necessary ; for surely as much 
 injury can be done by personally making a speech, as by its trans- 
 mission through a third person. 
 
 This is not, however, the only reform which suggests itself to me 
 as proper to be adopted. 
 
16 
 
 Difficulties like those which occurred in Indiana, or occurrences 
 of a character equally destructive to the morals and happiness 
 of the Indians, must, more or less, necessarily grow out of the 
 present mode of paying their annuities. A whole nation or tribe 
 is assembled at one place. The annuity is paid in coin, and is 
 appropriated by the Indians either in the purchase of articles at the 
 time, or in payment of debts contracted at prior purchases. Some 
 of tliese articles are necessar}^ many are unnecessary, and seme 
 are positively injurious. The traders are naturally anxious to 
 obtain this money ; not without an equivalent it is true, but an 
 equivalent in which their interest is regarded rather than that of 
 the Indian. Hence the traders prepare for the payment, and pro- 
 ceed to the camp with the materials for trade ; and they are induced 
 to carry into the Indian country, and spread before the Indians, the 
 temptation to indulge in practices both physically and morally 
 injurious. 
 
 It is in vain that the payment may be appointed far in the 
 interior, and at a distance from the trading ports. 
 
 It is soon ascertained that whiskey can be transported wherever 
 specie can, and the one follows the other with a true and certain 
 scent. 
 
 The evils arising from this practice are manifold. 
 
 Much time is occupied in travelling to and from the payment, 
 and the Indians are consequently often absent from their hunts or 
 their corn-fields for three or four weeks of their most valuable time. 
 
 Many white men and half-breeds are in the habit of attending ; 
 some from curiosity or amusement, and some for the purpose of 
 sharing in the annuity, by enrolling themselves or their families in 
 the tribe by their Indian names. Among these, it is not uncommon 
 for scenes of debauchery and intoxication to ensue, which at least 
 has the effect of rendering the task of keeping the Indians in pro- 
 per bounds rather difficult. 
 
 \< The proneness of the Indians to indulge in intoxication is net 
 always controllable, and it is frequently impracticable for the offi- 
 cers of government to procure their abstinence even until their 
 business shall be completed. The hope of gain overcomes the 
 fear of the penalties of the law. A military force cannot always 
 be procured. A guard organized from the inhabitants of ^the 
 camp, cannot, as was evident in Indiana, be always relied upon. 
 And without a physical force to destroy or take possession of 
 the liquor, the traders and Indians will both yield to the tempta- 
 tions before them. If the officers of government are able to pre- 
 serve order during their sojourn in camp, the traders and Indians 
 remain after their departure. All restraint is then thrown off; and 
 
17 
 
 the whole camp, men, women, and children, will exhibit a disgust. 
 ing spectacle of intoxication — the money of the Indians be wasted 
 and gone in a few hours — not uncommonly fights and murders 
 occur, and the Indian returns from his payment almost as poor as 
 when he went, and certainly injured rtv the debauchery in which he 
 has been engaged, and the examples which have been set before him. 
 f I am not dealing in exaggeration. I am describing what I 
 have seen, and what has been disclosed to me in my investigations. 
 By referring to the particular case of the Potawatamies, it will be 
 observed that there were several grog-shops in the camp — that 
 whites and Indians were both intoxicated — that liquor had much to 
 do in producing the necessity for the interposition of an armed force 
 — and that the excitement among the Indians was rendered alarm- 
 ing by their intoxication. 
 
 The effect thus produced upon the moral habits of the Indians, is 
 not the only evil they sustain from this practice. By means of 
 their annuities, they acquire a credit with the traders which is in- 
 jurious to them. When in want of any article, instead of relyino- 
 upon their skill in hunting, or their industry in their corn-fields or 
 their rice grounds, they rely upon this credit, and buy at a price 
 greatly increased by their ignorance, and the risk and delay in 
 payment. Proper incentives to industry are thus destroyed, and 
 they are encouraged in the habits of idleness and improvidence 
 to which they are ever prone, and which are the most formidable 
 obstacles to their civilization and moral improvement. 
 
 The community of property generally existing among them, and 
 which operates to discourage their industry, is increased by the 
 present mode of paying their annuities. The debts which they 
 contract are frequently paid out of the comn)on stock of the whole 
 tribe, the debts of individuals being thus converted into claims 
 against the whole nation. The indebted Indian is not required to 
 pay his debt out of his share of the annuity. This arises from 
 their inability to compute or understand the accounts against them, 
 or to make distribution of their money, and from the importunitv of 
 their creditors, who find their interest in checking discrimination. 
 The effect, however, upon the Indians is most injurious. The 
 more each runs in debt, the greater is the share which he obtains 
 of the common fund. The industrious and economical fare worse 
 than do the idle and extravagant ; and a struggle is very naturally 
 produced among them, which shall least practise the virtues which 
 are so essential to the improvement of their condition. 
 
 This is strongly exemplified among the Potawatamies of the Wa- 
 bash. By pursuing this course they have become so involved in 
 debt, that the price of their whole domain, although liberal, cannot 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 extricate them ; and the habits of idleness, improvidence, and intoxica- 
 tion, thus produced among tliem, render the entire extinction of this 
 portion of a once powerful nation, an event that must be regarded as 
 both speedy and certain, unless a new state of things shall dawn 
 upon them. 
 
 Beyond the benefits resulting to the traders from this practice, I 
 know of but one argument in favor of its continuance ; it is, perhaps, 
 the cheapest mode in which we can pay Indian annuities. But I 
 will not believe that this consideration will have any weigiit 
 with our government, when it is recollected that our mistimed 
 economy is inflicting serious and lasting evils upon those whom we 
 are in the habit of treating as inops consilii, as wards committed 
 to our guardian care, whose welfare we are bound to regard by 
 every consideration of justice and humanity. 
 
 The most effectual remedy for these evils will be to pay the an- 
 nuities in goods and provisions. 
 
 The first effect of this change will be, to destroy the worst part 
 of the Indian trade. The traders do not wish for goods in exchange 
 for their commodities. Their object, mainly, is to obtain money or furs. 
 Their trade being confined principally to the latter, they would not 
 have the same inducement to attend the Indian payments with large 
 stocks of goods and liquor. The Indians, for the purchase of such 
 articles as they would require, would be compelled to rely upon their 
 success in hunting or cultivating the ground. They would thus be 
 incited to be industrious, skilful, and economical ; and the traders 
 would no longer find it to their interest to hold out to them temp- 
 tations to be otherwise ; and the influence of the traders growing out 
 of the frequency of their intercourse, and which is naturally exer- 
 cised rather for their own benefit than that of the Indians, would be 
 materially impaired. 
 
 That influence is already sufficiently strong to enable the traders, if 
 they should see fit to exercise it, to thwart any measures depending 
 upon the assent of the Indians which government might adopt for 
 their improvement. They are in the frequent habit of conferring 
 favors upon the Indians, sometimes without the hope of remunera- 
 tion, and to afford relief from acute suffering and pressing want ; 
 sometimes with an expectation of return, rendered uncertain by a 
 dependence not only upon the will, but the ability of the obliged 
 party. As there is no obligation which has more binding force 
 with an Indian, than that of making a suitable return for favors be- 
 stowed ; so no influence over them is stronger than that which is 
 founded on this basis, and none that is more powerful, for good or 
 ill, as it may chance to be exerted. 
 
19 
 
 The goods, if judiciously purchased, could be supplied by govern- 
 ment at a much cheaper rate than by the retail trader of the In- 
 dian country ; or, to express it more properly, the Indians would re- 
 ceive more goods for the same money. Confined to articles of ne- 
 cessity, such as clothing, provisions, and implements for hunting 
 and farming, and the like, they would furnish much more extensive 
 relief from that pinching want which is the frequent consequence 
 of their uncontrolable love of finery and strong drinks. 
 
 This measure, therefore, while it will curtail the means and in- 
 ducements for intemperate indulgence, will increase the supply for 
 actual necessaries. I know, however, that it is frequently said, 
 that it will compel the Indians to receive articles which they do not 
 want. This, surely, cannot be considered an insuperable objection, 
 until it shall be shown to be impracticable for the Indians to com- 
 municate their wants to the officers of government, or for those offi- 
 cers to ascertain what articles are suitable to their condition ; 
 a matter, one would suppose, of not more difficult attainment to a 
 government officer than to an Indian trader. 
 
 The mere fact of paying annuities in goods, will not alone pro- 
 duce all the benefits to be desired, although it will materially ap- 
 proximate to that result. The habitual improvidence of the Indians 
 may frequently induce them, when they have on hand more goods 
 or provisions than is required by their immediate wants, to barter 
 them away for injurious commodities at so great a sacrifice as to 
 render the trade, even in that form, profitable to the white man. 
 This will be more particularly the case if they are congregated in 
 such large numbers as to create a business extensive enough to com- 
 pensate the trader for his risk, time, and expense of transportation. 
 
 To prevent this, and render the system complete, it would be ne- 
 cessary to abolish the present practice of calling a whole nation or 
 tribe together, and paying a whole year's annuity at one time ; but, 
 in lieu of that, pay them by separate bands, villages, or small par- 
 ties ; divide the annuity in two or more payments, to be made at dif- 
 ferent periods in the year ; and in all cases have it distributed by 
 the government officers, among heads of families or individuals, 
 and not paid in mass. 
 
 It is this feature in the proposed reform, which will increase the 
 duties of your subordinates, and may increase the expense to go- 
 vernment ; but the advantafjes to the Indians must be manifest to 
 every one acquainted with the subject. 
 
 In those cases where, in consequence of treaty stipulations, or 
 from other causes, annuities can be paid only in specie, many of the 
 evils of which I have spoken would be remedied or ameliorated by 
 making the payments to small bands or villages, rather than to the 
 
20 
 
 whole nation, and at several periods in the year ; and in all cases let 
 each family have its share. The advantage of each of these measures 
 has already been pointed out, among which, the encouragement which 
 would thus be given to a separate ownership of property would not 
 be the least. 
 
 I am aware that it may said that the Indians have recently, by 
 refusing to accept their annuities in goods, evinced their opposition 
 to the course I susraest. But I am also aware that these refusals have 
 frequently been prompted by other considerations than the advance- 
 ment of the true interest of the Indians, and have as frequently been 
 mads in uttt)r ignorance of tlie fact, that they would have been ma- 
 terially benefitted by acceptance. I too fully appreciate the opera- 
 ting influence, to accord to that refusal all the weight to which, un- 
 der other circumstances, it might be entitled. 
 
 The plan, therefore, Avliich I suggest, will, in my opinion, be at- 
 tended with these great advantages : — it will avoid the debauchery 
 and intoxication so frequently exhibited at Indian payments, will 
 remove the temptations which are now so freely placed before the 
 Indians, will extend their annuities in value, will teach them a 
 separation instead of a community of property, will encourage 
 economy and industry, and discourage their opposites, and will 
 impair an influence over them which can frequently be exercised 
 to their injury. 
 
 Thoroughly convinced, by observation and my investigations, of the 
 justice and humanity of the measures which I have taken the liberty 
 to suggest, I have felt it a duty to submit them to your consider- 
 ation, in the hope that by their adoption much may be done to 
 improve the condition of the Indians, and their certain destruction 
 Be at least impeded, if it cannot be entirely arrested. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 With great respect, your obedient Serv't, 
 
 J. W. EDMONDS, 
 U. S. Com'r, &c. 
 
DOCUMENTS. 
 
 PROGRAMME OF GENERAL HOWARD. 
 
 LoGANSPORT, InD. 
 
 Tuesday morning, 13th June, 1837. 
 In the investigation of certain matters (connected with the In- 
 dian payment in the County of Fuller, in September last,) before 
 the Commissioner, J. W. Edmonds, Esq., under instructions from 
 the War Department, I propose to offer testimony upon the follow, 
 ing subjects of inquiry, in the order in which they are stated, to 
 wit : — 
 
 1st. The difficulty at the payment, embracing the riot or mob, 
 with the attendant circumstances. 
 
 2d. The cause and origin of that difficulty. 
 
 3d. Its results, and particularly as to the conduct of the officers, 
 &;c. 
 
 4th. Was it such as to justify calling out the troops ? 
 
 These points of inquiry, it is believed, comprehend the matters 
 indicated in that part of the instructions to which my attention has 
 been directed by the Commissioner. 
 
 T. A. Howard, 
 U. S. Atty., Ind. District. 
 
 REQUISITION OF COMMISSIONERS. 
 
 To CoL. A. C. Pepper. 
 
 You will please retain the troops here to protect us and the 
 Chiefs of the Potawatamies, in his discharge of our duty as Com- 
 missioners to investigate claims in favour of the Whites against 
 said Potawatamies. 
 
 Wm. Polke, 
 
 E. V. CiCOTT, 
 
 R. B. Stevenson, 
 Sept. 29, 1836. D. D. Pratt. 
 
 We, the undersigned, with feeling safe to discharge the duty in- 
 volved upon us by the Chiefs of the Wabash Potawatamies, through 
 their father, Col. A. C. Pepper, Indian agent, suggest the propriety 
 
22 
 
 of Col. Pepper's sending for the troops at Rochester, to protect us 
 and the Chiefs in the distribution of their annuity ; and also to ac- 
 company the money left to pay their just debts to Judge Polke, if 
 required ; and also to prevent all violations of the laws of the State. 
 Ebenezer Ward, President of the Board. 
 
 P. S, We further request Col. A. C. Pepper to lead the troops 
 to this camp. 
 
 Sept. 28, 1836. 
 
 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 1836. 
 
 Sir, — The undersigned Commissioners appointed by Col. Pepper, 
 Indian Agent, and Capt. Simonton, Disbursing Agent, at the re- 
 quest of the Potavvatamie Chiefs, in Sept. 1836, to divide and dis- 
 tribute a portion of their money to the heads of families, and to divide 
 the residue among the claimants against the Polawatamies of the 
 Wabash, beg leave respectfully to submit the following report :— 
 
 Under the peculiar circumstances existing at the time, 
 owing to the great number of claimants, and others attending 
 the payment, and the difliculty of procuring subsistence in the 
 neighborhood, together with the impatience of the Indians and 
 claimants themselves, it was found impracticable to enter into any 
 accurate investigation of claims presented against the Indians. 
 The undersigned, by one of their colleagues, namely, William Polke, 
 Esq., proclaimed to the people or claimants, that they would en- 
 deavor to pay no claims that were not just ; but should they, through 
 mistake, pay any one more than should thereafter, upon an investi- 
 gation, appear to be just, the claimants would be required to pay 
 them back ; and further, that the undersigned would recommend to 
 the Secretary of VVar the propriety and necessity of instituting an 
 investigation, by the ai)pointment of a Commissioner for that pur- 
 pose, of all the claims against the aforesaid tribe of Indians. That 
 the undersigned, believing such a Commissioner would be appointed, 
 and that upon this condition being verbally expressed and under- 
 stood, the claimants herewith presented were handed in and tiled, 
 and afterwards handed back to the owners. 
 
 We beg leave to submit to your Honor, that, agreeable to the re- 
 quest of the Chiefs, we paid of the money that was placed in our 
 care to themselves and to the heads of families as they directed, six- 
 teen thousand dollars ; and the remainder thirty-two thousand nine 
 hundred and sixty dollars, as follows, to witi: — 
 
 To ditferent claimants as per vouchers, thirty-two thousand eight 
 hundred and thirty-two dollars, and for conveying the same from 
 payment ground to Judge Polke, by two teams, fourteen dollars, (re- 
 ceipts ;) also paid Cyrus Vigus and Moses H. Scott, for assisting in 
 counting the money, five dollars each. Also paid Judge Polke, 
 for sundry accommodations in transacting our business, sixteen dol- 
 
23 
 
 lars ; and also paid Mr. Rice, our interpreter, six dollars ; and to M. 
 B. Brouillet, Esq., four dollars ; and tlie Commissioners sixteen dol- 
 lars each ; making ninety-six dollars. Amounting in ail that we 
 paid, to the sum of forty-eight thousand nine hundred and sixty- 
 eight dollars. 
 
 The foregoing being the full amount of money that came into the 
 hands of the Commissioners on the 28th of Sept. 1836. 
 
 Ebenezer VVakd, ") 
 
 Wm. Polkk, ,' ^ . . 
 
 T T> i> } Commissioners. 
 
 L. ij. Uerthelet, I 
 
 B. B. Stevenson, J 
 
 To J. W. Edmonds, Esq., Commissoner U. S. 
 June 8th, 1837. 
 
 LETTER OF ALEXIS COQUILLARD. 
 
 Logansport, June 22d. 1837. 
 To John W. Edmonds, Esq. 
 
 United States' Commissioner for investigating claims airainst 
 
 DO O 
 
 the Wabash Potawatamies. 
 Sir, — An opportunity having been offered to myself, with others, 
 to present you a statement in writing, explanatory, and in justifica- 
 tion of my conduct at the payment of the annuity to the Wabash 
 Potawatamies on the Tippicanoe River, in the fall of 1836, as also in 
 other matters connected therewith, I beg leave to trouble you with 
 the following. I first commenced trading with the Potawatamie In- 
 dians in the year 1817, on the little St. Joseph's River, about forty 
 miles distant from Fort Wayne, and continued there part of the time 
 trading for myself, and part of the time as agent or clerk of J. E. 
 Swartz ; at the expiration of which time I formed a co-partnership 
 with Francis Comparet, and removed to Fort Wayne, where I con. 
 tinued trading with said Indians until 1835, embracing a period of 
 near fourteen years. My partner resided during this period at Fort 
 Wayne. During the three or four first years in which we traded as 
 co-partners, we had an annual stock of goods amounting to frOra five 
 thousand to ten thousand dollars. During the remainder of the 
 time we had annually a stock of between twenty-five and thirty 
 thousand dollars ; and I do not now remember that in any one year 
 during that whole period, we did or could have credited to the In- 
 dians more than six thousand dollars. This arose not from our un. 
 willingness to credit them for goods, but from the fears which they 
 entertained, and often expressed, that they would not be able to pay 
 for them. It would be proper for me here to remark, that durino- 
 the greater part of the time I was trading with them they owned 
 almost the whole of that portion of the State of Indiana lying north 
 of the Wabash River. In the year 1832, on the Tippacanoe River, 
 a nd in 1833 at Chicago, I had a final settlement with the Wabash 
 
24 
 
 Indians, and roceived my last payment in 1835. In September, 
 1836, a short time prior to the payment of the annuity to the Wa- 
 bash Potawatainies of that year, private business called me to Fort 
 Wayne and Wabash Town. On my return home, other private busi- 
 ness required my presence at Rochester, a small town about four 
 miles distant from the spot that had been selected as the payment 
 ground for the payment of the annuity last mentioned. While 
 there, I was called upon by several of my friends to go to the pay- 
 ment ground ; and, after some persuasion and statements on their 
 part, all my friends, some Indians among the number, wished very 
 much that I would come. I consented, and did go. In order the 
 better to explain the course then pursued by myself, I must ask you 
 to go back to the year 1819, at which time I at first became acquaint, 
 ed with the Messrs. Evving. In the year 1822 I think, the father of 
 the Messrs. Ewing had a small trading establisiiment ; but Mr. G. 
 H. Ewing and Mr. Wm. G. Ewing did not commence trading un- 
 til in 1826 or 1827, at which time they purchased a small stock of 
 goods in Detroit. They located themselves at Fort Wayne, and 
 traded with Miami and Potawatamie Indians indiscriminately. 
 They continued at Fort Wayne until 1828 or 1829, at which time 
 Mr. Geo. W. Ewing removed to Logansport, where he now resides. 
 From my acquaintance with the men, I have found them to be de- 
 signing, intriguing men, seeking a fortune, (for they, like myself, 
 "were poor wlien they commenced business,) with a determination 
 to get it, as they have often said to myself and others, by whatever 
 means they could obtain it. Showing this to be their character, I 
 have always thought them capable of doing any act, however mean 
 or dishonorable. When, therefore, I arrived at Rochester and the 
 payment ground as above stated. I was not a little surprised to 
 find that they (the Ewings.) had presented a claim of $32,000 
 against the Indians. I say I was not a little surprised ; for, notwith- 
 standing I thought them capable, as above remarked, ot doing almost 
 any thing for the sake of money ; yet I did not think thoy could have 
 the effrontery to bring a claim of that amount for goods sold in the 
 course of one year; and that, too, against the Wabash Potawatamie 
 tribe, which does not exceed one thousand in number. In 1835 
 they had a final settlement with the Indians, and were allowed the 
 sum of $8000, at which time they received $5000, and were to get the 
 remainder in 1836, which they did. When they were allowed that 
 sum, they said to many persons, and to the Indians themselves, that 
 that was the whole of the claim they then had against said Indians ; 
 and when we add to this, the fact that they have purchased from 
 these same Indians nearly 3,000 acres of land, besides the great 
 amount of land which they have purchased from other persons ; that 
 they only commenced business about ten years since, and that, too, 
 when poor ; and that they never, at any one year, purchased more 
 than $40,000 worth of goods to supply a large store at Fort Wayne, 
 where they also traded largely with the white population, a large 
 store at Logansport, where they also sold largely to the whites, be- 
 sides a large number of small establishments elsewhere ; I think you 
 must yourself be surprised. I would here beg leave to remark, that 
 
25 
 
 from my intimate knowledge of the Potawatamie Indians, their cha- 
 racter and language, I can state, without fear of contradiction, that 
 there is no race of beings who can so easily be made the dupes of 
 designing men. They are a simple, confiding people ; and when they 
 have confidence in any person, that person can persuade them to 
 sign any paper, and do almost any act. This remark is particularly 
 applicable to the Messrs. Ewing ; being endowed with considerable 
 natural ability and sprightliness, possessing gentlemanly and easy 
 manners with the disposition I have before mentioned, they are the 
 men of all others most likely and able to deceive and lead away 
 persons so ignorant and credulous as the Wabash Potawatamies. 
 I found a great excitement among the white people, as also among 
 the Indians. That among the whites was occasioned by the un- 
 usual amount claimed by the Messrs. Ewing, and also from the fact, 
 that Mr. G. W. Ewing and Cyrus Taber had been selected to pay 
 the claims. That among the Indians was occasioned from the fact, 
 that the head Chiefs of the nation had sold reservations that had 
 been given to bands, without consulting the Chiefs of those par- 
 ticular bands. I did not get to the payment ground until Saturday 
 evening, and consequently knew nothing of the occurrences of the 
 previous days. When I first reached the payment ground on Saturday 
 evening, a great number of persons complained that the Messrs. 
 Ewing were going to defraud them of the amount of their several 
 claims, and the Indians of the money. There was at that time a 
 very great excitement, which continued until late on Sunday evening, 
 in which I took no part until on Sunday, when in a conversation with 
 Messrs. Carter and Grover, I advised them to go to G. W. Ewing, 
 and get him, if possible, to consent to the appointment of disinterested 
 persons to investigate the claims, and pay a part or all. One of them 
 went in search of him for that purpose, but found him in the council- 
 house distributing the money, which prevented a conversation. I 
 then went to Mr. W. G. Ewing for the same purpose ; he made some 
 insulting reply, when I first civilly accosted him, which caused us to 
 quarrel. While we were still talking, some difficulty took place at 
 tbe council-house, which attracted the attention of every person, and 
 caused a general rush in that direction. I too went, but for no 
 other purpose than to see the cause. When I got there, General 
 Grover asked me to speak to the Indians, and explain the reason 
 of the disturbance. In order to do this, I first attempted to get upon 
 the top of the council-house. I caught hold of the top pole of the 
 house to pull myself up, but it gave way, and I fell to the ground. I 
 made a second attempt, but was pushed back by Majoi'^Andre, the 
 captain of the guard. I then succeeded in getting upon an adjoin- 
 ing house, when I explained to the Indians the cause of the disturb- 
 ance. I also told them that the E wings were attempting to cheat 
 them out of their money. I told them not to be still like boys, and 
 let themselves be robbed ; but to come out like men , and pay their 
 honest debts, and no more. Being excited, I said much on this sub- 
 ject ; but most positively deny saying any thing against or deroga- 
 tory to Col. Pepper, Capt. Simonton, or the government of the Uni- 
 ted States. And here I must say, that 1 see in the evidence that has 
 
 4 
 
 i>] 
 
26 
 
 been adduced before you, Sir, that the witnesses have blended the re- 
 marks made by myself with those made by the Indian Chiefs. They 
 were exasperated against those who sold their land, and consequently 
 said many hard things against them, and also against the government 
 and its officers. I also explained to the white people the cause of my 
 speaking to the Indians. I furthermore remarked, that I had no 
 claim, no interest to be effected by whatever course might be pur- 
 sued ; but that I disliked to see the Messrs. Ewing cheating and de- 
 frauding the Indians, and their neighbors, in the manner already 
 alluded to. I would further state, that in the early part of that day, 
 (Sunday,) I was sent for by the Indians. I went, and found them 
 assembled. One of them had risen to speak, when the agent. Col. 
 Pepper, came up, and informed me that it was unlawful to hold coun- 
 sel with the Indians. Upon this statement being made, I immediate- 
 ly left. After this I had frequent conversations with the Indians, 
 in which they mentioned the cause of their grief, which was the 
 sale of their lands. Thus, Sir, I have given you a full, fair, and 
 candid statement of the facts as they occurred with which I have 
 been identified. I have been thus full, to show the reasons and the 
 feelings that actuated me in the part I took in the affair of the fall of 
 1836. In conclusion I will say, as I have stated before, that many 
 witnesses, whose evidence has been adduced before you, have blend- 
 ed the remarks made by me with those made by the Indian Chiefs 
 who spoke ; and I do most solemnly aver that I did not say any thing, 
 either directly or indirectly, of the government or its officers ; and as 
 to the statement made in the letter purporting to have been written 
 by some Indians, but actually written by George W. Ewing, they 
 are false ! positively false ! 
 
 A. COQUILLARD. 
 
 LETTER OF E. V. CICOTT. 
 
 Logansport, June 20th. 1837. 
 Hon. J. W. Edmonds. 
 
 Sir, — Unavoidable circumstances having prevented me from at- 
 tending the Court of Investigation held by you, as Commissioner 
 on the part of the United States, and the Potawatamie Indians, un- 
 der instructions from the War Department ; and understanding that 
 charges of a foul character had been made against me by G. W. 
 Ewing, implicating my character and conduct as one of the indi- 
 viduals selected by Col. Pepper and Capt. Simonton at the last pay- 
 ment of annuities to the above-named Indians, to examine and pay 
 claims presented against them on that occasion ; I deem it my 
 duty to give you a brief and explanatory statement of the facts con- 
 nected with that transaction so far as it regards the claim of Silas 
 Atchison. 
 
 In the fall of 1835, Silas Atchison had a claim against the Pota- 
 watamies of the Wabash for labor and depredations, amounting to 
 
27 
 
 five hundred dollars ; it appears that ho had made several attempts to 
 get that amount from the Indians, but had always failed. He came 
 to me some time after the payment of 1835, and proposed that if I 
 would collect his claim, he would give me the half of it for my 
 trouble. I took it, under the honest conviction that I could not col- 
 lect more than half of it, as there were a great many claims of the 
 same nature existing against the Indians. I, however, took the as- 
 signment on the back of said claim, and gave him my receipt for 
 the same. 
 
 Whilst acting as Commissioner at Judge Polke's house last fall, 
 I presented to the gentlemen composing that board " the Atchison 
 claim," and left the room immediately, to afford them an opportunity 
 of acting upon it during my absence. On my return into the room I 
 found $250 of the same entered on the list of claims allowed ; that 
 amount I presented to Silas Atchison the same day, and he paid me, 
 agreeably to promise, $125. 
 
 Can it be possible that such a transaction could have been re- 
 ceived by any person (unless he be an individual devoid of honor 
 and moral rectitude) in any other light than an honest and fair trans- 
 action. Such, however, as it is, I submit to your consideration, 
 believing that you will do me ample and impartial justice. 
 
 With much respect, 1 am 
 
 Your ob't Servant, 
 
 E. V. CICOTT. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM COL. EWING 
 TO THE COMMISSIONER. 
 
 N. B. As to the reference made to me by E. V. Cicott, in his 
 recent communication to you, I will barely remark, that the un- 
 disproved fact that he fraudulently obtained $2393.00 from the Wa- 
 bash Potawatamies in Sept. 1836, and that he subsequently appro- 
 priated $125 to his oicn use when acting as a distributing Commis- 
 sioner or mob man, without any honest consideration ; and all these 
 facts appearing in evidence before you, is deemed a full and suffi. 
 cient reply and refutation to any thing he may have said relative to 
 me. 
 
 It now remains to be determined, from the future action of the go- 
 vernment, whether those Indians will or will not be protected from 
 such open, notorious, and flagrant yrawc^s; perhaps Mr. Cicott could 
 give you some information as to the two boxes of Indian money, 
 which it seems has not yet been accounted for to you ; let an honest 
 inquiry be continued, " villany will out." 
 
 I remain with great respect, 
 
 your most ob't servant, 
 
 G. W. EWING. 
 
 Ho?f. J. W. Edmoxds, U. S. Commissioner. 
 June 21st. 1837. 
 
28 
 
 LETTER FROM COL. EWING TO THE COMMISSIONER. 
 
 Logansport, June 27th. 1837. 
 
 Hon. J. W. Edmonds. 
 
 Sir, — In the hopes that this will find you safe and comfortable 
 at Detroit. I have taken the liberty of again reminding you of my 
 former request, namely, that you would oblige us with a copy of 
 Mr. Howard's communication to you ; and also of Mr. Taber's evi- 
 dence as given in before you, as I did not receive them from Judge 
 Polke's. I conclude you found yourself too much fatigued to copy 
 them there. 
 
 On the subject of Coquillard's letter, which you was good 
 enough to show me, I have to say that it is a base fabrication of 
 falsehoods so far as it relates to my brother and myself; and as it 
 was personal and abusive towards us, I hope you will see at once the 
 propriety of suppressing it. If such Billingsgate efiasions as are con- 
 tained in that communication, be receivable in place of plain matters 
 of fact explanatory of our conduct or acts, it would then indeed be 
 by no means strange that the greatest rascal would make himself 
 out the most honest man. 
 
 I could give the pedigree of the villain Coquillard, from his boyish 
 days among the renegade British Canadians, (who fled from our 
 side, and went into Upper Canada during the last war,) at Maiden, 
 insulting and torturing the American prisoners, and practising out- 
 rages upon their persons and their feelings. 
 
 I could trace the same Brilish-hearted rascal, during his inter- 
 course among our Indians since the late war up to the present pe- 
 riod ; and prove upon him that he has ever opposed the measures of 
 our government, and done much towards alienating these people from 
 it ; and at every treaty I ever saw him at, he has notorious- 
 ly opposed, vilified, and traduced the officers of the Federal govern- 
 ment. At the late treaty in Sept. 1836, he used all his influence to 
 excite the British and Catholic Indians to acts of violence, and urged 
 them to go forward and shed blood. 
 
 Will the General Government brook such open insult as has been 
 fully proven against that man ? and will Mr. Howard be justified in 
 his demagogue course ? 
 
 This is a subject to which the attention of members of Congress 
 will be called. In my opinion, that gentleman, after having refused to 
 enforce the laws of Congress, notwithstanding he had been ful- 
 ly advised that they had been outraged, (the information having 
 been given by Col. Pepper, Indian Agent, more than six months ago.) 
 took upon himself to speak of responsibility, &c. It is well ; and 
 so far as he is concerned, he had better look to it ; he will hear of it 
 on the floor of Congress, as well as in the public prints of our own 
 State. 
 
 I feel a particular solicitude to know what your report will be rela- 
 tive to the late claims laid before you, especially our own ; and am of 
 opinion, that it would greatly facilitate the removing agent ; for it is 
 
29 
 
 not to be presumed that any of those Indians will agree to move out 
 of the State until advised that their just debts are paid and suitably 
 provided for. This determination they have invariably expressed. 
 It is my wish and desire, however, that nothing may occur to de- 
 tain them here any longer ; but that Col. Sands may succeed in tak- 
 ing them all off this fall. 
 
 With great respect, 
 
 your ob't, humble serv't, 
 
 GEO. W. EWING. 
 
 LETTER OF JOSEPH BARRON TO THE COMMISSIONER. 
 
 Indian Agency. 
 
 Longansport, Ind. June 19th. 1837. 
 
 Sir, — I have had an opportunity of examining my testimony as 
 given and signed before you. The condensed manner in which you 
 have to take all testimony down, is my apology for writing you this 
 letter, with the request that you will lay it before the proper depart- 
 ment. I have now to reiterate, in a few words, what I have stated 
 before to you under oath ; but, to be briefj I will refer you to my tes- 
 timony as given, (and say, upon examination of it,) I find nothing 
 but what is strictly correct. I know that the letter was wrote at 
 my house by Mr. G. W. Ewing, at the request of the Indians, and 
 forwarded to the President. Things are told in that letter, (a copy of 
 which you have,) which was not in the original, and never was inter- 
 preted by me for the Indians, or requested by the Indians to be said 
 to the President. The main object of the Indians in having the letters 
 wrote, was, that their Great Father should send a Commissioner to 
 settle their pecuniary affairs without making specific charges against 
 any individuals, particularly against the Agent, Col. Pepper ; the In- 
 dians all know that he is a faithful public officer, and a good father 
 to them. I have been in the government service for nearly forty 
 years, and now getting old. I was the interpreter to Gen'l. Harri- 
 son at post Vincennes, and have since been identified with all the 
 treaties made in the country as interpreter. I followed my Chiefs, 
 Gen'l Harrison and Tipton, and was with them at the battle of Tip- 
 picanoe. Since then I have been the Government interpreter for 
 this Agency. Now, my dear Sir, I have the painful duty to ac- 
 knowledge that I have acted improperly, and deserved the censure 
 of my officer, Col. Pepper, and the President, for doing as I have 
 innocently done ; that is, allow Mr. Ewing to hold a council with 
 the Indians for whom I am interpreter, and allowing myself to be 
 deceived by him relative to the contents of the letter alluded to ; 
 and also that I did not demand or retain the said letter until my of- 
 ficer. Col. Pepper, had approved of it. You will please to understand 
 me distinctly, that no reproaches were made in the original letter 
 interpreted by me for the Indians, against Col. Pepper. I must say, 
 in conclusion, that I beg the favor of the Department that I may iu 
 
30 
 
 my old age be retained in the public service ; and through the medium 
 of this letter, to add my regrets that I have in any manner, innocent- 
 ly been the cause of injuring the feelings of my good officer. To 
 him I owe an additional apology for allowing myself to witness a 
 document purporting to be what the Indians said, which they did 
 not say ; neither was Mr. Ewing authorized to say what he has said 
 in that letter. I am not able to read or write English as well as 
 many others, and it being the habit with me to depend upon my of- 
 ficer to take down what the Indians say in writing correctly, I did 
 not examine the letter after Mr. Ewing had wrote it, and was there- 
 fore greatly deceived by him. It is a good lesson forme, and I never 
 will again be deceived by bad men, and do things, even innocently, 
 in the absence of my officer, that I afterwards regret. 
 
 It was the intention of the Indians, and expressed by them, that 
 the letter was to be given to Col. Pepper, and by him forwarded to 
 the President. I never interpreted the letter as it now reads. Had I 
 done so, the President would do but justice in turning me out of 
 public employment, even with the recommendation of forty years 
 faithful service heretofore. This bad man has deceived me, he has 
 deceived the Indians ; and to gratify his personal feelings against in- 
 dividuals, he represents the Indians to say, and me to have inter- 
 preted, what they never said. 
 
 I hope you will be satisfied with my statement, and will beg the 
 favor of you, to make such report to the Department as will explain 
 the manner in which I have been deceived. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 JOSEPH BARRON. 
 Hon. J. W Edmoxds, 
 
 Commissioner for investigating 
 for Potawatamie Indians. 
 
 LETTER OF PETER BARRON TO THE COMMISSIONER. 
 
 Logansport, 23d. June, 1837. 
 
 SiK, — Having understood that you depart in the morning, I feel 
 it my duty to mention some facts that are not contained in my tes- 
 timony as given before you. You are aware that Mr. G. W. Ewing 
 and his counsel, both insisted before you, during the time that my 
 examination was going on, that I should be allowed to read the let- 
 ter to which my name is appended as a witness, as they had ; and 
 you readily granted their request. You also recollect, that during the 
 investigation of that letter, the original was called for, and the 
 statement was made that it was at Washington City. Now, Sir, I 
 have to state that the said Mr. G. W. Ewing handed me the ori- 
 ginal letter, to which my own hand-writing as witness is appended, 
 to read at his own house, previous to his request that I should have 
 the liberty of reading the copy in your possession ; and I do believe 
 
31 
 
 that the original letter mentioned, and <he copy you have, differ in 
 substance ; and am certain that I signed but one letter as a witness. 
 
 PETER BARON. 
 
 LETTER FRONCOMMISSISSIONER TO COL. EWING. 
 
 Detroit, Sept. 15th. 1837. 
 
 Sir, — On the morning that I left Logansport, a letter was put in- 
 to my hands, signed by Peter Barron, in which he states that he wit- 
 nessed only one letter from the Chiefs of the Wabash Potawatamies 
 to the President ; that the letter which he signed, and which was that 
 signed by the Chiefs, he saw in your possession at Logansport 
 while I was there ; and that he believes it to be ditferent from the 
 copy which I had and used on the investigation. 
 
 This statement was, under the circumstances, so extraordinary, 
 that I felt myself called upon to procure the original letter from 
 Washington before I would give credit to it. On my arrival at 
 this place I wrote to the Commissioner of Indian atfairs, and have 
 received the paper from him. 
 
 I regret to say that an inspection of it confirms the statement of 
 Barron. It is evident that the names of the witnesses to it were 
 not written by those individuals, but they are apparently all in the 
 same hand-writing. Gosland, you are aware, cannot write at all ; 
 hut his name is written in full ; and the other signatures are widely 
 different from those with which I became acquainted as the genuine 
 hand-writing of the persons named. 
 
 You will perceive how serious is the charge which may be made 
 in reference to this paper, and how difficult it will be for me, with- 
 out an inspection of the paper in your hands, to determine its ac- 
 curacy. 
 
 I must therefore request that you will forward to me by mail, di- 
 rected to me at Hudson, the original letter to which Barron refers. 
 
 You will perceive that there is not now any genuine letter from 
 the Chiefs before the government. That which I was directed to 
 investigate, has been disputed, in whole or in part, by the Chiefs, 
 and by the witnesses to it ; and an inspection of the paper itself is 
 against its authenticity. Of course I cannot permit myself to doubt 
 that the paper which I have is a correct copy of the original in 
 your possession ; but I cannot know or say that it is so until I sec 
 the original ; nor will it until then be in my power to remove the 
 imputations which may grow out of the state of things as they now 
 exist before me. 
 
 I hope to receive your early answer, as my report will be delayed 
 until then. 
 
 I am very resp'y. 
 Your ob't serv't, 
 
 J. W. EDMONDS. 
 U. S. Commissioner. 
 
 To CoL. G. W. EwiNG. 
 
32 
 
 LETTER OF THE CHIEFS AS TRANSMITTED. 
 
 To our Great Father, 
 
 Andrew Jackson, 
 
 President of the United States. 
 
 Father, — We, the undersigned, Chiefs, Head-men, and Warriors 
 of the Wabash Potawatamie Indians of the Eel River Agency, 
 have come into this place, having escaped from the late payment 
 ground in our own country under cover and protection of the troops ; 
 and in this manner we fled from our homes and villages here, in the 
 hopes of finding security and protection for ourselves and families, 
 from the Catholic and hostile British Indians of the north, and their 
 evil advisers ; namely, a gi-eat number of degraded Frenchmen and 
 half-bloods, who live near to and among the St. Joseph's Indians, 
 and who have been active in exciting those deluded Indians to fall 
 upon and massacre us. 
 
 Father, — We have always listened well to your good advice and 
 wise counsels, and we find them good. We know you are a great 
 brave, and good man ; that you will do as you promise. We come 
 now with sore hearts, and our minds filled with sorrow, to speak with 
 you and tell you true. We intended to speak to you through our 
 Father whom you have placed near us, (Col. Pepper,) but he has 
 gone away, and can't hear us. Before we had signed treaties to 
 him, Father, for all our lands, he was always ready to hear us, and 
 to promise us the protection of your strong arm ; but now he has our 
 treaties in his pocket for our entire country, he has no time to hear 
 us, nor to protect us in our present deplorable situation. Sold out of 
 house and home, and without a father to provide for, protect, or 
 otherwise take care of us, and hourly in danger (if we return to our 
 villages) of being massacred by those hostile Indians who have 
 ever refused to listen to your good counsels as well as to ours. 
 We wish and intend to follow the advice and counsels of our Great 
 Father, and to look to him for support and protection — that protec- 
 tion which has been promised us, and which was a strong inducement 
 with us when we sold all our lands, and for which we have incurred the 
 vengeance of our bad people. Again, we saw there were too many 
 white people about our reserves for us to live on them in peace, and 
 we signed a general treaty in September last, selling all our lands 
 to our Great Father, and agreed to go west of the Mississippi, and 
 accept of that home he had there provided for us. Father, so soon 
 as this fact was known to the Catholic Indians, who resided on 
 these last-sold reserves, and to those St. Joseph's and Chicago renegade 
 Indians who have collected on them, in great numbers, and all of us 
 being now assembled together near the Tippecanoe River, where we 
 were to receive our money, a great excitement prevailed ; those In- 
 dians who opposed us, held a council of war, and resolved that every 
 one of us who had signed the treaty should be killed ; and they pro- 
 ceeded to appoint war chiefs, whose duty it should be, and now is, 
 to see their decree put in execution. We were immediately 
 
S3 
 
 menaced, and insulted by them, and told what we had to expect from 
 them ; and on the next day,being the day on which we had received our 
 annuity and treaty money, the house we were in transacting our busi. 
 ness, was surrounded by those Indians, and their associates and ad- 
 visers, the clan of Frenchmen before spoken of, and our lives were 
 threatened on every side. Alexander Coquillard, a bad man, who 
 has always opposed our Great Father's policy, was among them 
 and at the head of the assailants ; he got upon a house, and made a 
 speech to the hostile Indians, and urged them to kill us ; he told them 
 we were not Chiefs, that we were boys and hog-thieves ; that the 
 President of the United States was a bad man, a rascal, and that he 
 had stolen the Indians' lands ; that he was now robbing them of their 
 money (because we were willing to pay our just debts), and that he 
 would next send us away like dogs west of the Mississippi, wliere we 
 would be poor and unhappy. He then got up John B. Shadrina, a 
 Potawamie half-blooded Indian, who repeated again, loud and plain, 
 what Coquillard had before said to all uie Indians. 
 
 Father : — We will now return to what we wish to say about our 
 money, most of which we were robbed of and cheated out of by bad 
 white men, as you will soon hear. We received from Captain Si- 
 nionton $64000,00, and gave him our receipt ; he is a good man, and 
 treated us very kindly ; and so did our Agent, Col. Pepper, whom we 
 also love and respect. They took some of this money, with our cou- 
 sent and approbation, te pay depredation claims ; the amount was 
 about #12500. This was very right. The balance was all delivered to 
 us after we had given our receipts to Capt. Simonton for it; and we 
 were then told by them that the money belonged to us, that it was 
 what our great father owed us for our lands, and we had a right 
 to do what we thought proper with it ; but our Father, Colonel Pepper, 
 advised us to pay our debts and act like honest men ; to which we 
 replied that we intended to do so, and accordingly had got two of 
 our friends (men whom we knew were honest and capable) 
 to aid and assist us in counting and paying such of our debts as we 
 should direct. These two men are Cyrus Taber and George W. 
 Ewing, known to us as Miami-mo and Show-o-no-mo — they live in 
 Logansport. Our Father, Col. Pepper, promised also to help us, and 
 to stay with and protect us, and keep proper order until we could do 
 our business ; it would have required about one day. We began 
 paying oti' such of our debts as we knew to be justly due from us, 
 and we rejected and refused to pay such as we know were not pro- 
 per ; (ot this description there were a great number.) At the pay- 
 ment, the year before, we had settled with all our traders, had then 
 paid them a part, and agreed to pay them another part this year. 
 A list of those claims was left with our Agent, Col. Pepper. He 
 called them over one by one, we ordered them paid so far as we 
 thought just, and the two men we had there to assist us, paid out 
 our money as we directed them. We found two large sums on 
 that schedule at the bottom, that had never been allowed by us ; they 
 were put on the next day (we afterwards learned) by some person 
 improperly, and without our knowledge and consent. These two 
 large sums, amounting in all to six thousand dollars, we refused to 
 
u 
 
 pay, because we did not owe them. We proceeded to pay such 
 claims as we knew to be due from us. We gave Joseph Barron, our 
 old friend, who has always divided his last shilling with us, who had 
 supplied us with goods, provit^ions, and horses for the last year, in 
 all, the amount of sJioSOO. This sum, added to the amount we owed 
 him on the schedule of last year, viz. $2500, made in all eight 
 boxes. This amount we paid over to him in open council; our 
 friends whom we had appointed for that purpose counted it out to 
 him, he took it away and put it in his house close by. The next 
 man we paid was our friend Ewing (Show-o-no-mo), of the firm of 
 Ewing, Walker 6c Co. of Logansport. This man we owed as fol- 
 lows, viz. amounts advanced hy him to our people under General 
 Marshall's treaties in Dec. 1834, in all $6200, for which he has the 
 receipts of the different bands ; amount due him on schedule of August 
 1835, in the hands of Agent, $6450 ; thiis was for goods and provi. 
 sions advanced and trusted out to the Wabash Patawatomies by 
 him at Fort Wayne and Logansport since the treaty of October 
 1832, and up to that date as schedule shows ; amount advanced by 
 him under the treaties made by Col. Pepper, our Agent, this last year, 
 in all $11500 ; and amount advanced by him in goods and provisions 
 after settlement with us in August 1835, and until the time of last 
 payment in Sept. 1836, $7850 ; making in all $32,000. We had ex- 
 amined all of his vouchers and accounts, and were fully satisfied that 
 we owed him that amount. We therefore gave him our note for the 
 whole amount, and agreed to pay him the one half of it this year, 
 and the other half next spring. With this understanding he was 
 satisfied, and so were we ; for we would have paid him more if he 
 had insisted on it. He is and has long been our great friend, has ever 
 supplied and supported us. We have known him as our trader for fif- 
 teen years ; he speaks our language well, is a good man to us and 
 to our people ; they all like him, for he never refuses to clothe or 
 to feed us. Had it not been for him, during the last year we must 
 have suffered, and our children starved for bread. He paid out his 
 money to purchase flour and bacon in large quantities (which was 
 very high and hard to get) ; and with this he supplied all the Wabash 
 Potawatamies who called on him. It was both our wish and our 
 interest to pay such a friend, and to support him, in return, when it 
 was in our power to do so. He told us it was necessary for him to 
 have money, that he too was in debt, that he owed his friends in 
 Nevv-York, where he had got blankets and rifles for us ; that he 
 wanted to pay those men to get more goods. We therefore paid him 
 as we had agreed to do — the half of his claim, namely, sixteen boxes ; 
 and we, with our own hands, in open council, counted and laid them 
 aside for him. The next friend was Cyrus Tabcr. This man stood 
 in a similar relation to us that our friend Ewing did ; we call him 
 Mi-ami-mo ; all our people know him, go to his house and are well 
 treated by him. We owed him in all, under General Marshall's 
 and Col. Pepper's treaties, and for other advances made by him up 
 to that time, (embracing $4000, which we agreed last year to pay 
 him this year, as our schedule will show,) in all the sum of sixteen 
 thousand dollars. His account had been examined and explained to 
 
85 
 
 us, and we were satisfied of its correctness. We therefore agreed 
 to pay liim eight hoxes this year, being the one half of the entire 
 amount of his demand ; and to pay him the remainder next spring. 
 He has always been a good man to us, and supplied us when we 
 were in need. We therefore selected him and Ewing as our friends 
 with whom we would do all our business, and we did so almost exclu- 
 sively. We always counselled and advised with them before we sold 
 any of our lands ; for although we love our Agent, and believe him 
 to be a good Father and an honest man, yet we did not know him 
 as well as we did these two friends of ours, who have lived here 
 among us for many years. They advised us to sell our lands to 
 you, and to do in all cases as our Great Father would advise — to 
 look to no one but him — that he was the Great Father of all the 
 Americans, was a great, good, and just man ; and that he would be 
 a good father to us if we would be obedient children to him ; that he 
 would take care'of us, and enable us to pay our just debts, and to go 
 from thi« country in peace. This was the kind of counsel they 
 gave us, and they went out among our people this last spring and 
 summer, and helped Col. Pepper make all his treaties ; so when we 
 heard the same talk from Col. Pepper, from our old friend Josa, and 
 from these two last friends, we believed what we heard, and we sold 
 our lands to our Great Father. In all cases the protection of our 
 Great Father was promised us, and that our just debts should be 
 paid, or that we would have money enough sent to us by our Great 
 Father to pay them. In this we don't say we have been deceived, 
 for our hearts were glad when we saw you had sent us so many boxes 
 of money this year; and had we not been abused and robbed by bad 
 white men of our money, our hearts would yet have been glad, and 
 our honest debts paid. 
 
 Father, — When the white people found we were willing to pay 
 our honest debts, and that we were willing to appropriate the most 
 of our money for this purpose, they began to make papers (i. e. 
 claims) ; and in this way, and upon the payment-ground whilst we 
 were transactinjr our own business, and trying to do what was right 
 and honest, claims and papers, amounting to near $200,000, were 
 made (most of them there on the ground), and pushed in upon for 
 immediate payment. We told the people to be patient, and we 
 would take up the claims one by one, call in the claimant, and, so 
 far as he could satisfy us that we owed, we would agree to it and 
 pay a part then, the balance next year. This did not seem to please 
 or satisfy them. Many large claims were urged by men from the 
 river Rasin, and from Detroit, and from Post Vincennes, of twenty- 
 five and thirty years standing ; these we have no knowledge of, be- 
 lieve they are not just, and are not willing to pay any such claims. 
 All these claims were paid by us in the treaties of 1826, 1828, and 
 1832 ; and some of them paid two or three times over. These 
 claimants, after getting drunk, the most of them, and being joined 
 by Coquillard and many other bad Frenchmen from St. Josephs, 
 and the hostile Indians, rushed into the house in part, and others 
 began to tear it down, crying out, *' we will take the money by force ;" 
 and in this way a general " mob " took place. We, who were the 
 
35 
 
 proper owners of that money, were entirely disregarded or abused, 
 and insulted ; and in this angry, rude, and insulting manner, with 
 clubs, pistols, dirks, and guns in their hands, they seized upon our 
 money and took it from us. They then took from our friends, Ewing, 
 Taber, and Barron, the money we had paid them. By this time the 
 Ao^ent, Col. Pepper, had partly succeeded in quieting the mob ; but 
 they were very abusive, and so were the hostile Indians, towards us. 
 It was now night ; we heard from every side that we were all to be 
 killed, and dreading such consequence, we went to our Agent, and 
 reminded him of his promise that he ivnnld protect vs, and that we 
 expected him to do so, that we had not done any thing wrong as 
 we were aware of. He spoke like a man to us, and said that the 
 Great Father never broke his word ; and that he (the Agent) would 
 protect us, or would die with us ; to be quiet and kee[)' still, and 
 leave the balance to him. Tiiis speecti he made to us through our 
 friend bowing, and we belie-ved it. Ewing then told us not to fear; 
 that the strong arm of our Great Fatiier was near at hand, and that 
 it should be over and protect us before the setting of anothei sun. 
 He encouraged some of our Chiefs and young warriors, and told 
 them to defend themselves if attacked. This friend gave us much 
 good advice, and was frequently with us. The night was spent in 
 great suspense ; we did not sleep, for we expected to be attacked, 
 and all killed. The next day was a tedious and long day- The St. 
 Josephs' Indians and Frenchmen held frequent councils all that day, 
 and rinally despatched two of their war- chiefs, Asli-kum and Ship. 
 she-waw-a-noo, followed by about three hundred young Indians of 
 the hostile party, to the council-house ; and there they elevated them- 
 selves (the two Chiefs) upon a large box directly in front of the 
 Agent's house, where he, tlie paymaster, and ourselves were. They 
 there made long and 7nost injiammatory speeches against us and against 
 our Great Father. They repeated in substance what had been said the 
 day previous by Coquillard and Shadrina on the house-top. They 
 said the President of the United States was a rascal — that he had 
 lied to, and cheated them ; that he had stolen our lands, and had made 
 chiefs out of boys and hog-thieves ; that we were not Chiefs, and 
 should all be killed. About this time good news came, and we were 
 informed that troops were at hand ; that one hundred young braves 
 were then on their march to the camp to protect us, and to see that 
 the name of our Great Father was not insulted. It was true ; for 
 they came, and they looked like warriors, and they were all well 
 armed, they marched into the camp. The bad Indians and the bad 
 white people gave way, one of the young braves planted the flag of 
 our Great Father on the top of the council-house, and neither the 
 bad Frenchmen nor the British or Catholic Indians dared disturb it. 
 This was very gratifying to us ; for we saw, that although they dislik- 
 ed the strong arm of our Great Father, yet they had not the cou- 
 rage to insult and disturb it. Then our hearts were glad, and we felt 
 protected. We then agreed, in order to satisfy the white people 
 that we wanted to do what was right, that Col. Pepper and Capt. 
 Simonton might select five good white men more, who should be en- 
 tirely disinterested; and that they should be under our control; 
 
87 
 
 should help us pay out part of our money to our own people, and 
 that they then should pay out such sums on the different claims 
 against us as we should direct them to pay, after having first 
 examined the claim and satisfied ourselves it was just. To do this, it 
 was thought best to remove the money from the payment ground to 
 Judge Polke's, about three miles distant. Accordingly five men were 
 named by our Agent ; but he did not select good or honest men, nor 
 were they disinterested. They proved to be very bad men, as you 
 shall soon hear; and they too joined in with those bad white people 
 who had false claims against our people, and among them all we 
 have been shamefully abused, wronged, and robbed of our annuity; 
 our just debts are not paid, but a large sum, amounting to near ibrty 
 boxes, of our money were lavished out by these five bad men ; and 
 in many cases on claims in which they were interested, or had been 
 bribed to get allowed. Our Agent, after having told these men that 
 they were to pay out that money as we should direct, and presuming, 
 we suppose, that there would be no further trouble about it, left us, 
 and went into Logansport, which we were very sorry for. He had 
 promised, and we think he should have staid with us until we had 
 finished our business ; for no sooner had he left, than those five mea 
 took full possession of our money. We were not permitted to go 
 into the house, but were turned out ; and told that we had nothing to 
 do with that money ; that they were going to do as they pleased 
 with it, and truly they did so. And we have good reasons tor be- 
 lieving that their own pockets were not a little benefitted by the 
 transaction. They never examined one single claim, nor asked us 
 whether we did or did not owe certain claimants ; but gave it out 
 thus arbitrarily, or kept it themselves in part, we know not how, 
 nor will they ever give us a list of the names of the persons to whom 
 they paid away our money. Father, is not this robbery ? and will 
 you suffer us to be thus abused ? We owed honest debts, and were 
 anxious to pay them ; but we w^anled the privilege of settling those 
 debts ourselves. We are told and believe that those men paid seve- 
 ral large sums or claims, on the condition that lor getting them al- 
 lowed they should have ttie one-half; and we are told this can be 
 positively proven in several cases. We think our Father, Col. Pep- 
 per, ought to have remained and protected us from such vile impo- 
 sitions. We think it was his duty to have remained there until we 
 could have disposed of that money on behalf of our people as they 
 desired it done ; they and ourselves were the proper owners of it ; 
 it was taken from us forcibly ; our friends, whom we justly owe, are 
 not paid ; they are injured and wronged ; and yet to them we must 
 again look for aid and support, tor we have no money, and those 
 who have cheated us out of our money are gone we know not 
 where. 
 
 Father, — We came in here from necessity, as before stated ; and 
 yet the Agent has provided us no prdvisions. We are supported by 
 our friends Barron, Ewing and T.iber ; they are supplying us with 
 beef and bread for ourselves and families. We wanted to talk to 
 our Father, the Agent, but he left this morning. It is true we have 
 no more lands to sell, but we hope our Great Father will not refuse 
 
3i 
 
 to listen to his red cliildren because they have no more land to 
 sell. We have sold all our country to you, Father, because you told 
 us you wished us to do so ; and we are always willing to listen to 
 your good counsels. 
 
 Pather, We want you to send a good man here to look into this 
 
 business for us, to get back our money that the bad white men have 
 stolen from us. We don't want to pay claims that are not just, 
 but we want to pay those that are just. We wanted our friends 
 Ewing and Taber paid first of all ; and we want you, Father, now to 
 see that they are paid. We are ashamed and mortified, because 
 these two men are not paid. Jt is the voice of the whole of the 
 Wabash Potawatamies that they should be paid ; we all know their 
 claims to be just, and we all again unite is asking you to cause 
 them to be paid out of the first money due us from you. There is 
 one man, N. D. Grover, whom we paid all up last year ; he came 
 on again this year with another large claim ; this we don't think is 
 just, but we believe this man has cheated and wronged us. Our 
 people never got much from him, and we learn he has got a large 
 amount of our money this year again. And Edward V. Cicott ; 
 this man we paid a large claim to last year, amount 82300. Vv'e 
 did not justly owe it, nor more than one-fourth of it ; but we gave it 
 to him ; and this year he has managed to get $3500 more of our 
 money for nothing, and most unjustly. We owed him nothing, at 
 farthest not to exceed $500. These things are very wrong, and we 
 want you to protect us from such imposition and frauds. Cicott 
 was one of the five nien selected to help us settle our business, (they 
 were all to be entirely disinterested persons,) and he continued to 
 defraud us out of near $4000. Grover was one of the drunken 
 mob-men, and has been paid for his rascality by receiving $3000 or 
 $4000 of our money for nothing. 
 
 Father, — We have now told you the truth about our situa- 
 tion, and as to the shameful manner in which our money has 
 been taken from us ; and we ask you to hear the truth, inquire 
 into the outrage, and to do us justice. Next and lastly, as to 
 ourselves; you see our situation, we are here without an Agent 
 or a Father, destitute of money, afraid to return with our families 
 to our villages, for our lives are threatened, and bad Indians are 
 waiting for us. We hear from them daily. We are not afraid to 
 die, nor do we want to shed the blood of our own people. If we 
 have done wrong, it has been in listening to your counsels ; but we 
 still think we have done right; and we want our Great Father to 
 send a good talk to this frontier, tell those bad Indians and the bad 
 white people too, that they must not do as they have done, and 
 that you will punish them for the injury they have already done. 
 Father, — the cause of the great trouble was in part owing to the 
 large sum of money you had sent us ; which caused bad men, both 
 red and white, from every quarter to gather in upon us ; and our 
 Agent was without a guard, or any way of defending himself. But 
 the great difficulty was the fact of our having sold out those re. 
 maining reserves upon which the Catholic and British Indians, 
 French and half-French, and the priest, reside. Those Indians had re- 
 
39 
 
 fused to sell and remove west, and they had shut their ears against 
 your counsel. Th(;y have sworn to kill us for having signed the 
 treaty; and we much fear they will execute their wicked designs, un- 
 less awed from it by a strong talk from you, or unless you send some 
 of your troops here early next spring. We expect the protection 
 of our Great Father, we hope he will not forget us ; if he does, we 
 will most likely be killed by our bad people. You have promised 
 us your protection and friendship. We want it now, or we are lost. 
 A bad fate awaits us if you don't take some active measures to 
 save us. 
 
 Father, — What we have said, comes through our hearts ; it is 
 true, and we have nothing more to say. 
 
 LoGANSPORT, Indiana, 
 
 October 18th, 1836. 
 
 Witnesses present, g o 
 
 Peter Barron, "^ g 
 Anthony Barron, ^ -^ 
 Andrew Gossland,^^"^ 
 Andrew Jackson, .SJ <u 
 Joseph Barron. q -^ 
 
 t^ o 
 
 a. u 
 o o 
 
 o ;? cs 
 
 H T3 
 
 Pash-po-ho, his X mark. 
 0-Kah-maus, his X mark. 
 I-o-weh, his >«!j mark. 
 M-jo-auiss, his x mark. 
 Wee-wee-sah, his x mark. 
 No-TAvv-KAY, his X mark. 
 Po-KAH-GAUS, his X mark. 
 Nas-waw-kay, his X mark. 
 Ke-waw-nay, his X mark. 
 Mat-chis-saw, his x mark. 
 Nee-boosh, his X mark. 
 Pee-pin-a-naw, his x mark. 
 To-posh, his X mark. 
 
 ORIGINAL LETTER OF THE CHIEFS TO THE PRESI- 
 DENT. 
 
 To our Great Father, Andrew Jackson, President of the United 
 
 States. 
 
 We the undersigned. Chiefs, head-men and warriors of the Wabash 
 Potawatamie Indians of the Eel River Agency, came in here, hav- 
 ing escaped from the Indian country under cover of the troops ; and 
 in this manner fled from our homes and villages to this place, in the 
 hope of finding protection and security for ourselves and families 
 from the Catholic and hostile British Indians of the north, and their 
 evil advisers, namely, a great number of degraded Frenchmen and 
 half-blooded Indians, who live near to and among the St. Joseph In- 
 dians, and who have been active in inciting those Indians to fall 
 upon and massacre us. 
 
 Our Father, we have always listened well to your advice and wise 
 counsels, and we find them good. We know you are a great brave, 
 a good man ; and that you will do as you promise. We therefore 
 come now with sore hearts, and with our minds filled with sorrow^ 
 to speak with you and to tell you the truth. We intended to speak 
 
40 
 
 tt) you through our Father, whom you had placed here near to us, 
 (Col. Pepper) ; but he has gone away, and cant hear us. Before we 
 had signed treaties to him for all of our lands, he was always ready 
 to hear us, and to promise us the protection of your strong arm ; 
 but now that he has our treaties in his pocket for our entire country, 
 he has no time to hear us nor to protect us in our present deplora- 
 ble situation. Sold out of house and home, and without a father to 
 provide for and take care of us, and hourly in danger (if we return 
 to our villages) of being massacred by those hostile Indians who 
 have refused to listen to our counsels and to yours too. We wish 
 and intend to follow the advice and counsels of our Great Father, 
 and look to him for support and protection ; that protection which 
 has been promised us, and which was one of the inducements held 
 out to us on selling all our lands. Again, we saw there were too 
 many white people about our reserves for us to live on them in 
 peace ; and we signed a general treaty in September last, selling 
 all our country to our Great Father, and agreed to go west of the 
 Mississippi, and accept of that home he had there provided for us. 
 
 Our Father, so soon as this fact was known to the Catholic In- 
 dians who resided on these last sold reserves, and to those St. Jo- 
 seph and Chicago renegade Indians who had collected on them in 
 great numbers (and all of us being now assembled together near 
 the Tippecanoe, where we were to receive our money,) a great ex- 
 citement prevailed. Those Indians who opposed us, and held a coun- 
 oil of war, resolved that every one of us who had signed the treaty 
 should be killed ; and proceeded to appoint four war-chiefs, whose 
 duty it should be and is to see that decree put in execution. We were 
 immedialely menaced and insulted by them, and told what we had 
 to expect ; and on the next day, being the day on which we had re- 
 ceived our annuity and treaty money, the house we were in transact, 
 ing our business was surrounded by those Indians, and their associates 
 and advisers, the clan of Frenchmen before spoken of, and our lives 
 were threatened on every side. Alexander Coquillard, a bad man, 
 who was always opposed to our Great Father's policy, was among 
 them ; and at the head of the assassins, he got upon a house and 
 made a speech to the hostile Indians encamped there to kill us ; said 
 we were not Chiefs; that we were boys and hog-thieves ; that the 
 President of the United States was a rascal, and had stolen the In. 
 dians' land ; that he was now robbing them of their money, and that 
 he would next send them west of the great river, where they would 
 be poor and unhappy. He then got up John B. Shadrina, a Pota. 
 watamie Indian, who repeated again, loud and plain, to all tlie Indians 
 what he had before said. Our Father, we vvdl now return to what 
 we wish to say about our money, most of which we were robbed of, 
 and cheated out of, by bad white men, as you will soon hear. 
 
 We received from Captain Simonton 840,000, and gave him our 
 receipt. He is a good man, and treated us very kindly. He took some 
 of this, about $2,500, to pay depredation claims. This was right; 
 the balance was delivered to us after we had given our receipt to 
 him for it ; and we were told that the money belonged to us ; that it 
 was what our Great Father owed us for land, and that we had a 
 
41 
 
 right to do what we thought proper with it ; but our father, Col, 
 Pepper, advised us to pay our debts and act like honest men. This 
 we intended to do, and accordingly had got two of our friends 
 (men whom we knew to be honest and capable) to aid and assist us 
 in counting, and paying such of our debts as Wshould direct. These 
 two men are Cyrus Taber and George W. Ewing ; they live in 
 Logansport. Our father. Col. Pepper, promised also to help us, 
 and to stay with and protect us, and keep proper order until we 
 could do our business ; it would have required about one day. We 
 began paying off such debts as we knew to be justly due from us, and 
 we rejected such as we knew were not proper. At the payment, the 
 year before, we had settled with all our traders, paid them part, and 
 agreed to pay another part this year. A list of these claims was 
 left with our agent, Col. Pepper ; he called them over one by one ; 
 we ordered them paid so far as we thought just, and the two men 
 we had there to assist us paid out our money as we directed. We 
 found two large sums on that schedule that had never been allowed 
 by us; they were put on the next day, (we afterwards learned.) by 
 some person improperly, without our" knowledge or consent. These 
 two large sums, amounting in all to $6,000, we refused to pay, be- 
 cause we did not owe them. We then proceeded to pay such claims 
 as we knew to be just. We gave Jos. Barron, our old friend, who 
 has ever divided his last shilling with us, and who had supplied us 
 with goods, provisions, and horses for the last year, in all the 
 amount of $5,500. This sum, added to the sum we owed him on the 
 schedule of last year, namely, $2,500, making in all eight boxes, 
 we paid over to him in open council. Our friends whom we had 
 appointed for that purpose, counted it out to him, and he car» 
 ried it away and put it in his house. The next man we paid 
 was our friend Ewing, (Show-o-no-mo) of the firm of Ewing, 
 Walker & Co., of Logansport. This man we owed as follows, 
 namely : — amount advanced by him to our people, under General 
 Marshall's treaties in December, 1834, in all about $6,200 ; amount 
 allowed him last August, (1835,) as per schedule, for goods and provi. 
 sions trusted out to our people up to that time, at Fort Wayne and 
 Logansport, $6450 ; amount advanced by him under the treaties 
 made by Col. Pepper, our Agent, this last year, in all about $11,500; 
 and amount advanced by him in goods and provisions after settle. 
 ment with us in August, 1835, up to the time of the last payments, 
 in all about $7,850, making in all $32,000. All of his accounts 
 and vouchers we had examined, and were fully satisfied that we 
 owed him that amount ; we therefore gave him our note for the 
 whole amount, and agreed to pay him the one half of it this year, 
 and to pay him the other next Spring. With this understanding 
 he was satisfied, and so were we ; for we would have paid him more 
 if he had insisted on it. He is our great friend, has ever supported 
 and supplied us. We have known him as our trader for fifteen 
 years ; he speaks our language well ; is a good man to us and to 
 our people ; they all love him, for he never refuses to clothe or to 
 feed us. Had it not been for him, during the last year we must have 
 suffered, and our children starved for bread. He paid out his money 
 
 6 
 
42 
 
 to purchase flour and bacon in large quantities, and with this he 
 supplied all the Wabash Potawatamies who called on him. It was 
 both our wish and our interest to pay such a friend, and to support 
 him in return when it was in our power to do so. He told us it was 
 necessary for him to iiave money ; that he, too, owed his friends in 
 New-York, where he had got blankets and guns for us ; that he 
 wanted to pay those men, and to get more goods. We therefore 
 paid him over, and laid aside for him sixteen boxes. 
 
 The next friend was Cyrus Taber. Tiiis man stood in a similar 
 relation to us that our friend Ewing did. We call him Miami-mo ; 
 all our people know him, go to his house, and are well treated by 
 him ; and we owed him in all, under Gen. Marshall's treaties and Col. 
 Pepper's treaties, and for other advances made by him up to that 
 time, (embracing 84000, which we agreed last year to pay him this 
 year, as our schedule will show,) in all the sum of sixteen thousand 
 dollars. His account had been examined and explained to us, and 
 we were satisfied of its correctness. We therefore agreed to pay 
 him 8 boxes this year, being the one-half of the entire amount of 
 his demand, and to pay him the remainder next spring. He has 
 always been a good man to us, and supplied us when we were in 
 need. W^e therefore selected him and Ewing as our friends with 
 whom we could do all our business, and we always counselled and 
 advised with them before we sold any of our lands, or made any 
 treaties with our agent, Col. Pepper ; and if they had not advised us, 
 we never would have sold our lands ; for, although we love our 
 Agent, and believe him to be a good father and an honest man, yet 
 we did not know him as well as we did our two friends, who have 
 lived here among us for many years. They advised us to sell, and to do 
 in all cases as our Great Father wished us to do, and to look to 
 no one but him ; that he was the father of all the Americans, was a 
 great, good, and just man, and that he would be a good father to 
 us if we would be good children to him. That he would take care of us, 
 and enable us to pay our honest debts, and go from this country in 
 peace. This was the kind of counsel they gave us ; and they went 
 out among our people this spring and summer, and helped Col. 
 Pepper to make all his treaties. So when we heard the same talk 
 from Col. Pepper, and from Josa, and from our two friends, we be- 
 lieved it, and we sold our lands. In all cases the protection of our 
 Great Father was promised us, and that our just debts should be 
 paid, or that we would have money enough sent to us by our Great 
 Father to pay them. In this we don't say we have been deceived ; 
 for our hearts were glad when we saw you had sent us so many 
 boxes this summer, and had we not been robbed and abused by bad 
 ■white men of our money, our hearts would now have been glad. 
 
 Our Father, — When tlie white men found we were willing to pay 
 our just debts, they began to make papers, (i. e. claims) ; and in this 
 way, on the payment ground, whilst we were transacting our own 
 business and trying to do what was right and honest, claims and 
 papers, amounting to near $200,000, were made (most of them there 
 on the ground,) and pushed into us for payment. We told them to 
 be patient, and we would take up the claims one by one, and call 
 
43 
 
 in the white man ; and so far as he could satisfy us that we owed, 
 we would agree to it, and pay a part then, the balance next year. 
 This did not seem to please them ; many large claims were urged by 
 men from River Rasln, Detroit, and Post Vincennes, of twenty- 
 five or thirty years standing. These we had no knowledge of, and 
 are not willing to pay. These claimants, after getting drunk, the 
 most of them, and being joined by Coquillard and many other bad 
 Frenchmen from St. Josephs, and the hostile Indians, rushed into 
 the house. in part; and others began to tear it down, crying out, 
 ' We will take the money by force ;' and in this manner a general 
 mob took place. We who were the true and proper owners of that 
 money, were entirely disregarded, or abused and insulted ; and in this 
 angry mode and insulting manner, they, with clubs, pistols, dirks, 
 and guns in their hands, seized upon our money, and took it from 
 us. They then took from our friend, Ewing, the sixteen boxes we 
 had paid him : it was yet in the house. They then proceeded to our 
 friend Taber's store, a short distance off, and demanded his money ; 
 which was also given up or taken by the mob. They then went upon 
 old Joseph Barron, and took from him his money. By this time the 
 Agent, Col. Pepper, had succeeded in quieting the mob to a certain 
 extent ; but they were very abusive, and so were the hostile Indians, 
 towards us. By this time it was night. We heard from every side 
 that we were all to be killed, and dreading such consequence, we 
 went to Agent, and reminded him of his promise that he would pro. 
 tect us, and that we expected him to do so ; that we had not done 
 any thing wrong that we were aware of. 
 
 He spoke like a man to us, and said that the Great Father never 
 broke his word ; and that he would protect us, or he would die with 
 us ; to be quiet and keep still, and leave the balance to him. This 
 speech he made to us through our friend Ewing, and we knew it 
 was true. He, Ewing, told us not to fear ; that the strong arm of the 
 Great Father was near at hand, and that it should be over and 
 protect them before the setting of another sun. He encoui'aged some 
 of our Chiefs, and gave out pistols and knives to our young braves, 
 and told them to defend themselves if they were attacked. This 
 friend gave us much good advice, and was constantly with us. The 
 night was spent in great suspense. We did not sleep, for we ex- 
 pected to be attacked and all killed. The next day was a tedious 
 and long one ; the St. Joseph Indians and Frenchmen held frequent 
 councils all that day, and finally despatched two of their war Chiefs, 
 Ashkum and Ship-she-naw-a-no, followed by about three hundred 
 young Indians, to the council-house. Tiiey there got a large box 
 and placed the two war chiefs on it, directly in front of the Agent's 
 house, where he, Capt. Simington, and ourselves were ; who made 
 these long and inflammatory speeches against us, and against our 
 Great Father. They repeated in substance what Coquillard and 
 Shadrina had said the day before on the house-top. They said the 
 President of the U. S. was a rascal ; that he had lied to and cheated 
 them ; that he had stolen their lands, and made chiefs out of boys 
 and hog-thieves ; that we were not chiefs, and should all be killed. 
 About this time good news came, and our friend Ewing informed uai 
 
44 
 
 that the troops were at hand ; that a liundrcd young hraves were 
 then on their march to the camp to protect us, and to see that the 
 name of our Great Father was not insulted. He spoke true ; for 
 they came, and they looked like warriors. They were all well 
 armed; they marched into the camp; our bad Indians and bad 
 white men gave way. One of the young braves planted the flag of 
 our Great Father on the top of the house, and a secret message was 
 sent by our friend to the bad Frenchmen and bad Indians to come 
 now and tear down that house or that flag ; but they did not come. 
 We then agr>^ed, in order to satisfy the white ])eople that we 
 wanted to do what was right, that Col. Pepper and Capt. Siming- 
 ton might select five more good white men, who should be entirely 
 disinterested; and that they should be under our control, should help 
 us pay out part of the money to our own people ; and that they 
 should then pay out such sums on the difl^erent claims as we should 
 order them to pay after having examined it. To do this, it was 
 thought best to remove the money from the payment ground to 
 Judge Polke's, about three miles distant. Accordingly five men were 
 named by our Agent and Capt. Simington ; but they did not select 
 good or honest men, nor disinterested men. They proved to be very 
 bad men, as you will soon learn ; and they, too, joined in with those 
 bad white people who had flilse claims against our people, and 
 among them all we have been shamefully abused, wronged, and rob- 
 bed of our annuity. Our just debts are not paid ; but a large^sum, 
 amounting to near forty boxes, were lavished out by these five bad 
 men ; in many cases given out on claims in which they were inte- 
 rested, or had been bribed to get allowed. Our Agent, after having 
 told these men that they were to pay out that money as we should 
 direct, and presuming, as we suppose, that there would be no further 
 trouble about it, left us, and went into Logansport ; which was very 
 wrong in him. He had promised, and we think it was his duty to 
 have remained there until we had finished our business. No sooner 
 had he left, than these five men took full possession of our money. 
 We were not permitted to go into the house, but were turned out ; 
 and told that we had nothing to do with the money, that they were 
 going to do as they pleased with it. And truly they did do so, and 
 vye have good reason to believe that their own pockets were not a 
 little benefited by the transaction. They never examined one claim, 
 nor asked us whether we did or did not owe ; but disposed of that 
 money of ours (they say) justly, nor will they give us a list of the 
 names to whom they paid it. Our Father, is this not robbery ? and 
 will you sufier us to be thus abused ? We owed honest debts, and 
 were anxious to pay them ; but we wanted the privilege of settling 
 those debts ourselves. We are told, and believe, that those men 
 paid several large claims on the condition that for getting them 
 allowed they should have the one half; and we are told this 
 can be positively proven in several instances. Our Father ought 
 to have remained and protected us from such vile imposition ; 
 we think it was his duty to have remained there until our money was 
 disposed of by us for and on behalf of our people, who were the pro- 
 per owners of it ; but, as it is, we are injured ; our friends, whom we 
 
4& 
 
 honestly owe, are not paid ; and they are thereby seriously injured 
 and wronged ; and yet to them we must again look for aid and sup- 
 port, for we have no money, and those who cheated us out of it, 
 have gone we know not where. 
 
 Our Father, we came in here from necessity, as before stated ; and 
 yet the Agent has given us no provisions. We are supported here 
 by our friends Joseph Barron, Ewing and Taber ; they are furnish, 
 ing us beef and bread. We wanted to talk to our Father, the 
 Agent, but he left this morning ; had not time to hear us we sup- 
 pose. We have no more land to sell, it is true ; but we hope our 
 Great Father will not refuse to listen to his red children because 
 they have no more land to sell. We have sold it all to you, Father, 
 because you said you wished us to do so ; and we are willing to 
 listen to your wise counsels. 
 
 Our Father, we want you to send a good man here to look into 
 this business, to get back the money that the bad white people have 
 stolen from us, and robbed us of. We don't want to pay debts that 
 are not just, and we want to pay those that are just. We wanted 
 Taber and Ewing paid first of all ; and we want you, our Great Fa. 
 ther, now to see that they are paid. We feel ashamed and morti. 
 fied because these men are not paid. It is the voice of the whole 
 of the Wabash Potawatamies : we all owe them, and know their 
 claims to be just, and we all unite in asking you to cause them to 
 be paid out of the first money due us from you. There is one man, 
 (N. D. Grover,) whom we paid all up last year ; he comes on with 
 another large claim ; this we don't think is just, we think he has 
 cheated and wronged us. Our people never got much from him ; 
 we learn he has got a large amount of our money this year again. 
 And E. V. Cicott ; this man we paid a large claim to last year, 
 $2300. We did not justly owe it ; but we gave it to him. This 
 year he has got $3000 more of our money for nothing ; we owed 
 him nothing, at farthest not to exceed $500. These things are very 
 wrong, and we want you to protect us from such impositions and 
 frauds. We don't think we owed either of these men to exceed $500. 
 Cicott was one of the five men selected to help us settle our business, 
 (they were to be disinterested men.) Grover was one of the drunk- 
 en mob-men, and has been paid for his rascality by getting $3000 
 or $4000 of our money for nothing; we did not owe him but a very 
 small amount, if any thing. 
 
 Our Father, we have now told you the truth about our situation 
 and as to the manner our money was taken from us ; and we ask you 
 to hear and learn the truth, and to do us justice. Next and lastly 
 as to ourselves : — You see our situation ; we are here without an 
 agent or father, destitute of money, afraid to return with our fami- 
 lies to our villages, for our lives are tlireatened, and bad Indians are 
 waiting for us. We hear from them daily ; we are not afi-aid to die, 
 nor do we want to shed the blood of our people. If we have done 
 wrong, it has been in taking your advice and in listening to your 
 counsels ; but we still think we have done right, and we want you, 
 our Father, to send a good talk to this frontier. Tell these bad In- 
 dians, and the bad white people too, that they must not do as they 
 
46 
 
 have done, and that you will punish them for the damage they have 
 done. Our Father, the cause of the great trouble was in part owing 
 to the large sum of money you had sent us, which caused bad men, 
 both red and white, to gather in from every quarter, and our Agent 
 was without a guard or any way of defending himself; but the great 
 difficulty was the fact of our having sold out the remaining re- 
 serves upon which the Catholic Indians reside, and which they re- 
 fused to sell, and had shut their ears against your councils. They 
 have sworn to kill us for having signed the treaty, and we much 
 fear they will carry out their wicked intentions unless awed from it 
 by a strong talk from you. We hope our Great Father will not for- 
 get us ; we expect his protection and friendship. 
 Done at Logansport, Oct. 18, 1836. 
 
 Witnesses present. 
 Our Father, after our money was thus squandered and distributed, 
 we went in and demanded from those five men, through our inter- 
 preter, Joseph Barron, a receipt or copy of the list of names to whom 
 they had paid our money, or to let us know what they had done with 
 it. All of this they refused to give us, and replied that they had 
 nothing to do with us. 
 
 Our Father, what we have said is from our hearts. It is true, and 
 we have no more to say. 
 
 C Pash-po-ho, 
 
 0-ka-maus, 
 
 I-o-wa, 
 
 M-jo-quis, 
 
 We-we-sah, 
 
 No-taw-kah, 
 ■{ Po-kah-gaus, 
 
 Nas-wau-kay, 
 
 Ke-waw-nay, 
 
 Mat-chis-saw, 
 
 Ne-bo-ash, 
 
 Pe-pin-a-waw, 
 
 Witnesses present, 
 
 PETKR BARRON, 
 ANTHONY BARRON, 
 ANDREW GOSSLAN, 
 ANDREW JACKSON, 
 JOSEPH BARRON, 
 
 . Po-posh, 
 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark, 
 his X mark. 
 
 COPY OF INDICTMENT FOR THE RIOT. 
 
 State of Indiana, } 
 
 Fulton County, ss. ^ 
 
 Fulton Circuit Court, March Term, A. D. 1837. 
 
 The Grand Jurors of the said state of Indiana, good and lawful 
 men of said county of Fulton, empannelled, sworn and charged in the 
 said Fulton Circuit Court, at the term thereof aforesaid, to inquire 
 within and for the body of said county of Fulton, upon their oath pre- 
 sent, that Alexis Coquillard, Nicholas D. Grover, Job B. Eldridge, 
 Francis Comparet, John B. Shadrina, and Chauncey Carter, late of 
 said county, on the tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
 
47 
 
 one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, with force and arms in 
 the county aforesaid, did then and there unlawfully, riotously, and 
 routously assemhle and gather together to disturb the peace of the 
 said state ; and being so assembled and gathered together, did then 
 and there unlawfully, riotously, and routously, and in a violent and 
 tumultuous manner, make a great noise, riot, and disturbance ; and 
 did then and there continue to remain making a noise, riot, and dis- 
 turbance for the space of an hour and more then next following, to 
 the great terror and disturbance of the good citizens of this state, 
 to the evil example of all others in like case offending, contrary to 
 the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against 
 the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana. 
 
 And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further 
 present, that the said Alexis Coquillard, Nicholas D. Grover, Job B. 
 Eldridge, Francis Comparet, John B. Shadrina, and Chauncey Car- 
 ter, on the day and year last aforesaid, with force and arms in the 
 county aforesaid, did then and there unlawfully, riotously, and rout- 
 ously, and in a violent and tumultuous manner, tear, pull, and force 
 off the butting pole of a certain house belonging to the United States 
 of America, then and there being, to the great disturbance and terror 
 of the good citizens of this State then and there being, to the evil 
 example of all persons in like cases offending, contrary to the form 
 of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace 
 and dignity of the State of Indiana. 
 
 JOSEPH L. JERNEGAN, P. A. 
 
■ijr 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN W. EDMONDS 
 
 UNITED STATES' COMMISSIONER 
 
 ON THE 
 
 CLAIMS OF CREDITORS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 POTAWATAMIE INDIANS 
 
 OF THE WABASH; 
 
 PRESENTED UNDER THE TREATIES MADE WITH THEM 
 
 In 1§36 and '37. 
 
 NEW-YORK: 
 1837. 
 
Nbw-York: 
 
 Printed by Scatcherd & Adams, 
 
 No. 38 Gold Street 
 
New-York, Dec. IQth, 1837. 
 
 TO C. A. HARRIS, ESQ. 
 
 Commissioner of Indian Affairs. 
 
 Sir : 
 I have executed my duties as Commissioner under the treaties 
 with the Potawatamies of Indiana, made on the 5th of August, 
 and 20th, 22d and 23d days of September, 1836, and 11th February, 
 1837, and herewith transmit to you my report, and sundry docu- 
 ments connected therewith. 
 
 Among the papers you will receive a Register of the claims pre- 
 sented, containing the amount claimed and allowed in the respec 
 tive cases ; together with a particular report of my decision, and 
 the reasons for it in each case ; a record of the testimony taken 
 before me, and all the original papers and documents on which the 
 claims were founded, or by which they were substantiated. 
 
 The case of Messrs. Ewing, Walker and Co., (No. 26,) is an ex- 
 ception to the latter remark, they having retained their original 
 documents, and furnished me with copies. 
 
 Several circumstances combined, (among which was the late 
 period of my appointment,) to prevent the completion of my duties 
 within the time specified in the treaties. I did not close the proofs 
 in Indiana until late in June last, and was then obliged to hasten to 
 the discharge of other duties ; and I found it quite impracticable to 
 give to the examination of these claims the necessary attention 
 while travelling to or from the Indian country, or indeed until my 
 final return home. Since my return, it has required great diligence 
 to complete my report as soon as this date. 1 could not consent 
 to report until I had examined each case very particularly. A 
 tareless or hasty decision might work serious injustice, and I was 
 not wiUincx to decide until I could feel assured that any errors into 
 which I n^ight fall, should not, with propriety, be charged upon any 
 thing else than upon defects in the testimony adduced before me. 
 
 I found that your regulation requiring the oath of the parties to 
 the correctness of each claim, and the justness of the prices charg- 
 ed was very beneficial to the Indians. Without that, the claim, 
 ants, in many cases, would not have deemed it necessary to set out 
 any thing more than their side of the matter, leaving to their 
 debtors to show their payments ; a course which, however common 
 
or safe among white men, could not but operate injuriously to an 
 illiterate Indian. 
 
 I found two difficulties existing here, which, I suppose, must pre- 
 vail more or less in all cases of Indian debts ; one arises from the 
 ignorance of the debtor, and his inability to comprehend a running 
 account ; and the other, from the ignorance of some of the creditors 
 or their clerks, and their incapacity to read or write. Sometimes 
 accounts are kept on the logs of their cabins, sometimes on sticks, 
 and sometimes by a sort of hieroglyphic, satisfactory and intelligi- 
 ble enough perhaps to the parties, but rather troublesome to inves- 
 tigate. 
 
 Several causes, however, had operated to remove much of the 
 weight of the latter difficulty among the Potawatamies. 
 
 When General Tipton was their agent, he had adopted the course, 
 when the Indians wanted any goods, to give them an order for 
 them, and at the payment of their annuities see that they were 
 discharged. This measure, though not required of him by his 
 duties, was extremely serviceable to the Indians, because it enabled 
 him to protect them against imposition. It has been more or less 
 continued since ; and while it lasted, those orders were considered, on 
 all hands, as the best evidence of indebtedness. 
 
 When, however, the Indians so far extended their debts as to 
 make the amount exceed that of their annuities, the contests among 
 the creditors rendered the performance of this task very harassing 
 and troublesome to the agent, and subjected him to censure which 
 he could not be expected voluntarily to incur. Colonel Pepper, 
 therefore, in 1835, refused to have any thing to do with their debts ; 
 but he caused the claimants and Indians to assemble together in 
 council, and all the claims were then presented and adjusted, and a 
 mode of liquidation agreed upon. 
 
 A paper was drawn up under his direction, and signed by the 
 Chiefs and the traders ; by which the former admitted that they 
 owed the sums there set down, and the latter agreed that those sums 
 were all that were owing to them, and that they would not after 
 that date, viz. 23d August, 1835, present any claim for any debt 
 contracted prior to that time, excepting only for goods delivered for 
 treaty purposes, or on contracts for purchase of reservations. 
 
 Col. Pepper was careful to preserve that paper (which in my 
 reports is called the " Register of 1835"), and all the claims then 
 presented. He delivered them to me, and I found them materially 
 serviceable, not only aiding me to arrive at just conclusions as to 
 the amount actually due in many cases, but also in enabling me to 
 detect, and consequently to disallow several claims which were 
 then discharged in full, but which had been presented again in 
 
5 
 
 1836, and partial payments made upon them, and now again were 
 presented to me for allowance. Those papers are herewith also 
 transmitted to you. 
 
 It will be seen in my report, that I consider that Register as 
 binding and conclusive, both upon the Indians and the claimants 
 who signed it, excepting only in cases where fraud or mistake in 
 fact was clearly proved. This course was, in my opinion, agree- 
 able to the well-settled law of the land. And the effect was on one 
 side to cause several claims to be allowed which had no other evi- 
 dence to support them ; and on the other, to cause many to be dis- 
 allowed which otherwise must have passed. The balance was 
 altogether in favor of the Indians. 
 
 The gentlemen who distributed the money in 1836 also preserved 
 and delivered to me most of the claims presented to them, and the 
 receipts then given for the money which they paid. Those papers 
 1 also transmit herewith. 
 
 They show several instances in which persons obtained money in 
 1836 to which they had no claim, and in direct violation of their 
 full acquittances of the previous year. It is due to the Indians, and 
 to the character of our government, that every practicable and law- 
 ful effort should be made to procure the repayment of those sums. 
 
 When Gen. Howard investigated the Indian claims under the 
 treaty of Chicago, he gave most consideration to notes, which 
 (being otherwise well proved) showed on their face their particular 
 consideration — the items sold, the price of each, and the date of sale. 
 This was much safer than to depend either upon charges on book 
 or upon general notes not stating the consideration. It was a very 
 great protection against imposition, and much facilitated the pro- 
 gress of an officer in arriving at the truth. In consequence of his 
 course on that occasion, the practice was generally adopted in that 
 vicinage, and I have had frequent occasion to witness its beneficial 
 operation. 
 
 It was not practicable, however, in all cases, for the claimant to 
 furnish the items of his account. When kept in the manner to 
 which I have already alluded (in hieroglyphics or on the walls of a 
 cabin) and frequently in cases where the original notes were de- 
 stroyed upon the execution of a larger one (comprehending many), 
 they could not be furnished. That circumstance, while it required 
 from me a closer scrutiny, did not justify me in the total rejection 
 of a claim on that account alone. I accordingly allowed several 
 cases of that character, where the evidence of a subsisting in- 
 debtedness was otherwise satisfactory. It will be seen, however, 
 that the amount was necessarily estimated. In such cases, and 
 indeed in several, where original but imperfect entries were produced, 
 
it was impossible for me to arrive at certainty. I was obliged to 
 estimate, with the full conviction on my own mind all the time, 
 that the liability to err was altogether too great. 
 
 I also experienced difficulty from the absence of the power to 
 compel the attendance of witnesses. In some cases they refused 
 to attend, and I was obliged either to disallow the claim altogether, 
 or allow it upon very imperfect testimony. The latter course seem- 
 ed most just. I adopted it reluctantly, because, here too I felt 
 that it was not possible for me to be sure that my decision was 
 correct. 
 
 I was instructed by you to keep in view the fact that the respec- 
 tive bands are entitled to separate sums of money, and to specify 
 to which band the indebted Indian may belong, and out of which 
 fund the sum allowed is to be paid. I found it utterly impractic- 
 ablo to do this, because neither the Indians nor the traders had 
 kept their matters separate, and of course could not enable me to 
 separate them. Frequently a band would go to a store and trade, 
 and the charge would be made to one of them — generally the most 
 
 conspicuous " and others ;" but who those others were, no one 
 
 could afterwards say. As frequently small notes against indivi- 
 dual Indians would be given up, and a note therefor be signed by 
 the Chiefs of the nation, not one of whom, perhaps, were parties to 
 the original note. Again, one or several Indians would buy a 
 quantity, and distribute it among others of different bands, and no 
 one be able to tell who really got the goods. I was therefore com- 
 pelled, after fruitless efforts, to abandon the attempt. 
 
 I will confess that I did not much regret this result, and for two 
 reasons. — In the first place, the price of some of the reservations 
 sold to the United States was paid in 1836, and the amount, 
 thou<Th belonging to particular bands, was put into the general 
 stock, and by general consent was either distributed to all the 
 Indians as their annuity, or was appropriated to the payment of 
 the debts of all. And it seemed to me to be unfair to allow those 
 who had last year received the benefit of money to which they had 
 no riifht, new to keep their own money to themselves, and exclude 
 others from any participation with them. 
 
 The other reason was, that the debts chargeable against any one 
 of the bands who sold, were more than enough to absorb the 
 amount payable to it. No injustice could therefore be done. 
 
 With these unavoidable exceptions, I complied with your in- 
 structions. 
 
 It will be seen, by the papers which I submit, that in 1835 the 
 debts of these Indians were liquidated at $62,431 75, that they then 
 paid $27,022 50, leaving themselves $35,409 25 in debt. That 
 
in 1836 claims amounting to about $120,000 were presented, and 
 $41,150 paid upon them ; and that in 1837 the claims presented 
 amounted to $169,446 64. And those allowed to $22,761 04 more 
 than the money payable to them. This balance, and several depre- 
 dation claims, ought to be paid out of their annuity. 
 
 It is evident from all this, that these Indians are fast sinking 
 to the most abject poverty, and when to this is added the habits of 
 intoxication which are produced by their vicinity to the white 
 people, we must be aware that their entire destruction is close at 
 hand. Their preservation from this melancholy fate can be effect- 
 ed only by prompt and efficient measures. They must be removed 
 beyond the Mississippi, out of the reach of the white man, where 
 no temptations can be thrown in their way, to be otherwise than 
 sober, industrious, and careful. " The graves of their fathers," 
 to which, it is said, they are so much attached, will soon be their 
 own unless they seek a new country. You will see, by the report 
 of the last council which I held with them, that I endeavored to 
 impress these truths upon them, and to induce them to embrace the 
 humane policy of our government. I was the more earnest in this, 
 because I could not discover any other means of preserving them. 
 To remain among the white people must be certain destruction to 
 them. 
 
 But whether they remove or remain, some regulation ought to be 
 adopted by which they should have the benefit of a " statute of re- 
 pose" as to their debts. Some frequent period ought to be fixed, at 
 which they shall understand that they are discharged from their 
 debts, and not have claims hanging over them year after year, and 
 constantly multiplying, until they feel as one of the Chiefs express- 
 ed it to me, " these things make us blind ; we cannot see ; do you 
 see for us." 
 
 A regulation of that character — to take effect hereafter, of course 
 — rendering it impossible to collect of an Indian a debt of more 
 than a year's standing, would save them from a load of imposition, 
 and while it could not injure the trader, would add very much to 
 the quiet and happiness of the Indian. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 With great respect. 
 
 Your obedient Serv't, 
 
 J. W. EDMONDS, 
 U. S. Com'r, &c. 
 
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REPORTS. 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 JOHN BREWYETT, 875,00 
 
 This claim is for one half the price of a horse claimed to have 
 been sold to a Potawatamie. But there was no evidence produced 
 to support it, and therefore it is 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 N>. 2. 
 
 LUTHER RICE, 8120,00 
 
 This is a claim for a horse sold to IVIgs-ne-go-qua in 1833. She 
 admits she bouglit the horse for 8120, and owes it all except 8 10, 
 which she had paid. 
 
 Allowed at 8110,00. 
 
 No. 3. 
 JOHN BACCUS, 82323,65 
 
 Claimant is a black man, and keeps a hake-shop and grocery at 
 Logansport. Indians, both Minmis and Potawatamies, have been 
 in the habit of dealing with him ; principally for bread, pies, and 
 cakes. He is uneducated, and is unable to keep accurate books of 
 account. He has the reputation of being an honest, fair man, but 
 is unable to tell how much the Potawatamies do owe him. The 
 claim which he presents was made out by an Irish laboi-er, and is 
 full of mistakes. 
 
 Joseph Barron, the Government interpreter, was in the habit of 
 giving the Indians orders upon Baccus for bread. And these orders 
 are charged in the claim thus, 
 
 « Orders as p. file from No. 1 to No. 106" 8418,261 
 
 The orders are produced and examined, and are only for 
 1758 lbs. of bread, and 60 lbs. bacon, amounting only to 
 $112,23. 112,23 
 
 Justifying a deduction of 8306,03 
 
18 
 
 This deduction is further sustained by an examination of the 
 books produced ; from which it appears that some of the orders are 
 entered twice, some itre entered falsely as to amounis, and that $175 
 is cliarjred lo the Indians for provisions furnished to Captain 
 Simonton for his support during the payment of annuities in 1836. 
 
 There must be a further deduction for No. 107, $8,40, which is 
 included in the above sum of $112,23. 
 
 The following will show the state of these accounts as they 
 appear from the books. 
 
 1. Kewana's account is charged at 299,64 
 
 There is an error in addition in one place, 4,75 
 In another, 6,87 
 
 And there is nothing to support 94,84 106,46 
 
 The amount is sustained by the books only for 
 2. Wewissah's account is charged at $109,25 
 
 There is nothing to support 
 
 $193,18 
 
 27,50 
 
 Sustained only for 
 3. Nas-wau-ka's account is charged at 192,90 
 
 Unsupported, 7,12 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 4. Pash-po's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 5. Richards is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 6. Sporta's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 7. Bennac's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 8. Ash-kum's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 9. Nee-booh's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 206,82 
 61,85 
 
 18,71 
 4.90 
 
 117,75 
 1H,25 
 
 143,17 
 
 , 29,42 
 
 144,17 
 20,50 
 
 206,65 
 1,00 
 
 81,75 
 
 185,78 
 
 144,97 
 
 13,81 
 
 99,50 
 
 113,75 
 
 123,67 
 
 Sustained for 
 
 205,65 
 
19 
 
 10. lowah's is charged at 191,37 
 Unsupported, 11,25 
 
 Sustained for 180,27 
 
 11. Aubonobby's is charged at 125,43 
 Unsupported, 13,06 
 
 Sustained for 112,37 
 
 12. Blind Chief's is charged at 
 
 Unsupported, 
 
 Sustained for 44,08 
 
 13. Joseph Barron's is charged at 426,86 
 
 Unsupported, 314,43 
 
 Sustained for 112,43 
 
 14. Potawatamies not known, charged at 315,01 
 
 Unsupported, 22,17 
 
 292,84 
 
 15. Wee.saw's sustained as charged at 68,85 
 
 $1972,75 
 Deducting the amount paid him in 1836 350,00 
 
 And there would seem to be due him, $1622,75 
 
 as his books would make it out. 
 
 There are, however, several considerations to impeach the cor- 
 reclness of the claim for this amount. 
 
 In the first place, his books are so badly kept as to afford no 
 certain evidence of the correctness of any of his accounts. He 
 presents original entries kept by himself, after his own fashion, and 
 written in by many different persons, as they might chance to 
 enter his shop and he willing to make entries for him. His ama- 
 nuensis attempted to copy them into a ledger, and when he could 
 not make out to read John's hieroglyphics, he would guess at it ; and 
 at the end of almost every account draw upon his imagination for 
 sundry charges which had no other foundation. His ledger did 
 not aaree with his original entries, nor did tlie account filed with 
 me agree with the ledger. 
 
 A<rain ; John's charges would not sometimes be made until some 
 days"liad elapsed, and then he would trust to his memory ; and he 
 dealt almost as much with the Miamis as he did with the Potawata- 
 mies, and he could not always discriminate. These two causes 
 would produce errors, the extent of which is well exemplified in the 
 case of Barron's orders, where the charge of $426,86 was, on 
 examination, reduced to $112,43. And I have no doubt that the 
 same causes ought to produce a similar deduction in the charge of 
 $315,00 against Potawatamies not known. 
 
 In Sept. 1836, John presented his claim against the Potawata- 
 mies at $1115,78, and then received $350 on it, leaving due to him 
 
20 
 
 $765,78. If the result, as produced by his books, as above men- 
 tioned, is correct, then he must have trusted to these Indians in the 
 space of eight months, in bread and craci\ers, $1206,97: an 
 amount beyond his means, and far beyond his practice of all former 
 years. 
 
 But his claim shows that his charges after Sept. 1836, amount 
 only to $971,13. 
 
 There is yet another difficulty. In August, 1835, claimant settled 
 off with these Indians, and was to receive the balance of his account, 
 $150, at the payment in 1836. In Sept. 1636, he did receive that 
 sum, as well as tlie $350 ; but whether the $150 formed a part of the 
 claim for $1115,78 then put in, I could not ascertain, nor could he 
 or liis clerk explain any of these difficulties. 
 
 From the uncertainty and confusion attending the whole case, I 
 could arrive at only one conclusion with certainty, and that was, 
 that the claim was not correct as presented. 
 
 I shall be best satisfied with the following result : 
 
 Take the amount as appears from the books, $1662,75 
 
 Deduct from it the payment in 1836, $150,00 
 
 And on account of charges against Potawata- 
 mies unknown, a sum which will put this charge 
 on a footing with Barron's orders ; to wit, 232,00 382,00 
 
 And allow $1280,75 
 
 No. 4 & 5. 
 WILLIAM SILL & CO., $60,75 
 
 Do. Do. 47,05 
 
 These claims are for goods and provisions sold to these Indians. 
 The accuracy of the accounts, and the delivery of most of the goods 
 charged, having been proved by a clerk, who testifies also that the 
 claim was truly copied from the original entries which were then 
 destroyed ; the claims are 
 
 Allowed at $107,80 
 
 No. 6. 
 
 HARRISON BARNET, $382,62 
 
 In this case no items are given, nor any books produced, nor 
 is their absence in any manner accounted for. The only evidence 
 to support the claim is, the admission of Iowa that he owes about 
 $2ii, the testimony of Col. Ewing that claimant sold some things 
 to the Indians, and the evidence of Miller swearing to the accuracy 
 of the claim for $180. The notes are not produced, nor have I 
 any evidence before me what they were given for. 
 
21 
 
 Under these circumstances, I do not feel myself justified in al- 
 lowing any more than the $180. 
 
 Allowance $180 
 
 No. 7. 
 
 FORD, WALKER & Co., $69,44 
 
 This claim is for merchandise. It is proved by the clerk of 
 claimants, who delivered the goods, and produces the books of 
 original entries. From an examination of the books, errors and 
 payments on account are discovered amounting to $11,37, which 
 must be deducted. 
 
 This claim is therefore allowed at $58,07 
 
 No. 8. 
 RYFENBURGH & BREARLY, $100,00 
 
 Claimants amputated the arm of an Indian, and visited him twice 
 after amputation. For the amputation they charge $50, and for 
 each visit $25, The former is not an extravagant charge, but the 
 latter is. According to the custom of the country they would be 
 entitled to 50 cents a mile, or $3 for each visit. 
 
 They are therefore allowed $56,00 
 
 No. 9. 
 EWING, WALKER & Co., $754,21 
 
 In December, 1834, Gen. Wm. Marshall, then Indian agent for 
 the Potavvatamies, made nine several treaties with ditferent bands 
 of that nation for the cession of their reservations in Indiana, 
 copies of which treaties, numbered from 1 to 9 inclusive, are hereto 
 annexed. Each of them contained a stipulation that a portion o;' 
 the consideration money should be paid in goods at the signing o;" 
 the treaty, without reference to its ratification. The goods were 
 delivered in pursuance of those stipulations, and the treaties were 
 all rejected by the Senate. The goods were not bought by the 
 agent, for the government or with its funds ; but he gave orders to 
 certain of the traders to deliver goods to the amount stipulated. 
 Inspectors were appointed to see that proper articles, and at fair 
 prices, were delivered by the traders. And the traders, not having 
 received their pay for the goods thus delivered, now present a 
 claim ibr them, as a debt against the Indians. 
 
 The Indians say they ought not to pay for them, for they did 
 not buy them, but they received them as a gift from government. 
 
 It was certainly not their fault that the treaties were not ratified, 
 
22 
 
 but it is equally certain that they made their treaties subject to 
 ratification, that they received the goods in part pay for their lands, 
 which they did not, however, convey to government ; and therefore, 
 they have had and enjoyed the benefit of the goods without paying 
 any compensation for them. 
 
 The claim of the traders for compensation is well founded, 
 and they ought to be paid either by government or the Indians ; and 
 as the latter alone have received any benefit from the goods, they 
 ought to pay, particularly as government otherwise pays them for 
 these same lands. 
 
 These remarks apply to all the cases of goods delivered " for 
 treaty purposes," and are now made once for all as conti-oliing all 
 claims of that character. 
 
 In the particular case under consideration, the goods, were 
 delivered under treaty No. 1, which stipulated for the payment of 
 $400 in goods ; and the claim is supported by the certificates of the 
 Inspectors and the agent, and by the testimony of one of th^ 
 Inspectors. 
 
 It is therefore allowed at the face of the bill, viz. $667,50 
 
 There is a claim for interest, from the adjournment of Congress 
 in March, 1835, until paid, which is disallowed. 
 
 No. 10. 
 
 EVVING, WALKER & CO., $767,99 
 
 This claim is for goods delivered for " treaty purpo.^es," under 
 treaty made 4tli Dec, 1834, with Wm. Marshall, and ratified. 
 See page 616 of treaty book. 
 
 Allowed at $676,68 
 
 The balance, being for interest, is disallowed. 
 
 No. 11. 
 EWING, WALKER & CO., $1000 
 
 This is a claim for goods delivered for " treaty purposes." I 
 have not, however, been able to find the treaty. 
 
 It appears that goods to the amount of $i.'-!8 only were delivered 
 at the time of making the treaty. The delivery of the balance at 
 subsequent periods is proved by the books, and clerks of the claim- 
 ants. 
 
 It is allowed at $1000,00 
 
 No. 12. 
 EWING, WALKER & CO., $2065,00 
 
 This claim is for goods delivered for " treaty purposes," under 
 
23 
 
 treaty No. 7, by which $2000 in goods was payable. Goods to the 
 amount of 8500, were delivered at the execution of the treaty in 
 Dec. 1834, and the balance was not delivered until August 1836, 
 after the last treaty with that band had been signed. $5U0 only is 
 therefore properly to be considered for " treaty purposes," the re- 
 sidue having been delivered after treaty No. 7 had been rejected. 
 That residue, however, is a proper claim against the Indians as a 
 a debt, because it is well proved that the goods were delivered to 
 them. 
 
 It is allowed at $2000 
 
 There is a claim for interest, which is disallowed. 
 
 No. 13. 
 EWING, WALKER & Co., $565 
 
 This is for goods delivered for " treaty purposes," under treaty 
 No. 1. 
 
 That treaty provided for the payment of only $400 in goods. 
 Yet it appears, from the vouchers in claim No. 9 and in this case, 
 that the agent authorized a delivery of goods to the amount of 
 $1167,50. 
 
 The delivery of the whole is made out in proof, and this claim is 
 a just one against the Indians. 
 
 It is therefore allowed at $500 
 
 There is also a claim for interest, which is disallowed. 
 
 No. 14. 
 EWING, WALKER & Co., $565,00 
 
 This claim is for goods delivered for " treaty purposes," under 
 treaty No. 7. 
 
 But it appears by the vouchers, in claim No. 12, that the whole 
 amount of goods stipulated by that treaty had already been deliver- 
 ed. This is not, tlierefore, properly a claim for " treaty purposes." 
 
 It is proper to remark, that there is great confusion in these 
 claims for " treaty purposes," and great difficulty in attaching the 
 goods to the proper treaty. This has arisen from the carelessness 
 of the agent in giving his orders. That does not, however, impair 
 the justness of the claims of the traders. 
 
 Wherever, as in this case, they have delivered their goods to the 
 Indians, they ought to be paid for them. 
 
 This claim is allowed at $500 
 
 There is also a claim for interest, which is disallowed. 
 
 No. 15. 
 JAMES T. MILLER, 502,50 
 
 This bill is for horses, saddles, bridles, and martingales, delivered 
 
21 
 
 to the Yellow River Band of Indians in August, 1836. The de- 
 livery of the articles and the fairness of the prices being sufficiently 
 proved, the claim is 
 
 Allowed at $502,50 
 
 No. 16. 
 JEAN B. JUTROIS, $3500,00 
 
 No. 86. 
 JEAN B. JUTROIS, 4780,00 
 
 Total, $5280,00 
 
 These two claims are so necessarily connected, that they ought to 
 be considered together. 
 
 Claimant is part Indian, and has a squaw wife, and cannot write, 
 except merely to sign his name. He has lived as an Indian, and 
 among them ; and whenever he could get goods or provisions, he has 
 dealt with them. He kept no accounts, because he said "it was no 
 use," except that he would occasionally make hieroglyphics, which 
 he and the Indians could understand. Of course it is impossible 
 to arrive at any thing like certainty as to the amount justly due h m. 
 
 As to No. 16. In support of this, he presents a note signed by 
 the Chiefs of the Yellow River Band, dated on the day they ceded 
 their lands, and executed in presence of Colonel Pepper. The Co- 
 lonel says that the Chiefs wanted to make a reservation for Jutrois 
 in the treaty ; but failing in that, they gave him this note ; whether 
 for debt, or in lieu of reservations, the Colonel did not know. The 
 mere note, executed under such circumstances, is not sufficient to 
 justify an allowance. It is then proved that tor the last nine years Ju- 
 trois had been living and trading with this band and other Indians; 
 that he has purchased goods, varying from $1,000 to $2,000 a year ; 
 and he has been frequently seen to give out goods, &c. to them, with- 
 out receiving pay or making any charge ; that he used more bacon 
 and flour at his house than the White Man's tavern in the neigh- 
 borhood did ; and that $1,0U0 a year would not cover what he gave 
 away to the Indians ; and he lost more money by keeping and feed- 
 ing them, than by trusting goods to them. 
 
 These statements refer back to 1828, but he signed the Register 
 of 1835 ; and, in consideration of $600 then paid him, he released 
 the Indians from all claims, up to August, 1835 ; and the question 
 is, what debts were contracted after that date ? 
 
 1st. He shows purchases made by himself of goods for the trade, 
 between October, 1835, and April, 1837, amounting to $5575,82. 
 
 2d. That many of the Indians about there owe him money for 
 these goods. 
 
 3d. That during the last three months of 1835, he had a person 
 living with him who kept his accounts; and he shows accounts and 
 notes, thus kept, amounting, for goods sold in October, November, 
 and December of that year, to $957,54. 
 
25 
 
 4th. That the Chiefs of the Yellow River Band admit their in- 
 debtedness to this amount. 
 
 5th. He exhibits his hieroglyphics, showing an indebtedness. 
 
 As to No. 86. This is supported by three notes of hand. One 
 dated September 7, 1836, for $2000 to him, and $1600 to J. Bar- 
 ron, which is spoken of in the report on No. 17. One dated May 
 16, 1837, for $2000, and one for $1280, without date or witnesses. 
 
 The general evidence of trade and invoices, mentioned above, is 
 in support of this as well as the other claim. But there are various 
 circumstances to impeach these notes. 
 
 As to that dated September 7, the Chiefs Iowa, Neswauka, Ke- 
 wawna, M-jo-quis, and No-taw-ka, deny positively ever having signed 
 it. The latter person would seem to have signed it twice, for he is 
 known both as No-taw-ka and VVi-ah-koos-say ; and both those names 
 are sip-ned to it. It is witnessed by two of Barron's sons, whose 
 testimony in regard to it, before me, was so inconsistent in its dif- 
 ferent parts, and so much at war with the facts as proved by the 
 paper itself, that it is not entitled to credit. See pages 145, 156, 
 and 157 of the Book of Testimony. 
 
 The note of May 16, 1837, was understood by the Indians who 
 signed it to be in full of all his claims. 
 
 The note of $1280 is for two sections of land, which the Indians 
 promised to give him, and did not. It purports to have the mark of 
 five Indians to it. 0-ca-chee, one of them, denies that she signed it ; 
 so does Abram Burnet, who can read and write, but whose mark is 
 put to it with his Indian name, Ah-no-way-she-na. Jutrois, in his 
 affidavit, says that it was upon this note of $1280 that he received 
 $500 in 1836 ; but, upon an examination of the papers presented 
 last year, it appears that the only claim he put in, was the note of 
 $2000 to himself and Barron. 
 
 An indebtedness of these Indians to Jutrois is, I think, satisfacto- 
 rily made out ; and an inference might be drawn, from the invoices 
 of his purchases, that it was not far from $5000 ; but we are to bear 
 in mind that he got all the furs of the band at a time when the hunts 
 are described to have been pretty good ; that he had it in his power, 
 and doubtless availed himself of the opportunity, to collect from the 
 Indians some money on his credits, of which no account is given ; 
 that he lost as much by giving away to the Indians as by selling to 
 them, and that he received last year $500. 
 
 I cannot arrive at any certainty in the case as to the actual 
 amount of indebtedness. I am obliged to estimate it. 
 
 I therefore allow on both claims $2500. 
 
 No. 17. 
 
 JOSEPH BARRON, $6000 
 
 The magnitude of this claim, and its character, require a special 
 notice. 
 The claimant is the government interpreter, and is married to the 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 daughter of one of the Chiefs. His claim is presented in the shape of 
 a note for the above amount, signed by 12 of the chiefs and head 
 men of the Potawatamies of the Wabash. It is not supported by 
 any books of account or items, but was signed in the presence of the 
 the Indian agent, and the disbursing officer, and several other gentle- 
 men of respectable character. His affidavit appended to the note 
 shows the nature of the claim, and that he rests very much upon 
 the fact that the Indians admitted the indebtedness in the presence 
 and by the sanction of the Indian agent. But Col. Pepper denies 
 that he intended to give his official sanction to any debt whatever ; 
 and he says that the Indians told him that " Barron had lived 
 among them a long time, and had shared among them all his things, 
 and they wanted to pay him." They desired a stipulation to that 
 efiect inserted in the treaty, but, upon his declining do so, they 
 signed this note, and he witnessed it, without knowing any thing 
 more about its consideration. 
 
 Barron is, and has been, poor, and unable to obtain goods other- 
 wise than on the credit of the Indians. That he has obtained a 
 large amount of goods in this way, is proved in several cases. 
 
 The Indians are not in the habit of inquiring, nor do they gene- 
 rally know whose goods they receive. They know only the man 
 who gives them out to them. Instances have been known, (though, 
 it is to be hoped, of rare occurrence,) in which persons have gone into 
 the Indian country as clerks, and trusted out to the Indians valuable 
 outfits for their employers for two or three years in succession, and 
 have then abandoned their posts as clerks, and commenced trade 
 on their own account, and without difficulty collected for their own 
 benefit the " credits," as they are called, which they had made for 
 their employers. This is rendered feasible by the fact, that the In- 
 dians know only the clerks in their dealings. 
 
 An instance of this kind appears in Barron's case. 
 
 In order to support his claim, he proved by Harvy Heath, his son- 
 in-law, that in the winter of 1836, 7, (subsequent to the date of the 
 note in question,) he carried to the Indian country two loads of 
 provisions. In case No. 26, it was proved that those provisions 
 were furnished by Ewing, Walker & Co., and sent out by Bar- 
 ron, and the Indians knew only Barron in the transaction. Se- 
 veral other cases of the same character are disclosed in the investi- 
 gation of different claims. 
 
 Barron was in the frequent habit of going to the traders at Lo- 
 gansport, and procuring goods on the credit of the Indians. Some- 
 times there would be Indians with him, and sometimes he would be 
 alone. Sometimes the articles would be such as were evidently 
 for his ov/n private use ; and again, such as were for the use of the 
 Indians. 
 
 It was also common for Barron to relieve himself from personal 
 liability by procuring his father-in-law, and other Chiefs, to sign ob- 
 ligations for the debts which he had thus contracted. Instances of 
 that kind will be found in several of these reports. 
 
 Barron was frequently applied to by traders and others to pro- 
 cure the signatures of the Chiefs to different papers. The custom 
 
27 
 
 of the Chiefs to congregate at, and around his house, and the free 
 manner in which he associated and shared with them, gave him 
 facilities for doing any business with them, and an influence over a 
 portion of them surpassing that of any other white man. Tliere 
 is reason to beUeve that that influence was not always exerted in 
 the best manner. Evidence of this will be found in the investiga- 
 tion of the disturbance in 1836, and in case No. 16, where Jutrois 
 applied to Barron to procure signatures to a note for $2000 to 
 Jutrois ; Barron did so, but he took the precaution to add to it a 
 promise to pay him $1600. So that I have before me two notes in 
 favor of Barron, one for $1600 dated Sept. 7, 1836, and one for 
 $6000 dated the 23d Sept. 1836, and a claim for a balance of $2625 
 on the Register of 1835 — making a total of $10,225, claimed as be. 
 ing due from these Indians, to a man who was too poor to purchase 
 goods with cash, and of too low credit, as described by the wit- 
 nesses, to buy otherwise than on the credit of the Indians. 
 
 He accounts for this in his affidavit, appended to the $6000 note. 
 In that he says, that though not dissipated, he is improvident ; that 
 he has been poor the most part of his life, and was compelled, from 
 his situation, to share with his Indian friends the most that he had 
 or his credit could command ; and that his kind Indian friends were 
 unwilling to neglect or pass him by, but wished to give some evi- 
 dence of their justice and gratitude, and for that the note was 
 executed. This explanation makes the note a gift rather than a 
 just debt. 
 
 Besides all this, he has been in the habit of receiving liberally 
 from these Indians payments or presents of money. In 1835 he 
 had an allowance made to him of $5125 as a debt tlien due, and he 
 received on it, at that time, $2500. In 1836, $6000 was set apart 
 for him by Messrs. Ewing & Taber; but he took $9000 in the first 
 instance, but he restored $1000 and retained only $8000. All of 
 that was taken away from him in the disturbance, and he finally 
 received $2500 of the five Commissioners. 
 
 The Chiefs complained to me that they had, in 1836, put into his 
 hands $2000 of their money, and they had been unable to get it 
 from him. He was called upon to account for this, and he did so 
 by producing two receipts signed by some of the Chiefs, one dated 
 October 5, 1836, for $780, and another one of the same date for 
 $250 ; both expressing that the Chiefs had received that money of 
 Barron to pay their own debts. It is remarkable, that both these 
 papers are assigned by Barron to his creditors as valid obligations 
 against the Indians. 
 
 Besides all this, the Commissioners say, that at their payment to 
 the Indians on the 28th September, 1836, Barron was present, and 
 as individual Indians were paid off", he collected of them several 
 sums of money which he said they owed him. 
 
 To put the case beyond all doubt, I consulted the Chiefs in open 
 council. They denied owing Barron any thing, and his authority 
 to procure goods on their account. 
 
 Considering, as I do, the settlement of August 1835, as final and 
 conclusive, it will be proper to remark, that on that occasion he 
 was allowed a debt amounting to $5125,00 
 
28 
 
 He received in 1835 $2500 
 
 in 1836 2500 
 
 He obtained from the Chiefs 
 
 in 1836 $2000 
 
 and he paid back only 1030 970 5970,00 
 
 Thus he appears to have received $845,00 more than was due 
 to him. 
 
 The note of $6000 became due on the 1st of May, 1837, and on 
 the 8th Nov. 1836, (before it was due) he seems to have assigned 
 it, " for value received." To remove any doubt, however, whether 
 the note might not, in a legal point of view, be good in the hands 
 of an innocent holder, he produced to me papers showing that it 
 had been assigned for collection only, and not for a valuable con. 
 sideration paid at the time. 
 
 The claim must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 18. 
 EWING, WALKER & CO., $255,75 
 
 This is a claim for goods delivered " for treaty purposes," under 
 General Marshall's treaty No. 2, and is well established by the 
 proof. 
 
 It is allowed at $255,75 
 
 There is a claim for interest, disallowed. 
 
 No. 19. 
 JOHN B. JUTROIS, $1000,00 
 
 This claim is for a bill of goods delivered to the Yellow River 
 Band of Indians, on the 25th of August, 1836. 
 
 The delivery of the goods, and the execution of the note for them, 
 are proved, and the claim is 
 
 Allowed at $1006,00 
 
 No. 20. 
 EWING, WALKER & CO., $3000,00 
 
 This is a claim for goods, at fair prices, delivered to the Yellow 
 River Band about twenty days after the making of the treaty of 
 August, 1836. 
 
 The bill is proved by the oath of one of those who saw the goods 
 delivered, the certificate executed and the note signed by the In- 
 dians. 
 
 The proof is complete, and the claim is 
 
 Allowed at $3000,00 
 
29 
 
 No. 21. 
 ENOCH D. WOODBRIDGE, $250,00 
 
 This is a claim for depredations committed by some Indians in 
 killing the claimant's hogs in 1832. Independent of all other consi- 
 derations, it being proven in this case that the offenders do not 
 belong among those who have made these treaties, the claim must 
 of course be 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 22. 
 HARRIS & M'CORD, $602,52 
 
 This claim was first entered for $601,30, withdrawn and re-en- 
 tered for $602,52. It was proved by the clerk of claimants and 
 the production of the original entries ; but upon examination of the 
 account, it appears that only $143,50 was properly chargeable to 
 these Indians, the residue being against the Potawatamies of the 
 Chicago agency. 
 
 Therefore, allow $143,50 
 
 Disallow 459,02 
 
 No. 23. 
 
 JOSEPH SCOTT & Co., $514,25 
 
 This claim is supported by the production of the original entries, 
 by the affidavit of their clerk and the testimony of a witness that 
 claimants were in the habit of selling goods to these Indians on 
 credit, and charging them on their books. 
 
 On examining the books (Sec, errors in Addition and carrying 
 out are found, amounting to $9,04 and one item of $14 is unsup- 
 ported by evidence. 
 
 The claim is for $514,25 
 
 Deduct for errors, 9,04 
 
 For want of evidence, 14,00 
 
 23,04 
 
 Allowed, $491,21 
 
 No. 24. 
 
 SPENCER & GANSON, $30,50 
 
 This claim is proved by witnesses, and admitted by the Indians. 
 It is therefore allowed at $30,50 
 
 No. 25. 
 N. D. GROVER, $3025,50 
 
 This is a claim for a balance on accounts and notes running 
 
30 
 
 back as far as 1832 and 3. The whole matter will be very much 
 simplified, by recurring to the fact that claimant signed the Regis- 
 ter of 1835, at which time be was allowed 81802 in full of all 
 claims up to that date ; he received then $668, and was to receive 
 the balance in 1836 and 1837. I therefore throw out of view 
 every item bearing a date prior to 23d August, 1835, and state the 
 account thus, 
 
 Bal. due in 1835, $1134,00 
 
 Burnet's note, 15 June, 1837, 16,00 
 Notes of Kewana, Neswauka, Passis, and others, ^ 
 
 Nos. 1 to 17 inclusive, amounting — after deducting > 187,50 
 3 claims not proved — to j 
 
 Receipts for provisions, Nos. 1 to 9 inclusive, 196,37 
 
 Sundry notes, Nos. 1 to 13, 194,30 
 
 Notes, accounts, and certified claims, Nos. from 1 to 9, 65,00 
 
 Wi-wiss-ah, and others' small accounts, 16,50 
 
 Provisions delivered to sundry parties by J. Barron } ao'r t-x 
 m 1836, ^ 
 
 Provisions delivered by Barron in 1835, and after > 154 00 
 
 23d August in that year, ) ' 
 
 Two claims of J. Barnet and J. Douglass for culti- " 
 
 vating fields, proved by the witness to have been pre- . 210,00 
 
 sented in 1835, but omitted from the allowances by ' 
 
 mistake, J $2601,40 
 
 Deduct cash rec'd of Ewing and Taber, 1836, $567,00 
 Do. of the 5 Commissioners, 2000,00 
 
 3567,00 
 
 Bal. due, $34,40 
 
 This is a result to which I am compelled, if I give full force to 
 the Register of 1835, for it contains a covenant that " the accounts 
 so allowed embrace every charge against the Potawatamies, and 
 that the traders will not thereafter present any accounts previous 
 to that date," except goods for treaty purposes and contracts for 
 reservations. But upon examining the signature of this claimant 
 to the Register, it appears that the following words were added to 
 it. "Agents' orders for 1834 and '35 not included in claim." 
 Upon referring to the claim presented in 1835, it appears evident 
 that the orders now presented were not included in that settlement. 
 But it also appears that those words, thus written after the signa- 
 ture, have been erased ; by whom done, is not proved. There is no 
 proof that the erasure was by the knowledge or consent of the 
 claimant, nor is it probable that he erased it, because he had a 
 large claim on account of those orders. Of that he was not igno- 
 rant at the time, for he then had in his possession, and exhibited 
 a statement of his claim including those orders, made on the 25th 
 May, 1835, certified by Gen. Marshall as Indian agent, amounting 
 to $3544,37 ; and on the 25th December, 1835, he obtained from 
 the Chiefs a letter to the Secretary of War, requesting him to order 
 the balance paid to him. This the Secretary declined doing. 
 
31 
 
 These " agent's orders" were orders given on Grover by Gen. 
 Marshall when agent, and Grover's doubt seems to have been, whe- 
 ther on that account they ought not to be paid by government. 
 
 The attempt to obtain payment in that mode having failed, he 
 now presents it against the Indians, and it is doubtless a proper 
 claim against them, so far as they are substantiated. 
 
 They are substantiated as follows : 
 
 Orders of Gen. Marshall from Sept. 1834 to April, 
 
 1836, $1852,70 
 
 Do. of Col. Pepper, and orders in 1835, 192,37 
 
 $1955,07 
 All the residue of claim prior to 23d August, 1835, is necessarily 
 excluded. 
 
 The allowance is as follows : 
 
 Orders as above, $1955 07 
 
 Balance as above stated, 34 40 
 
 Total allowed, $1889,47 
 
 No. 26. 
 EWING, WALKER & Co., $27428,14 
 
 This claim being the largest presented to me, I have devoted to 
 its examination more time and attention than to any other case, and 
 have applied to it the rules which I adopted for the government of 
 my action with the utmost rigor. Their books seem to have been 
 very well kept, and all their vouchers have a greater appearance of 
 regularity than any I have ever found among Indian claims. 
 
 Claimants have been very extensive dealers with the Indians, and 
 they have taken unusual precautions to prepare and preserve the 
 vouchers in support of their claim. I examined all their original 
 entries with great care, and had their Clerks sitting by me, giving 
 testimony, under oath, as I proceeded ; and in all cases I required 
 proof of the delivery of the property, notwithstanding they exhibited 
 notes or other evidences of debt, signed by the Indians ; and, as a 
 further precaution, I inquired into their purchases of goods tor their 
 several stores, and examined their invoices. In fine, I subjected the 
 whole claim to a most rigid and laborious scrutiny ; and the follow- 
 ing is the result : 
 
 I take up the case according to its numbers on their abstract. 
 
 No. 1.— Ashkum and band, charged with. 
 Deduct for liquor. 
 
 No. 2. — M-jo-quis, charged with. 
 Add for error, 
 
 Amount carried forward, $513 25 
 
 $422 25 
 
 
 2 00 
 
 
 
 $420 25 
 
 . 112 00 
 
 1 00 
 
 
 
 113 00 
 
 
32 
 
 Brought forward, S513 25 
 
 No. 3. — I-o-wa and party, charged with, 1,230 34 
 Deduct for items charged in 
 
 other accounts or not found 
 
 on book, - - - $93 25 
 Do. for items before August 
 
 24, 1835, - - 16 75 
 
 I 
 
 110 00 
 
 1,120 34 
 
 No. 4. — Pash-po-ho, charged with and proved at, - 28 25 
 
 No. 5.— Chit-chok-kose, do do - 154 75 
 
 No. 6.— 0-ke-chee, charged with $302,88. The goods 
 for which this claim is interposed were deli- 
 vered to 0-ke-chee, in payment of land bought 
 by claimants of her. While my investigations 
 were going on, she requested claimants to pre- 
 sent this account as a debt against the nation, 
 and thus be paid, and she be thus enabled to 
 get paid again. This is inadmissible. It is 
 no debt against any body ; but a payment to 
 her, and, therefore it must be disallowed. 
 No. 7. — Madeline Ducharme, charged with, $254 42 
 Deduct for liquor, charged as 
 
 vinegar, - - - - $1 00 
 This woman is married to 
 Geo. Delisle, and the Chiefs 
 in Council refused to pay any 
 debts of his contracting. The 
 following items for things got 
 by him, must also be deduct- 
 ed : 
 
 3 yds. red calico, $1 50 
 1 pair shoes, - 2 00 
 
 Sundry merchandize, 5 91 
 Red flannel, - 75 
 
 1 lb. salts, - - 50 
 Buttons, - - 62 
 1 fine round-about, 3 00 
 1 pair fine shoes, - 2 00 
 
 16 28 
 
 17 28 
 
 237 14 
 
 No. 8. — Kaw-shee-noosh, charged with and proved, 17 00 
 
 No. 9. — Ke-waw-na, do do - 12 00 
 
 No. 10.— Besiah, charged with, - - $1135 62 
 There are some errors in this ac- 
 count. 
 A receipt for $600 is twice 
 
 charged, - - $600 00 
 
 Amount carried forward, $2,082 73 
 
33 
 
 Brought forward, 
 There are errors in that re- 
 ceipt, for overcharging, - 43 83 
 Some other items are twice 
 
 charged, - - - 33 50 
 
 677 33 
 
 $2082 73 
 
 No. 11.- 
 No. 12.- 
 
 -N-yok-qui-see charged with. 
 Deduct for error. 
 
 30 13 
 1 50 
 
 -M-shik-kaw-ne charged with, - 138 75 
 
 Deduct for amount prior to August, 
 1835, which is also included in 
 note, ----- 31 
 
 lO 
 
 No. 13. — Aub-e-naw-be's band charged with, 5,000 00 
 Deduct for errors and overcharges, 114 50 
 
 No. 14.- 
 
 No. 15.- 
 
 No. 16.- 
 No. 17.- 
 
 — Me-chee-qua charged with, and proved at, - 
 -Wee-wee-sah and band charged at, 1,733 25 
 Deduct for errors and liquor dis- 
 guised, . . - . . 7 37 
 
 -Ash-kum's band charged with, - - - 
 
 -All the bands charged with, ... 
 
 This is for provisions delivered to the Indians, 
 in their own country, when in a starving 
 condition, in February, 1837. The Indians 
 are so impi-ovident as frequently to be placed 
 in that condition. They have no resource, 
 but an application to the traders. I con- 
 sider such claims as entitled to peculiar fa- 
 vor. 
 
 Miss-no-que charged with, and proved, 
 
 No. 18 
 
 No. 19. — Nas-wau-kee charged with. 
 
 Deduct for lifjuor disguised, $3 00 
 Do. for duplicate charges, 129 00 
 
 328 79 
 
 Add for error, 
 Total deduction, 
 
 132 00 
 3 75 
 
 128 25 
 
 No. 20. — Heirs of Pe-chee-ko, obligation for, 800 00 
 These persons contracted to sell to 
 claimants a section of land, and 
 received for their pay several small 
 notes, payable in goods. All those 
 notes were paid and taken up, and 
 
 Amount carried forward, 
 E 
 
 458 29 
 
 28 63 
 
 1D7 00 
 
 4,885 50 
 17 00 
 
 1,725 88 
 301 50 
 172 00 
 
 80 50 
 
 200 54 
 
 $10,059 57 
 
34 
 
 Brought forward, $10,059 57 
 
 then it turned out that they had 
 already sold the land to some one 
 else. It is therefore proper they 
 should re-pay the price they re- 
 ceived of Ewings, deducting for 
 liquor, - - - - • 2 43 
 
 797 57 
 
 No. 21. — Miss-no-qui and party, - - 388 25 
 Deduct a note of April, 1836, which 
 is also charged and allowed in pre- 
 vious No. 12, - $120 00 
 Add for error, - - - 2 00 
 
 118 00 
 220 25 
 
 No. 22. — Angellique, Washionas's widow, - 276 08 
 
 Deduct for error $6 00, add for same 
 cause 25 cents, - - 5 75 
 
 Deduct a note of $14 00, 
 
 charged as No. 64, - 14 00 
 
 The whole of this charge is 
 for goods delivered to An- 
 gellique, to trade on com- 
 mission. She says that 
 claimant gave away, of 
 those goods, - - - 30 00 
 
 And she ought to be paid the 
 
 use of her horse, - - 20 00 
 
 69 75 
 206 33 
 
 No. 23.--Band of Muk-kose, proved at, - - - 200 00 
 No. 24. — Passees, band of Che-kose, do. - - - 150 00 
 
 These two items are not charged on book, but 
 are presented in the shape of obligations, 
 which contain the particular articles sold, 
 and a note for the amount ; the latter having, 
 from appearance, been signed before the for- 
 mer were written ; but the delivery of all 
 the property is proved. 
 No. 25. — I-o-wah and several other bands, $7,654 50 
 
 1st item. Goods delivered by con- 
 sultation with Agent, in or about 
 August, 1835, $1,209. 
 
 Deduct for error, - - 6 00 
 
 2d and 3d items, amounting 
 to $6,100, for goods deli- 
 vered to the Indians by J. 
 Barron, on commission, as 
 Clerk of claimants. The 
 
 Amount carried forward, $11,633 72 
 
35 
 
 Brought forward, $11,633 72 
 particular Indians are not 
 named. There must be a 
 deduction on the follow- 
 ing : 
 
 1. Goods delivered by Bar- 
 ron in Jan., 1835, [whether 
 this claim then belonged to 
 the Ewings or Barron, it 
 is equally barred by the 
 Register of 1835,] - 506 75 
 
 2. Sundry credits which ap- 
 pear on the books, and not 
 entered on the abstract, 204 12 
 
 8. Liquor charges, - - 8 50 
 
 4. Onaccount of items which 
 are evidently for Barron's 
 
 own use, - - 196 93 
 
 5. On account of interest 
 charged, - - - 127 00 
 
 1,009 30 
 
 6,645 20 
 
 No. 26. — Wee-we-sah, proved at, - - - - 87 25 
 
 No. 27. — Besiah and baud, for treaty purposes, - - 800 00 
 No. 28. — Pe-ash-way, account for, - - 247 00 
 
 Deduct charges to DeLisle and Samuel 
 
 Dickson, - - - . 5 50 
 
 241 50 
 
 No. 29. — Tow-taw, is a Miami, (disallowed.) 
 
 No. 30. — Jose Burrel's widow, claim entered at $10, 
 
 proved at, - - - - - - - 10 50 
 
 No. 31. — Pe-ash-way, for a horse sold him, - - 125 00 
 
 No. 32. — Louison, account for goods, ... 160 37 
 
 This is exclusive of claimant's payment for a 
 half section of land bought by him of Lou- 
 ison. 
 No. 33.— Mosac's band, - . - . $1,724 25 
 Deduct for goods and cash to 
 
 Jos. Morland - $50 00 
 
 For old note, on voucher B, 18 50 
 For error in D, - - - 2 00 
 For a scarlet blanket, omitted, 
 
 and charged three times, - 16 00 
 
 < 86 50 
 
 No. 34. — Jose's widow, charged at, - - 28 75 
 Deduct for items charged elsewhere, 24 87 
 
 1,637 75 
 
 3 87 
 
 No. 35. — Quash-qua's account proved, ... 6 00 
 
 Amount carried forward, $21,291 16 
 
36 
 
 Brought forward, $21,291 16 
 
 No. 36. — Barrel's party is charged $15 00 for a horse 
 taken of these claimants at the payment of 
 1836. This must come in as a depredation 
 claim, under the act of 1834, and is not pro- 
 perly before me. Disallowed. 
 No. 37. — Is for a barrel of whiskey stolen, and is, like 
 
 the prior item, a depredation claim. 
 No. 38. — For goods delivered to Messah, on a contract 
 for the purchase of lands. There heing no- 
 thing to prevent the contracts being completed, 
 this case is like that of 0-ke-chee. See ante, 
 No. 6, and for same reason must be disal- 
 lowed. 
 No. 89. — Balance due on Register of 1835, 
 
 claimed at, - - - $2,335 53 
 
 On that paper there was allowed the 
 
 Ewings $8231,00, not $8331 as 
 
 now stated by the claimants. 
 
 They received, in 1835, $2,500, 
 
 and in 1836, $4,000 ; leaving due 
 
 on that account, $1,731. Ewing 
 
 and Aveline were allowed on same 
 
 paper $1,138, and received $515 
 
 in 1835, and $311 in 1836; leav- 
 
 ing due to them on that account 
 
 $312. These two balances make 
 
 the sum of $2,043 as due to them, 
 
 instead of $2,335 53, as charged ; 
 
 therefore deduct the error, - 292 53 
 
 2,043 00 
 
 No. 40. — Sundry accounts made in May and June, 1837, 404 25 
 Nos. 45 to 110 inclusive. — Sundry small notes against 
 different Indians, amounting to, 1,555 62 
 Deduct No. 61 $7, and No. 68 
 $10, not against these In- 
 dians, - - - - 17 00 
 Deduct No, 110, which Wee- 
 saw disputes ; and it is 
 therefore referred to the 
 private account between 
 the parties, - - - 60 GO 
 Deduct on account of error 
 
 in No. 100, - - - 20 00 
 
 97 00 
 
 1,458 62 
 
 $25,197 03 
 There are two items in the account requiring particular notice. 
 
37 ' 
 
 No. 41 is a claim for $895 for interest on a large note. On the 
 22d of September, 1836, and on the " Payment Ground near the 
 Tippecanoe River," these claimants obtained the signature of all the 
 Chiefs and headmen to a note to them for S31,9.}5 18 ; which in- 
 cluded all their claim up to that time. By that note the Chiefs 
 promise to pay that sum out of the first moneys due them from the 
 United States. It does not otherwise specify when it is payable, 
 nor does it mention interest. Three days afterwards, when the In- 
 dians were paid, the Chiefs attempted to pay these claimants 
 $16,000 ; but were prevented by the disturbance which then occur- 
 red ; and all that claimants finally received at that payment, was 
 $8,311 ; and on the balance this charge of interest is made. 
 
 I do not think it proper to allow interest on accounts against In- 
 dians in any case : — 
 
 1st. Because they do not understand this process of money's mul- 
 tiplying itself; and the idea that their debts are to be increased by 
 such an operation never enters their minds in the contraction of 
 their debts. 
 
 2d. Interest is a charge created either by agreement between 
 the contracting parties, or authorized by some positive enactment 
 of statute, and neither of those requisites exist in regard to Indian 
 debts. 
 
 3d. In trusting Indians, the traders almost always provide for 
 the risk and delay by the price they charge for their goods. 
 
 This item is therefore disallowed. 
 
 No. 42 is a claim for supplies to these Indians, $1,600. This is 
 a charge for feeding and entertaining Indians, dec. when at Logans- 
 port, from June, 1833, to June, 1837, at $400 per year. 
 
 In the first place, claimants are barred from asking any compen- 
 sation for " supplies" prior to August, 1835 ; because, by signing 
 the Register of that year, they discharged the Indians from all such 
 claims. This disposes of two years and two months, or $867 of 
 this item : and the only question is upon the allowance of $733 on 
 this ground. 
 
 That the claimants supplied the Indians, as mentioned in this 
 charge, is established beyond doubt. But it is also established 
 that their doing so is a necessary part of the trade, resorted to in 
 order to secure the trade, and is provided for in the profits charged 
 on the goods sold. 
 
 This is so in the Indian trade everywhere, and the traders have 
 not a good right to present a claim on that account. 
 
 They make a profit on the goods which they sell to the Indians, 
 and a profit on the furs and peltries they receive in return ; the lat- 
 ter being, not unfrequently, the most valuable part of their profits. 
 
 In all trade, the loss by bad debts is guarded against by the pro- 
 fits charged on all the goods sold. In cases where, by treaty stipula- 
 tions, the bad debts of an Indian trader are provided for and paid, 
 as in this case, the actual profits are increased in proportion to the 
 risk. 
 
 A debt, properly so called, must depend upon a contract, where 
 the minds of both parties meet. This cannot, with propriety, be 
 
38 
 
 said of "supplies," which the Indians understand are paid for in the 
 prices charged them on the goods they buy, and which they other- 
 wise return by nameless acts of kindness of a similar character, for 
 which they never think of making a charge. No one can live in 
 the Indian country without receiving and granting favors of this 
 kind constantly. 
 
 This item cannot be allowed. 
 
 The claimants were large purchasers of Indian reservations, and 
 the counsel for the Indians filed a specification of their claims against 
 them on this account. Claimants made a counter-statement, the 
 accuracy of which was not disputed, except as to the prices at which 
 claimants ought to account for the lands ; the counsel claiming that 
 the prices ought to be governed by the value at the time of my in- 
 vestigation. 
 
 I decided, that as Government had considered individual Indians 
 as capable of holding lands by patent, I should be bound to consider 
 them as capable of selling ; and that wherever as much as the go- 
 vernment price had been paid by claimants, I should consider the 
 purchases as fair, at the prices paid, unless some evidence should be 
 given showing that the Indian selling his lands had been imposed 
 upon or deceived in some manner. No such evidence being offered, 
 no further notice of this point is necessary. 
 
 The following, then, is the result of my examination in this case : 
 Allowances as above specified, ... 25,197 03 
 Deduct half of amount paid by the five Commis- 
 sioners, in 1836 ; the other half being accounted 
 for in No. 39, - - - - - - 4,000 00 
 
 Amount allowed, $21,197 03 
 
 Thus making a deduction of $6,231 11 from the total amount 
 claimed. 
 
 No. 27. 
 EDWIN P. HOPKINS, $146,12 
 
 One item of this claim, $34,25, was properly chargeable to Joseph 
 Barron, and was withdrawn by the claimant. 
 
 It was the practice of the claimant, in selling goods to the In- 
 dians, to take their notes, and endorse on the back of each the par- 
 ticular goods sold. 
 
 All the claim was proved by witnesses, or admitted by the Indians, 
 except the two last items on the abstract, amounting to $2,00 ; but 
 there were some mistakes. For instance. No. 1, a note against 
 Nas-wau-ka, was charged at $43,00, but the claim was admitted 
 only for $26,00. And No. 3, which is charged at $27,25, is a note 
 for $20,25 only. 
 
 The matter stands thus. 
 
 Amount claimed, $146,12 
 
 Deduct, Amount withdrawn, $34,25 
 
 " Two items not proved, 2,00 
 
39> 
 
 " Mistake in No. 1, 17,00 
 
 " Do. in No. 3, 7,00 60,25 
 
 Amount allowed, $85,87 
 
 No. 28. 
 GILLIS McBEAN, - $21,96 
 
 This was a claim against a man by the name of Moreland or 
 Morrissau. 
 
 The man had some Indian blood in him, but the Interpreter and 
 Indian agent said the tribe had refused to acknowledge him as a 
 member ; and the Chiefs, upon being consulted by me, repeated the 
 same thing, and refused to permit his debts to be paid. 
 
 This claim is therefore disallowed. 
 
 No. 29. 
 JORDAN VIGUS, $269,87 
 
 This claim is for goods sold to the Indians, and is proved by the 
 original entries, and by the testimony of claimant's clerk and the gov- 
 ernment interpreter. $29,25 of the claim was for goods delivered 
 in December, 1834. Claimant, in August 1835, gave the Indians a 
 receipt in full. This amount must therefore be rejected. 
 
 Claimed, $269,87 
 
 Disallowed, 29,25 
 
 Allowed, $240,62 
 
 No. 30. 
 
 WILLIAM POLKE, $156,25 
 
 Claimant is a farmer, and his claim is entirely for provisions and 
 necessaries furnished to the Indians in his vicinity, and to others at 
 the request of the Indian agent while he was holding councils with 
 them. All the claim is proved except No. 14 $5, and No. 15 
 $33,25. 
 
 Claim, $156,25 
 
 Disallowed, 38,25 
 
 Allowed, $118,00 
 
 No. 31. 
 JACOB HULL, $12,00 
 
 This claim, for ear-rings, breast-pin &c., was proved by an In- 
 
40 
 
 dian by the name of Andrew Jackson. He, however, states the 
 price of the ear-rings at $3 each, while they are charged at $4,00. 
 
 Claim, $12,00 
 
 Deduction, 2,00 
 
 Allowed, $10,00 
 
 No. 32. 
 SILAS ATCHESON, $110,00 
 
 This claim is against a woman by the name of Miss-na-go-qua 
 for breaking and tending a field of five acres, and for making and 
 putting up 3000 rails. There is no date to the account, nor is its 
 justness sworn to. 
 
 The only proof offered is the squaw, who says that the work was 
 done in 1832 or 1833, that she once paid $50 upon it, and Gen. 
 Marshall, the former Indian agent, paid also $30 upon it. 
 
 It also appears from papers before me, that on the 23d August, 1835, 
 he received of the Indians, at their general payment $177, and gave 
 a receipt in full ; and the next day obtained the note of the Chiefs for 
 $500, upon which he, or his agent or assignee, received $250 in 
 1836. So that it would seem that he has already received $507, and 
 has a note against the Cliiefs for $250 more. Of course nothing 
 can be allowed him either on the account or the note. 
 
 No. 33. 
 BARTHELETT & GODFREY, $35,75 
 
 This is for sundry small items sold to sundry Indians, who admit 
 the justness of the claim. 
 
 It is therefore allowed. 
 
 No. 34. 
 JACOB BOZARTH, $78,37 
 
 This is for a horse sold to Miss-sin-a-go-qua for $75, and in- 
 terest upon it. She says that she was to pay only $70 for it ; but the 
 witness who was present when it was sold, says the price agreed 
 upon was $75, and he explained it to her so that she understood 
 it. She must therefore be mistaken, but the charge of interest can- 
 not be allowed as made. 
 
 Allowed at, $75,00 
 
 No. 35. 
 GUSTAVAS A. CONE, $43,50 
 
 The claimant, in Nov. 1836, found a horse belonging to the In- 
 
41 
 
 dian Andrew Jackson, and kept him until the investigation before 
 me ; and now presents this claim for feeding the horse, and for ex- 
 penses of taking him up and posting him as an estray. The price 
 charged is at the usual rate in that country, and as claimant has 
 given up the horse to its owner, he ought to be paid his bill. 
 
 It is therefore allowed at $43,50 
 
 No. 30. 
 
 LOUIS DROUILLARD, $1206,50 
 
 It is not easy to understand precisely what is the amount 
 claimed in this case. On the absti-act filed with me, and sworn 
 to, it is stated at $1030, giving the items as things sold to Ashkum, 
 with one item for Joe Morrisau's note and interest, $173,00. But 
 the claimant also produces the following notes : — 
 
 1st. 1 against the Chief Ashkum, dated April 25, 1837, for $1000,00 
 2d. 1 against Do. do May 8, « " 80,00 
 
 3d. 1 against Do. do May 6, " " 10,00 
 
 4th. 1 against Do. do Jan. 26, " " 26,00 
 
 Total against Ashkum $1116,00 
 
 5th. 1 against Joe Morrisau and wife, dated 
 
 Jan. 16, 1836, for $88,67 
 
 6th. 1 against Do. dated Dec. 17, 1835, for 116,50 
 
 altered to $126,50. 
 7th. 1 against Do. dated March 18, 1836, for 118,00 
 8th. 1 against Do. dated Nov. 13, 1835, for 118,00 
 9th. 1 against Do. dated May 13, 1836, for 152,00 
 10th. 1 against Do. dated May 15, 1836, for 173,59 
 
 ' Total against Morrisau and wife 766,76 
 
 Or an apparent total claim of $1882,76 
 
 But all he actually claimed before me was the two notes against 
 Ashkum, Nos. 1 and 2, and the note against Morrisau and wife, No. 
 9, for$lo2 and interest, making a total of $1253,59. 
 
 The other two notes against Ashkum are included in other items ; 
 to wit, that for $10 is added to Morrisau's note (No. 6), and the 
 $26 included in the note of $1000. The note of Morrisau (No. 10) for 
 $173,59 is also included in the $1000 note, and he claims for No. 
 9 also ($152.) The other notes against Morrisau, though apparently, 
 upon the face of them, as good and unliquidated as any other, he 
 admits have been settled. The particular doubt is, whether the note 
 for $152 ought to be allowed. 
 
 If it was actually due, why was it not included in the $1000 note 
 as well as that for $173,59 given only two days afterwards ? 
 
 Morrisau and wife are both Indians, and illiterate. They took 
 goods of the claimant to sell on commission to the Indians, and 
 as they took them, gave notes for them. Up to the 13th May. 
 
 F 
 
42 
 
 1836, the goods they had thus taken amounted to $441,17 : and on 
 that day they settled their account, and received credit for peltries, 
 cash, and goods returned, amounting to $358,59, leaving a balance 
 due from them of only $83,58 instead of the amount of the note 
 given, $152,00. 
 
 Upon that settlement they returned to claimant goods amounting 
 to $131,84, and two days afterwards i-eceived those same goods 
 and others amounting to $173,59, and gave their note, or rather 
 receipt for them, which is included in the $1000 note as above men- 
 tioned. There is no evidence before me to show whether they did 
 or did not account for that outfit, other than such as is to be drawn 
 from the $1000 note. 
 
 Under these circumstances I have no data by which I can come 
 to a certain result, and I feel that I am liable err, decide how I may. 
 This uncertainty arises from the manner in which the accounts are 
 kept and the claim prsented. 1 owe it, however, to the claimant to 
 say, that there is nothing before me calculated to impeach his in- 
 tegrity. On the other hand, I am satisfied that it can be implicitly 
 relied upon. But his ignorance alike of our language, and of a 
 proper mode of keeping accounts, and the fact that the persons em- 
 ployed by him are very illiterate and ignorant, render it necessary 
 that I should confine the allowance to him to the amount of the 
 goods, whose actual delivery he has proved. 
 
 He is therefore allowed $1070,00 
 
 No. 37. 
 JOSEPH P. BERRY, $354,00 
 
 This claim is presented to me in the shape of a note signed by 
 some of the Chiefs. No original entries are produced. But it ap. 
 pears from the testimony of Barron, the government interpreter, 
 and one of claimant's workmen, that when the Indians got goods of 
 the claimant, they gave notes or receipts for them, which were all 
 given up and destroyed when this note was taken. At that time a 
 settlement took place in the presence of the interpreter, who swears 
 to the correctness of the settlement, which is also admitted to me 
 by the Chiefs. 
 
 It is therefore proper to allow the claim. 
 
 Allowed $354,00 
 
 No. 38. 
 
 SIN-IS-QUA. (Thos. Robb's Wife.) $3528,00 
 
 Claimant is an Indian woman, to whom, by a treaty which Gen. 
 Marshall made, but which the government did not ratify, two sec- 
 tions of land were reserved. By the treaty made by Col. Pepper, 
 (which was ratified) no reservations were made ; but the Colonel 
 expressed his belief that she would experience no difficulty in 
 
43 
 
 getting the money which was paid for those two sections. This 
 claim is now presented, in part, for the price of those two sections. It 
 was at best a gratuity to her, which I am not authorized, by the 
 treaty, to allow as a "just debt." 
 
 The residue of the claim is for her share of the amount due her 
 band in 1836, which she says was $2748, upon which she received 
 only $500. There is no evidence whatever to show whether she 
 received less or more than her share, and nothing, of course, to jus- 
 tify an allowance. 
 
 The Chiefs, upon being consulted as to the validity of this claim, 
 deny it in toto. 
 
 It is therefore disallowed. 
 
 No. 39. 
 JOHN B. BOURE, $1600 
 
 This is a claim for goods delivered for treaty purposes under 
 treaty No. 4, made by Gen. Marshall with Ashkum and Washioness 
 in December, 1834, which was not ratified. 
 
 The delivery of the goods is proved as well by the certificates of 
 Gen. Marshall and the inspectors appointed by him, as by the tes- 
 timony given by one of the inspectors, and the admission of the 
 Chief Ashkum. 
 
 With these papers are letters from the Cammissioner of Indian 
 Affairs, and the Secretary of War ad inlerlm, showing that this is 
 not a claim upon government. The Indians alone, therefore, are 
 liable. 
 
 This claim is assigned to Messrs. Laverty, Gantley &; Co. of 
 New-York, and is properly payable to them. 
 
 It is allowed at $1600,00 
 
 No. 40. 
 JACOB R. HALL, $380,00 
 
 This claim is for cultivating the lands of the Indians prior to 
 1835. The whole amount of the account is $780, upon which he 
 admits that he received $280 in 1834, and $120 in 1835. 
 
 Without discussing the question, whether the claim is sufficiently 
 supported by the evidence, it is enough to know that the claimant's 
 name is attached to the Register of August, 1835. There is no 
 allowance on that paper to him by name, but there are two sums 
 allowed to " Cultivators," one for $688,00 and one for $2652,00 ; 
 but his name appears to the receipt whereby he discharges the In- 
 dians from all claims up to that date. 
 
 This claim is therefore disallowed. 
 
44 
 
 No. 41. 
 JOHN GUY, $65,00 
 
 $4.5 of this claim is for depredations committed by the Indians 
 in 1832 and 1833. 
 
 I am of opinion that no claim of this character ought to come 
 in as a debt before me, because the general law points out a speci- 
 fic mode for the adjustment of such claims, which secures the pay- 
 ment of a just claim, and at the same tmie gives to the Indians a 
 full opportunity of investigation, and of making the individual 
 offender contribute at least his full share towards its liquidation, 
 advantages which do not exist before me. 
 
 The residue of the claim, $20, is for two hogs sold to Aub-e-nan- 
 la's band in 1835, by order of Gen. Marshall. The orders for 
 these were delivered to Gen. Marshall in 1834, and in that year the 
 Indians put $3000 into his hands to pay this and other debts : whe- 
 ther he paid it or not, I have no means of JLidging. Tiie Indians 
 having once paid it to the person whom the claimant appointed as 
 his agent for that purpose, the claim is good against that agent. 
 The Indians ought not to pay it again. 
 It is therefore disallowed. 
 
 No. 42. 
 
 JOHN CONNER, $85,00 
 
 This is for work done in cultivating the fields of the Indians, and 
 for making a coffin and building a house. 
 
 The perfoi'mance of the services being proved, the claim is 
 
 Allowed at $85,00 
 
 No. 43. 
 HUBBELL & CANNON, $237,00 
 
 This account is well kept and satisfactorily proved. The only 
 doubt is as to the balance of $119,38, on a bill'of goods delivered to 
 Joseph Barron for the Indians. He says he delivered them all to 
 the Indians. They denied it at first, but after some conversation 
 with him, they admitted it. They were all such articles as the 
 Indians would want. 
 
 There are many cases of this character before me, and as Barron 
 is also a claimant as a creditor, there are two contingencies to be 
 guarded against : one is, that the Indians may have to pay the 
 same debt twice; and the other, that they may pay for articles 
 which they did not have. I can therefore allow such claims only 
 where, as in this case, the Indians themselves admit their indebted, 
 ness. 
 
 Claim $237,00 
 
 Deduct for error, 50 
 
 Allowed, 8238,50 
 
45 
 
 No. 44. 
 
 HENRY OSSEM, $3855,25 
 
 This claim is presented in the shape of two notes. One signed by 
 Mis-qua-back, Misset, and others, for $1000, balance due in 1836, 
 and for $825,50 for goods and provisions delivered in 1837 ; and 
 the other signed by Kin-koash and others for $800, balance of 1836, 
 and $1229,75 delivered in 1837. The notes are dated 17th May, 
 and 11th May 1837, and were prepared for this investigation. Nei- 
 ther original entries, nor accounts of items, are produced. 
 
 Under such circumstances the notes would not be sufficient evi- 
 dence of an indebtedness. But the claim is supported by the fol- 
 lowing additional evidence : — 
 
 1st. That during the years 1835 and 1836 he bought goods for the 
 Indian trade amounting to $5332,15. 
 
 2d. That he traded with the Indians, and trusted out his goods 
 to them. 
 
 3d. That last fall his store was full of goods, having then on hand 
 at least $2000 worth, and this spring had not $30 worth left in his 
 store. 
 
 4th. That he raised corn, and trusted that out to the Indians. 
 
 5th. That he kept no account books, but made his entries on 
 the walls of his cahin or lose pieces of paper, or took notes as the 
 goods were delivered, and destroyed his papers when the large notes 
 were given. 
 
 6th. That he is a careless but honest man. 
 
 7th. That when the notes in question were signed, their purport 
 was explained to the Indians by a person friendly to them, and who 
 was competent to understand and explain them. 
 
 8th. One of the Indians who signed one of the notes, appeared 
 before me, and admitted that he alone owed claimant $300, that the 
 Indians had emptied his store, and the claimant always dealt fairly 
 with them. 
 
 9th. That by the treaty of Col. Pepper made with Mus-qua-buck's 
 band on the 26th March 1835, (Treaty No. 11, among those an- 
 nexed to my report,) the Indians admitted their indebtedness to him 
 of $3000, and provided for its payment ; but that section of the 
 treaty was not ratified by the senate. 
 
 10th. It appears, by papers in my possession, that Ossem, in Au- 
 gust 1835, settled all his claims with these Indians, and received 
 $2000 in full ; and that in September, 1836, he presented a claim for 
 $3000, and received $2000 upon it. 
 
 It is not to be supposed, however, that his whole trade was with- 
 out any return. What the precise amount of that was, is not shown ; 
 and it can therefore be estimated only according to the usual course 
 of the trade. 
 
 This case, stated in reference to this testimony, would appear thus. 
 
 Goods bought, as above mentioned $5332,15 
 
 Add for profit thereon and corn raised 1333,03 
 
 $6665,18 
 
46 
 
 Deduct for cash at payment of 1836 $2000,00 
 
 " for furs mentioned 200,00 
 
 " for other returns, estimated at i of 
 
 whole trade 2221,72 4421,72 
 
 Leavinf]f a balance of $2243,46 
 
 Which is allowed. 
 
 No. 45. 
 WILLIAM MARSHALL, $1407,26 
 
 Claimant was formerly the Indian agent for these Indians, and 
 this claim is for various sums paid and assumed by him for them, 
 and the only date there is to the paper is November 1834. 
 
 To the claim is attached Gen. Marshall's certificate of its just- 
 ness, and a letter from the late Commissioner of Indian affairs. 
 
 The General was prevented by indisposition from attending before 
 me, but upon being written to by me in reference to this claim and 
 one of the Indians against him, he referred me in reply to Cyrus 
 Viffus and John B. Diiret for evidence. From their examination 
 the following facts appeared. 
 
 At the payment of the annuity to these Indians in 1834, they put 
 into Gen. Marshall's hands $8000 of their money to pay their debts 
 with. He employed Mr. Vigus to pay out that money for him. 
 Mr. Vigus kept an account of the disposition of the money, a copy 
 of which, and the General's orders upon him, will be found with the 
 papers in this case. 
 
 Among other payments was one of $150 to Pierre or Peter Long, 
 lois. This was probably on account of the two first items in the 
 claims now presented. 
 
 There is also a payment of $200 to Dr. Fitch, which is proba- 
 bly a part of the $212,76 charged by claimant as paid to that 
 person. 
 
 There is a payment to John Baccus of $300, and on the claim 
 is a charge of $320 paid him. 
 
 So of a payment of $70 to J. Johnson, and there is a charge on 
 the claim of $100. 
 
 So of a payment of $150 to James Moore, which is charged on 
 the claim at $106. 
 
 The whole claim of General Marshall for payments and assump- 
 tions is $2507,26 
 
 J. Grover say that the asssumption to him 
 
 has not been paid. Deduct for this $101,00 
 
 So as to the assumption to Hamilton and 
 
 Taber 1100,00 
 
 Of his payments, it appears above that part 
 
 of them were made by the Indians' mo. 
 
 ney, amounting to 870,00 
 
 And it appears from Mr. Vigus's statement 
 
47 
 
 that the General received himself out of 
 that money several sums amounting in 
 the aggregate to 661,00 $,2732,00 
 
 Leaving a balance against him of $224,74 
 
 It is probable that the $661 was paid by the General on claims 
 against the Indians, but in the absence of all testimony to that 
 effect, I cannot take that for granted. 
 
 But I must disallow the whole claim. 
 
 No. 46. 
 BOSTWICK & PUTNAM, $717,69 
 
 This claim is well supported by proof of the delivery of the goods 
 charged ; but there is an error of $1 in voucher No. 7, and No. 2 
 for $11 is against an Indian of a different nation. 
 
 The only doubt in the case is in regard to voucher No. 13, 
 amounting to $613,81. This is a note signed by several of the 
 principal Chiefs, and contains the particulars of the goods delivered. 
 But they were all delivered to Joseph Barron, and frequently when no 
 Indians were present. It was the common practice of Barron to 
 get goods himself, and afterwards get the Indians to assume the 
 debt. Sometimes they would get of him all the goods, but frequently 
 only a part. In this case it is manifest that they did not have the 
 benefit of all the goods, such as slates and pencils, copy-books, 
 pumps, neck-stocks, and military trimmings. Barron and the Indians 
 say that they received a part and he a part ; but how much, neither 
 can tell. I can therefore only estimate, which I do, at one-half. 
 
 Claim, $717,69 
 
 Deduct for errors, 12,00 
 
 On No. 13, 306,90 
 
 318,90 
 
 Allowed, $398,79 
 
 No. 47. 
 
 GEORGE BOZARTH, $106,26 
 
 This is an account for provisions furnished to different Indians 
 at sundry times ; and is not only proved, but admitted by the In- 
 
 dians. 
 
 Allowed at $106,26 
 
48 
 
 No. 48. 
 ISAAC KENDALL, $9,25 
 
 For a hog sold to an Indian, and by him admitted to be just. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 49. 
 PETER BONAVENTURE, $200,00 
 
 This claim is presented for " cloth, blankets, calico, shawls, and 
 silver trinkets," specifying nothing, and dated " 1818." There is 
 no evidence to support it, no particulars given, nor is the justness 
 of the claim sworn to. 
 
 In 1836 he presented his claim in this form, — " for merchandize 
 and provisions furnished said nation from the year 1804 till the 
 present date," and upon that he received $100. 
 
 Nothing can be allowed him now, and he ought to pay back what 
 he received last year. 
 
 No. 50. 
 FRANCIS GODFROY, $1100 
 
 This claim also is a general charge for " sundry merchandizes," 
 furnished sundry parties " at different times, from the year 1816 
 till the present, 1833," $20U0 ; and then he credits $500 received in 
 1833, and $400 received in 1836. 
 
 In 1835 he settled his whole claim for $500, and not only signed 
 the general receipt, but also gave a separate one, discharging the 
 tribe from all claims up to that date. But, notwithstanding this, he 
 again presented his claim in 1836, and obtained $400 more upon 
 it ; and he now presents it again, without particulars, without making 
 oath to its justness, and without any other evidence than a note 
 signed by one of the Chiefs. 
 
 Of course nothing can be allowed to him, and he ought to pay 
 back his last year's receipt. 
 
 No. 52. 
 
 WM. G. EWING & CO., $451,06 
 
 The delivery of all the goods in this case being proved, the claim 
 must be allowed, except a charge of $5,25 for interest. 
 
 Claim, $451,06 
 
 Deduct, 5.25 
 
 Allowed, $445,81 
 
49 
 
 No. 53. 
 ALLAN HAMILTON & CO., $16,398,76 
 
 This claim, as it is one of the largest, so it has been scrutinized 
 with great care. 
 
 It is for trade, and was supported by books of original entries, 
 and by proof of delivery of the property in most instances. 
 The proof was ample and complete, because regular entries and 
 memoranda were made at the time the goods were delivered. 
 
 Claimants were purchasers of Indian reservations, and those pur- 
 chases came up before me in the same shape, and were disposed of 
 the same as in the case of the Messrs. Ewings, No. 26. 
 
 The following is this claim accurately stated : — 
 
 No. 1. — Is the balance due on the 
 
 Register of 1835, $4003 75 
 
 No. 2. — We-wiss-ah's note, 525 00 
 
 Upon examining the original en- 
 
 tries, it appears the note is given 
 
 for $5,00 too much, $5 00 
 
 There is liquor included in, 
 
 amounting to, 3 75 
 
 There is a credit, omitted, of, 2 00 
 
 8 75 
 
 No. 3. — Accounts against We-wiss-ah, 951 33 
 
 The account is only 940,23, $11 00 
 There is liquor charged, amount- 
 ing to 11 50 
 There is an error in carrying out 
 10 yds. cloth at $7,50 per yd. 
 Carried out at 82,50, 7 50 
 
 516 25 
 
 30 00 
 
 No. 4. — lowah and others, carried out, 247 75 
 
 There is an error in the addition a- 
 gainst the claimants of, 9 00 
 
 No. 5. — Spota and others, 296 00 
 
 Deduct for error 50 cts., for liquor 
 50 cts., 1 00 
 
 921 23 
 
 256 75 
 
 295 00 
 
 No. 6. — lowah's brother, sale proved of a hat, 6 00 
 
 No. 7. — Kaw-kaw-ka, do. a shirt, 1 25 
 
 No. 8. — No-taw-kah's party, do. of sundries, 125 00 
 
 No. 9. — Mot-a's party, 36 00 
 
 Deduct for liquor, 1 50 
 
 34 50 
 
 No. 10. — Kawk's party, proved as charged, 108 00 
 
 Amount carried forward, 6267 73 
 
 G 
 
50 
 Brought forward, $6267 73 
 
 No. 11. — Chip-e-way-noc, charged at, 
 Deduct for error in addition, 
 
 No. 12. — A. Jackson, proved as charged, 
 No. 13. — Oke-chee, charged at, 
 
 There is a mistake against claimants 
 
 in addition, 
 
 No. 14. — Che-chock-kose, 
 No. 15. — Ma-shock, 
 
 Deduct for liquor. 
 
 No. 16. — John Barnet, 
 
 No. 17. — Quash-qua, (deduct $1 for liquor,) 
 
 Nos. 18, 19, 20, 21. — No deductions. 
 
 No. 22. — Aub-a-nob-be'sand Ke-wana's bands. 
 These goods were dehvered upon the 
 orders of Gen. Marshall in Dec, 1834, 
 for treaty purposes under treaties 
 annexed, Nos. 2 and 9, (not ratified.) 
 The delivery of the goods and the 
 destruction of the vouchers by Gen. 
 M. are proved. 
 
 Nos. 23 & 28.— Amounting to, 1993 00 
 
 Are goods delivered for treaty pur- 
 poses under treaties Nos. 8 and 9. 
 The delivery of the goods, and the 
 agent's orders therefor, are proved. 
 Deduct for error in addition, 78 00 
 
 160 00 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 159 50 
 5 50 
 
 
 11 63 
 
 
 1 00 
 
 
 
 12 63 
 15 00 
 
 
 74 88 
 
 
 3 50 
 
 
 
 71 38 
 70 30 
 
 
 
 14 50 
 
 
 18 00 
 
 
 lObO 00 
 
 1915 00 
 Nos. 24, 25, 26, & 27. — Goods delivered 
 
 Aubanoba's band, 4647 77 
 
 These are for goods delivered at four 
 different periods on the strength of 
 the treaty ceding their reserves. 
 
 The delivery of all the property is 
 proved by persons who witnessed it 
 and made memoranda at the time. 
 Those memoranda are notes or re- 
 ceipts showing the particular property 
 delivered, and the prices, or bills cer- 
 tified to by the witnesses. 
 
 These items show how improper it 
 would be to give full faith to an In- 
 dian's mere promissory note. The 
 claimants produce one note by the 
 
 Amount carried forward, $14257 31 
 
51 
 
 Brought forward, $14257 81 
 
 band for, $2000 
 
 One note by one of the band for, 120 
 
 And another by the band for, 4647 77 
 
 Making a total of, $6767 77 
 The latter note includes the two 
 former, but they all remain in the 
 possession of claimants ; and but for 
 their honesty in presenting the matter 
 to me fairly as it was, I might have 
 found it difficult to have discovered 
 it. There was no danger that these 
 claimants would permit me to allow 
 the same thing to them twice, and I 
 mention this only as an apt illustra- 
 tion of the propriety of the rule requir- 
 ing something more than a mere note. 
 No. 29. — A.b. Burnet, an educated Indian, ad- 
 mits this, 134 56 
 
 Deduct for liquor, 2 50 
 
 132 06 
 
 No. 30. — Goods delivered to lowah's band 
 
 at sundry times, delivery proved by 
 
 witnesses who were present, 1702 59 
 
 Nos. 31, 32.— Yellow River Band, 4157 75 
 
 These goods were delivered in two 
 
 parcels on the 25th August, 1836, in 
 
 consequence of the treaty of the 5th 
 
 of that month, (No. 7.) The delivery 
 
 is proved by those who saw it and 
 
 signed a certificate at the time. 
 No. 33.— We-wiss-ah's party, 2035 76 
 
 This bill is for goods delivered at 
 
 sundry times, and is proved by the 
 
 original entries and the clerks. Thei'e 
 
 must be a deduction for liquor, 7 75 
 
 2028 01 
 No. 34.— Sundry bands, 479 29 
 
 This is for goods delivered to poor 
 
 people of the nation, on an order 
 
 from Chiefs, by which claimants were 
 
 to deliver $1500, but only delivered 
 
 this amount. 
 No. 35. — Neswauka. A small bill proved. 
 
 Charged at, 6 00 
 
 Correctly added, it is $7,00, 1 00 
 
 7 00 
 
 Amount carried forward, $22764 01 
 
52' 
 Brought forward, §22764 01 
 
 No. 36. — Mat.wa-ah, proved at, 11 25 
 
 $22,775 26 
 
 Deduct sum paid in 1836, and not 
 
 otherwise accounted for, 6,500 00 
 
 Allowed $16,275 26 
 
 No. 54. 
 DANIEL R. BEARSS, $742,75 
 
 No. 55. 
 E. BEARSS & CO., 360,33 
 
 $1103,08 
 
 These claims were presented and examined together. No. 1 of 
 the vouchers is a note for $500, signed by the principal Chiefs of 
 the nation, and was taken in lieu of various smaller notes for goods, 
 which were cancelled when this was taken. There are no items 
 shown, nor is there any proof of the delivery of any of the goods. 
 The only evidence to support it is the evidence of Colonel Ewing 
 that he stated to the signers of this note what it was for; but 
 whether the claim was good or not, he did not know, nor did the 
 Chiefs \yho signed the note know that, for they were not the per- 
 sons originally indebted. Their admission of indebtedness is not, 
 therefore, sulTicient ; for it is a well-established fact, that a person of 
 influence over the Indians can procure their signatures to almost 
 any thing. 
 
 In this case it seems that persons have signed the note who did 
 not owe any thing themselves, nor know that anyone else did. The 
 claim under this voucher rests solely upon the fact that some Chiefs 
 signed the note. And tiiough I am inclined to believe that its re- 
 jection may operate hardly, and perhaps unjustly, upon the claim- 
 ants, yet, in obedience to my instructions and the rule which go- 
 verns my action uniformly, it must be disallowed. 
 
 The other items of the claim are proved principally by a clerk, 
 who was a subscribing witness to most of the notes; but he does 
 not testify to the delivery of all the property. He proves, how- 
 ever, the delivery of some articles in the case of every debtor; that 
 they were charged at the time, and that claimant had frequent set- 
 tlements with the Indians, with all of which they were well satis- 
 tisd. This, with the evidence of the execution of the notes, and the 
 other corruboiMting circumstances in tlie case, will warrant the al- 
 lowance of the residue of' the claim, excepting those articles not in- 
 cluded in notes, and about which there is no sort of proof, as fol- 
 lows : 
 
53 
 
 In No. 3, 3 yds. satinet, 84,50 
 
 In No. 9, 4 articles, 3,50 
 
 In No. 8, 4 yds. jane, 4,00 
 
 12,00 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Claim No. 54, 742,75 
 
 Deduct, 500,00 
 
 Allowed, 242,75 
 
 Claim No. 55, 360,33 
 
 Deduction in No. 3, 4,50 
 
 In No. 8, 4,00 
 
 In No. 9, 3,50 
 
 12,00 
 
 Allowed, 348,33 
 
 No. 56. 
 PETER WARNER, $200,00 
 
 Che-cose's band owned a reservation of land, and they contracted 
 to sell half a section to claimant for 8400. He paid them 8200, 
 and entered upon the land, and expended some six or eight hundred 
 dollars in improvements. This contract was in contravention of 
 the law, and it was never sanctioned by the government ; conse- 
 quently the claimant received nothing for his expenditure. The 
 band afterw.^.rds sold all their land to government, and in the 
 treaty the Indians stipulated for a deed for Warner ; but that sec- 
 tion of tlie treaty was stricken out on the ratification. Government, 
 therefore, and not Warner, has obtained the title of the Indians to 
 the land ; and they desire the re-payment to Warner of the amount 
 advanced by him. 
 
 This is just, and the claim is therefore allowed. 
 
 See Treaty annexed. No. 10. 
 
 No. 57. 
 WILLIAM D. GREGORY, $68,79 
 
 Claimant bought of the Indians the use of a field one year, and 
 paid them 820 for it. He went on and cultivated it; but before he 
 could reap any advantage from it, the Indians sold it to government 
 for more than that sum. Gregory now claims a re-payment of the 
 $20, and compensation for his labor. 
 
 This is right, and the claim is allowed. 
 
54 
 
 No. 58. 
 COMPARET & COLERICK, $2116,38 
 
 This claim, for goods sold, is fully proved by the original entries, 
 and by the testimony of the clerks of claimants, except the follow- 
 ing, which must be deducted ; $4,44 in No. 10 ; $3.72n No. 11 ; 
 $2 in No. 15 ; $5,09 in No. 21, and 50 cts. in- No. 22. 
 
 There are also some mistakes which justify a farther deduction, 
 viz. of $116 in No. 2, and of $3.5,30 in No. 25. And an item of 
 interest, $4,5'5, must be deducted. 
 
 Most of the claim is for goods sold prior to the payment of the 
 annuities in September, 1836. At that time they presented claims 
 amounting to more than $1200, and received upon them $400. 
 
 RECAPITULATION, 
 
 Claim $2116,38 
 
 Deduct 
 
 Unsupported items $15,75 
 
 Mistakes 151,30 
 Interest charge 4,55 
 
 Payment of last year 400,00 
 
 571,60 
 
 Allowed, $1544,78 
 
 No. 59. 
 JOHN H. KITNER, $784,75 
 
 Claimant is a saddler at Logansport, and supplies the Indians 
 quite extensively ; and he has kept no other entries than notes or 
 receipts signed by his customers at the time of the delivery, all of 
 which are produced, and their execution and the delivery of the 
 goods sufficiently proved. 
 
 Claimant was one of those who, in August, 1835, made a final 
 settlement with the Indians, and agreed that he had no claim prior 
 to that date other than those then settled. 
 
 Consequently Voucher No. 1, $192, which is for goods delivered in 
 July, 1835 ; and No. 12, lor $1,00, the same, Ciinnot now be allowed. 
 
 Claim $784,75 
 
 Deduct claims prior to August, 1835, 193,00 
 
 Allowed, $591,75 
 
 This includes the balance due him on the Register of 1835. 
 
 No. 60. 
 
 COMPARET & HAMILTON, $300 
 
 By the general treaty of September 23, 1836, the Chiefs acknow- 
 ledge that they owe these claimants $800. It was for money lent 
 to Che-cha-kose and party to go to Washington. The claim was 
 
55 
 
 presented in 1836, and 8600 paid upon it, as appears from the re« 
 ceipt which the Commissioners have filed with me. 
 
 Mr. Comparet, however, makes oath that he did not count the 
 money until he got home, a distance of some 80 miles from the place 
 of payment, and then he found onl}' $420 ; and now claims that 
 that sum, and not the $600, ought to be deducted on account of 
 that payment. He did not accompany the money home himself, 
 but sent it with a guard of his own choosing. It was not impos- 
 sible that the missing sum might have been abstracted on the way. 
 In the absence of all evidence on that point, claimants must be 
 bound by their receipt. 
 
 The allowance, therefore, can only be for $200 
 
 No. 6J. 
 HENRY TAYLOR. $546,00 
 
 This claimant is a young man, acting as clerk for a trading con- 
 cern, for which he was a frequent witness before me ; but this claim 
 is presented on his own account. It has some peculiar features, 
 which require particular notice. 
 
 No. 1, a note for $5 against the 'Indian Mintormin, is neither prov- 
 ed by a witness nor admitted by the Indian, although he was exa- 
 mined. 
 
 No. 2. A note against same for $25,00, is proved by the affidavit 
 of the subscribing witness; but the Indian said he paid $20 upon it, 
 and under the circumstances I feel myself constrained to believe 
 him rather than the claimant. This Indian says he got of Taylor 
 a pistol and other things; but as Taylor does not claim for them, 
 they, most probably, belonged to his employers. 
 
 No. 3 is a note for a horse against Besiah for $150, witnessed by 
 General Grover. The General says the horse was not worth more 
 than $100, and the voucher shows that it was originally drawn for 
 that amount. The Indian, Che-chau-kose, says that Besiah offered 
 the horse back to Taylor, and when he refused to take it, Besiah 
 paid him $100 upon it. 
 
 No. 4, the delivery of the property is proved. 
 
 No. 5, the same. 
 
 No. 6 is entered on the claim against 0-ke-chee for $60, and 
 claimant makes the general affidavit that his " notes and accounts 
 are cor7-ect." The history of this transaction is this. An old squaw, 
 by the name of Mis-ne-go-qua, presented to Taylor a cloak, which 
 cost about $60, and which is presented before me as a claim against 
 her. Taylor sold the cloak for $60 to an Indian by the name of 
 Abram Burnet, who can read and write, and talk English, and who 
 paid $20 upon it. Burnet afterwards went to Taylor's store, and 
 was prevailed upon by Taylor to give the note in question. Bur- 
 net at first objected to giving the note for more than he owed, but 
 upon Taylor's telling him that " it would not come ofi' of him," " but 
 it would be paid out of the big pile," he consented to sign it. Tay- 
 
56 
 
 lor then told Burnet to sign his mother-in-law, O-ke-chee's name to 
 it ; and after some demur he did so, and by Taylor's direction put 
 " her mark" to it. Taylor's pretence for obtaining her name was 
 ♦' to sliow what village Burnet belonged to." The value of this 
 pretence can be estimated from the facts that Burnet was as well 
 known as 0-ke-chee, and his village could be as easily proved as 
 hers, — that she was — for an Indian — rich, owning some lands in her 
 own right ; while Burnet was known to be poor ; and that Taylor 
 presents the claim to me, not truly as a debt of $40 against Burnet, 
 but falsely as one of $60 against 0-ke-chee, and swears to its cor- 
 redness. 
 
 It must be observed, that neither 0-ke-chee, nor any other Indian 
 but Burnet, was present when the note was signed, and Taylor, in 
 answer to a remonstrance against such conduct, replied that the 
 " Indian trade was a disagreeable business, and they had to resort to 
 all sorts of means to get their claims arranged so as to pass investi- 
 gation." 
 
 The claimant admits an offset for the price of the cloak. 
 
 Nos. 7 and 8 are proved. 
 
 No. 9 is proved, except the last charge of $4,00. 
 
 A claim for an offset of $100 for a horse which he borrowed of 
 Mes-ne-go-qua and did not return, is set up by the attorneys for the 
 Indians ; and as Taylor's admits that he got the horse several months 
 since, and has not returned it, this claim ought to be allowed. 
 
 This whole claim, therefore, exhibits itself in this light, 
 
 Claim, $546,00 
 
 Deduct No. 1, 5,00 
 
 On No. 2, 20,00 
 
 No. 3, 150,00 
 
 No. 6, 60,00 
 
 On No. 9, 4,00 
 
 239,00 
 
 307,00 
 Deduct for the offset, 100,00 
 
 Allowed, 207,00 
 
 No. 62. 
 JAMES MOORE «fe CO., $2201,12 
 
 Claimants were Indian traders, and bj'^ their books and witnesses 
 prove their accounts. 
 
 No. 1, examined by the books, shows a balance of errors against 
 claimknts of ten dollars. 
 
 No. 3 is charged as $60, but $50 of it only is chargeable to the 
 Indians. The Chiefs had signed a confession of judgment for a 
 large amount, and pretending to have been deceived in the matter, 
 they employed Moore to get it set aside for them. He did so, and 
 this $50 is for fees he paid to counsel. 
 
67 
 
 Nos. 9, 10, and 11, amounting to $135, are for monies paid and 
 services rendered by Moore in planting fields and cultivating for the 
 Indians. He paid out $60 or $70 for the work, and charges as 
 much for superintending. This charge is too great, $30 would pay 
 him well. 
 
 Moore sold liquor to the Indians, but it is all omitted from this 
 
 claim, except one item of $1,50. He also admits his liability to 
 
 pay $25 in cash and potatoes for the rent of a field of the Indians. 
 
 Claim $2201,12 
 
 Add for errors, 10,00 
 
 Deduct, on No. 3, 
 
 On Nos. 9, 10, and 11, 
 For whiskey, 
 RentoffielJ, 
 
 $2 
 
 !211,12 
 
 10,00 
 
 
 25,00 
 
 
 1,50 
 
 
 25,00 
 
 
 
 61,50 
 
 
 Allowed, $2149,62 
 
 No. 63. 
 ROBERT MARTIN, 263,50 
 
 WILLIAMS & CO., 44,50 
 
 $308,50 
 
 This claim is supported by direct and satisfactory proof, except 
 in the following cases : — 
 
 No. 3 is proved at $38,50, instead of $15 as charged. 
 
 No. 4 was withdrawn. 
 
 No. 8 was proved at $5,62, instead of $7,62 as charged. 
 
 No. 9 is properly a charge against the Government, or the Go- 
 vernment blacksmith, and not against the Indians. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Claim, $308,00 
 
 Add for error in No. 3, 23,50 
 
 331,50 
 Deduct on No. 4, 4,25 
 
 No. 8, 2,00 
 
 No. 9, 10,00 
 
 16,25 
 
 Allowed, $315,25 
 
 No. 64. 
 
 WM. H. MARTIN, $466,01 
 
 This is one of the cases where it is as difficult for the claimant 
 
 H 
 
58 
 
 as any one else to tell how much is owing him. The following is 
 all that appears to be due : — 
 
 No. 1 is admitted by the Indian at, $57,50 
 
 No. 3 is proved by the subscribing witness, 38,00 
 
 No. 5 is proved so far as to $10 worth of jewelry, 5 pair 
 
 of shoes $10, 3 handkerchiefs $3,75, 23,75 
 
 No. 4 is admitted, so far as concerns the amount 
 
 Against Furman, 12,92 
 
 Against Clemens, 14,75 
 
 Against Che-chaw-kose, 2,00 
 
 29,67 
 
 $148,92 
 
 And denied as to every thing else. 
 
 No. 2 is denied. 
 
 Except as to No. 3, claimant has offered no sort of evidence, other 
 than the Indians themselves ; and the result of their statement is 
 given above. 
 
 There can, therefore, be an allowance only for, $148,92 
 
 No. 65. 
 
 SAM. D. TABER, $473,00 
 
 This claim is all proved ; but it appears that $104 of it was prior 
 to August, 1835, at which time claimant also settled all off with the 
 Indians, and gave them a receipt in full to that date. 
 
 Claim, $473,00 
 
 Deduct prior to August, 1835, 104,00 
 
 Allowed, $369,00 
 
 No. 67. 
 ANDREW GOSLIN, $1400 
 
 This case shows the facility with which a note may be ob- 
 tained from the Indians. Claimant is an uneducated Frenchman, 
 living with the Indians, and of course upon them, and has an Indian 
 wife. He presents a note for $1400, signed by the principal 
 Chiefs of the nation, purporting to be " for goods and provisions had ^ 
 and received." The sole subscribing witness to it says, he does not 
 know that the claim is just ; he only knows that the note was signed, 
 and that Goslin never did trade with the Indians on his own ac- 
 count. 
 
 The signers of the note, upon being consulted, deny the debt, ex- 
 cept one of them, who says that they get drunk sometimes, and one 
 morning after having been so, he was told that he had promised 
 claimant's two daughters each a half a section of land. He 
 would not lie, and therefore he wanted the debt paid. 
 
 Of course it cannot be allowed as a "just debt." 
 
69 
 
 No. 68. 
 
 K. V. RUNYAN, $39,25 
 
 This claim is proved and admitted. 
 
 A part of it is for velvet to the cloak mentioned in No. 61. 
 
 Allowed, $39,25 
 
 No. 69. 
 CANDLER & MUDGE, $854,80 
 
 This claim is one of those where a large amount of goods is 
 charged to the Indians, but delivered to the interpreter Barron. 
 The amount of that character in this claim is $551,09. Barron 
 being irresponsible, would not have been trusted to that amount, 
 except on the credit of the Indians ; but it is apparent that he used 
 their credit without their consent, for he admits that he alone is liable 
 for the payment. 
 
 The whole debt of the claimant is $934,80 
 
 Deduct 
 
 The amount properly chargeable to Barron, $551,09 
 The amount paid by M-jo-quis on his debt, 10,00 
 And the amount received by claimants in 1836, 100,00 
 
 661,09 
 
 Amount allowed, $302,71 
 
 No. 70. 
 EWING, WALKER & CO. {Tippecanoe Outfit.) $6738,12 
 
 In the early part of 1836, these claimants sent Henry Taylor, one 
 of their clerks, to the vicinity of the Tippecanoe river, with an out- 
 fit. He there opened a store, and sold goods to the bands of Ash- 
 kum, We-wiss-ab, and Aub-a-nob-ba ; and this claim is for the goods 
 thus sold. 
 
 Taylor was instructed not to make entries on books, but in all 
 cases to take the obligations of the Indians. In obeying these in- 
 structions, his practice was, when an Indian came to get any thing, 
 to write the articles sold at the top of a half of a sheet of paper, and 
 at the bottom of it write an obligation signifying that the subscriber 
 
 was owing " E., W. & Co. for the above goods, dollars," 
 
 and require the Indian's signature to that. As the dealer would get 
 other goods, they were entered on the same piece of paper ; at the 
 close of the trade the column was added up by Taylor, the amount 
 inserted in the note by him and his name affixed as a witness. The 
 whole of this claim is supported by notes of this character, to the 
 correctness of all which Taylor makes oath. 
 
 It is manifest that here is a prolific source of fraud, and that every 
 thing depends upon the integrity of the witness. 
 
60 
 
 If, in this case, Taylor is to be believed, the whole claim is sub- 
 stantiated, and ought to be allowed. 
 
 But unfortunately there are too many suspicions attached to his 
 integrity to warrant implicit confidence in his statements. 
 
 By reference to his own case, (No. 61,) his conduct, in regard to 
 claims against Indians, is presented in a light calculated to impair 
 confidence in his dealings. 
 
 Another transaction of his was related to me by Judge Polke, 
 whose character I have elsewhere had occasion to speak of as above 
 reproach. That will be found related in the paper which I annex 
 hereto. 
 
 It is proper to remark, that after I had closed my investigation at 
 Logansport, and on my way to Detroit, I stopped at the Judge's 
 house ; and the paper annexed, which was written by me at the time 
 and signed by him, shows my proceedings there. Taylor's trading 
 house was near the Judge's. 
 
 A part of the Judge's relation to me was merely hearsay, and at 
 my earliest convenience I took occasion to procure direct testimo- 
 ny. To do this, on the 12th of July last I wrote to Mr. Armstrong 
 a letter, which I enclosed in one to S. S. Tipton, Esq. one of the 
 counsel for the Indians ; and about the 10th of November received a 
 reply. That correspondence, and the deposition of Armstrong, are 
 also annexed. 
 
 In Taylor's own case (No. 61) he sets forth a claim on a note 
 against 0-ka-chee for $60, and swears to its correctness ; yet it turns 
 out to be a note against Burnet for only $40, with which O-ka-chee 
 has no concern. 
 
 In his testimony in this case, he made oath that he " sold some 
 liquor to the Indians, and kept a separate account of it, which was 
 paid by them in furs and money," see page 152 of Testimony ; yet 
 in No .8 of Abstract A, is a charge of a "gallon" of wine, as 1 read 
 it ; but it is pretty effectually blotted, and the word " flour" written 
 evidently afterwards, for it is written on the ink line which extends 
 the charge. 
 
 I am thus particular in setting forth this whole matter, in order 
 to show the grounds on which I have come to the conclusion to dis- 
 credit all of Taylor's testimony where it is not corroborated by 
 other evidence. 
 
 It is due to Messrs. Ewing, Walker «Sz; Co. however, that I should 
 state that I have no reason to believe that they sanctioned, or even 
 knew of Taylor's conduct. It is their misfortune to have employed 
 such an agent. 
 
 My inquiry in this case is this, what part of this claim is sup- 
 ported by other and additional evidence than Taylor ? 
 
 I first take up Abstract A. 
 
 On No. 8. The 2d charge, $4, has been altered from liquor to 
 flour. 
 
 The 3d charge, from one bottle at four shillings to two bottles at 
 six shillings. 
 
 The 4th charge was originally charged at bread eight shillings, 
 
61 
 
 and carried out at il ; but the word "Pork" has afterwards been 
 written on the line, and the carrying nut altered to $6. 
 
 On these accounts I deduct $9,75 from this voucher. 
 
 On No. 11. On the 7th line, a hat has been charged at #6, and al- 
 tered to S8. 
 
 Deduct $2 on this account. 
 
 On No. 14. The 4th line has been carried out "To Pork $3,00 ;" 
 but the words, " flour 16 shillings," afterwards written, and the carry- 
 ins out altered to $5,00. 
 
 On No. 21. The carrying out of the 2d line has been altered 
 from $3 to $4,00. 
 
 On No. 22. A charge for cash lent is now $7, but it has once 
 been something else. What the alteration is I cannot say. The 
 last charge of $16 makes the footing up $145, but (he note is only 
 for $129,50, and no particular evidence to show the delivery of the 
 item entered. 
 
 Deduct $7 and $16=$23. 
 
 On No. 24. There are two errors in addition, which require a 
 deduction of $3,25. 
 
 As a suitable explanation of the mode of " making papers" against 
 Indians, I annex this voucher. That part which is underscored, 
 (or in italics) was evidently written at one time, and the residue at 
 a different time. 
 
 Abstract B, Nos. 7, 8, and 11, are charges against We-wee-sah, 
 Min-ter-min, Otaw-wah-qua, and Shau-quak-shuk ; the latter is the 
 son of the 8d named, and is about 16 years old. These three items 
 amount to $4335, and appear by the face of the papers to have been 
 sold between the 25th Sept. and the 10th Dec. 1836. If to this is 
 added what appears on schedule A as sold to the same persons in 
 June and August 1836, viz : $994,75, it makes a total of $5329,75 
 of goods retailed to them between the 14th June and the 10th Dec, 
 or the space of six months. 
 
 It will be observed, that I visited this band at their village in June 
 1837. If I had found them numerous and well supplied, I should 
 not have doubted their having made such large purchases. But I 
 found them poor and degraded, and small in number — their village 
 consisting of only three or four lodges. 
 
 The persons charged, denied that they owed such a large sum. 
 It is true that Indians are not apt to keep a correct account of their 
 debts, nor are they always able to appreciate exactly what they do 
 owe ; but the difference between their view of their account, — they 
 stating it at $40 ; and Taylor's — he stating it at over $5000, is too 
 great to be accounted for in any such manner. 
 
 It will be observed that the Indians accused Taylor of having gi- 
 ven away his employers' goods for his own purposes. 
 
 When Taylor's own case was under examination, We-wiss-ah 
 and Min-tor-min charged that he had obtained a $300 note of Shaw- 
 quak.shuck and had not paid for it. He said he had paid it, and 
 produced their receipt for it. At another time he said that he had 
 not delivered all the goods for the note at one time, but at two dif. 
 ferent times. 
 
62 
 
 I showed the receipt to the three persons whose names are ap- 
 pended to it. They denied hailing signed it, and said they had never 
 received more tlian a barrel of flour upon it. 
 
 The validity of the receipt resting entirely upon Taylor's testi- 
 mony, I believe I have mentioned circumstances enough to compel 
 me to disregard it. But there are other considerations. 
 
 On the 1st of November 1836, he was directed to buy the note. 
 His receipt for the price of it is dated the 7th November, but he 
 produces no statement of the kind or quantity of goods delivered ; 
 but he does produce a receipt dated the 8lh November, signed by the 
 same persons for $627 worth of goods purporting to have been then 
 delivered. 
 
 It is impossible for me to say that the latter did not include the 
 articles delivered on the former, but every reasonable presumption is 
 that it did. 
 
 There are other difficulties about these papers. The amounts for 
 which the receipts No. 7 and No. 8 are given, are written on era- 
 sures — the dates to Nos. 8 and 11 have been altered. The mime of 
 O-taw-wah-qua to No. 8, and to the receipt for the -"1300 note, 
 has evidently been written at the same time, though the papers 
 bear date one on the 10th December, and the other on the 7th No- 
 vember, and that name has been written at a different time from the 
 other names to those papers. 
 
 Under these circumstances I am clearly convinced that it is my 
 duty to charge the claimants with the .$300 note, considering only 
 one barrel of flour, or $12, as paid upon it. But it is not so clear 
 to my mind what I ought to do in regard to Nos. 7, 8, and 11. 
 
 Upon Taylor's testimony alone, I could not allow them. But it 
 is proved that he had a trading-post near the village of these people, 
 — that he was directed by his employers to trust them liberally, and 
 that they did deal with him and buy on credit. 
 
 Claimants have also shown their outfit to Taylor. From June 
 1836 to May 1837, they delivered to him goods amounting to $7386, 
 67, delivered at fifteen different times, and ranging in amount from 
 $8,50 to $147-} at a time. Judge Polke, who was called as a wit- 
 ness against the claim, says that Taylor has sometimes had as much 
 as $2000 worth of goods at a time. 
 
 The account of the outfit stands thus : 
 Dr. Cr. 
 
 Bills of goods, $7386,67 By cash and furs, $1233,63 
 
 25 per cent profit, 1844,16 Sales to whites, (say) 250,00 
 
 On hand, (say) 350,00 
 
 $9220.83 Sold to Taylor, (say) 100,00 
 
 8671,75 This claim for > 
 
 Indian credits, \ 6738,12 
 
 Leaving the sum of 549,08 
 
 to be applied to expenses, «Ssc. $8671,75 
 
 This is strongly corroborative of the claim. It shows that the 
 allowance of these items does not depend solely upon Taylor's testi- 
 mony — that the claimants have parted with their property — and if 
 ther§ was any fraud, that they were not parties to it. 
 
63 
 
 There is no allegation that Taylor embezzled the property, ex- 
 cepting only the remark of Otaw-wah-qua, and that could not have 
 been to a large amount. 
 
 That We-wiss-ah's band did buy goods of Taylor on credit, is, as 
 I have already said, proved by otfier evidence than his ; but the pre- 
 cise amount of the purchase depends entirely upon his testimony. 
 Some deduction must therefore be made from the claim. 
 
 No remarks are particularly required as to the other numbers in 
 this abstract, except on No. 14, which is a charge of 832,50 against 
 Mis-in-a.go-qua, and which is probably one of the cases to which 
 Otavvahqua alluded. 
 
 If the account which Taylor gives of this outfit is correct, the 
 claimants will realize a profit upon it of $1285,08, or a little over 18 
 per cent. So far as the original outfit is concerned, that is corro- 
 borated by other testimony besides Taylor's ; the extent of the pro- 
 fit, and indeed the fact that there was any whatever, depends entire- 
 ly upon his testimony. 
 
 It will therefore be proper to return to the claimants their outfit, 
 but not to allow them a profit, which rests solely upon Taylor's de- 
 claration. 
 
 The result would then be thus, 
 
 Original outfit, $7386,67 
 
 From which claimants have realized 
 
 Cash and furs, 1233,63 
 
 Sales to Whites, 250,00 
 
 Had returned to them, 350,00 
 Taylor had out of store 100,00 
 
 1933,63 
 
 Allowed, $5453,04 
 
 DOCUMENTS ACCOMPANYING REPORT. 
 
 Memorandum of my proceedings at Judge PolWs. 
 
 Judge Polk gives me this relation of Taylor's conduct in one 
 transaction. 
 
 Taylor boarded at the Judge's while trading for the Ewings at 
 Tippecanoe (No. 70.), and when the Indians wanted any thing of 
 the Judge, (he not understanding the Indian language,) they 
 would go to Taylor and get him to write it down for them. One 
 day a squaw came to the Judge with a note, saying she wanted $1 
 worth of salt : this was a month or more before the 21st or 22d of 
 September last. The Judge afterwards asked him what squaw that 
 was who had come for the salt. He said, he did not recollect, but 
 he would fix it so that the Judge could get his pay. He then sat 
 down, and wrote a name to the paper in these words : 
 
 This woman wants you to let her have one dollar's worth of salt, 
 and let her pay at the payment. 
 
 her 
 B. PoLKE, MIS-INxA-GO.QUA. 
 
 Witness. mark. 
 
 A. TaTI/OK;. 
 
The Judge asked him if that was the woman ? Taylor replied 
 that he did not know, but it made no difference, for she had got 
 things enough of the Judge to come to twice that. 
 
 William Armstrong of Bethlehem, Clark County, Indiana, told 
 the Judge that he was present when Abraham Burnet was giving 
 his note to Taylor for tlie balance on the cloak, $40. Taylor said 
 the note must be for $50. Burnet said it was hard to pay the $10 
 that he did not owe, but he supposed he must do it. T. then sat 
 down to write the note, and wrote it for 860. Burnet remonstrated, 
 but T. said it would make no difference to him, as it was coming 
 out of the general fund, and if he did not get it there, he would not 
 collect the $20 of Burnet, and so B. signed. T. then wanted B. (o 
 sign his mother-in-law's name to it. B. refused, saying he was not 
 authorized to do so ; but T. said he would write her name, and B. 
 must make her mark, and it was done. Mr. Armstrong was then 
 requested by Taylor to witness the note, but he refused. 
 
 Saturday, June 24th, 1837. 
 
 Proceeded in company with Judge Polke, Pashpo, and Thomas 
 Robb as interpreter, to the village of Men-tor-min, and there saw 
 him, Otaw-wah-qua, and Shah-quack-shuck. I told them that 
 Taylor said he had paid them in full for the $300 note which Shaw- 
 qua-shuck had held against Douglas. 
 
 They denied that he had done so : they said he had promised 
 them a horse, saddle, and bridle, two or three barrels of flour, and 
 two barrels of pork, and some other things ; and they had never 
 got any thing but a barrel of flour. I showed them the receipt that 
 Taylor said they had signed. They said they had never signed it. 
 
 I told them that Taylor said they owed him about $1450 for 
 other goods, for which he had their note. They denied it, and said 
 they owed him about $40, and they did not think it right to have 
 to pay for goods which he had given away to some of the squaws 
 for purposes of his own. 
 
 This is correctly stated. 
 
 WM. POLKE. 
 
 (Private.) 
 
 Hudson, N. Y. July 12, 1837. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 On my return home from your place, I spent one night at Judge 
 Polk's, and received from him such an account of Taylor's conduct 
 in his vicinity, as renders further testimony necessary. 
 
 The Judge related to me one matter within his own observation, 
 and also gave me the account which is mentioned in the enclosed 
 
 letter. 
 
 The story involves a charge against Taylor of forgery and false 
 swearing, and is therefore very important. It may, however, be, 
 that Mr. Armstrong will not confirm the account which 1 have re. 
 ceived, and you will therefore see the propriety of your not men- 
 tioning this subject at all until Mr. Armstrong's deposition be 
 obtained. 
 
 I transmit the enclosed for you to peruse, and then forward to 
 
\ 
 
 65 
 
 Mr. Armstrong in such a manner, and with such remarks from 
 yourself, as will be calculated to procure his deposition. 
 
 I submit the matter to your management, partly because I shall 
 by the time this shall reach you, be at Green Bay ; and because I 
 am confident you will spare no pains to have justice done at once to 
 the Indians and to Mr. Taylor. 
 
 If you obtain Mr. Armstrong's deposition, showing the truth of 
 the story as related to me, I must request that you will transmit it 
 to me at this place ; first, however, giving Mr. Taylor a copy of it 
 (unless your doing so should interfere with the intention of insti. 
 tuting legal proceedings against him) ; and at all events first giving 
 to Messrs. Ewing, Walker & Co. a copy, so that they may know 
 in what way the character of one of their witnesses is afl^ected, and 
 may have an opportunity of explanation, &c. When you do this, 
 you will please to do it in writing, and say that it is done by my 
 direction. 
 
 I will make no apology for troubling you in this matter ; but 
 I must express my confident belief that you will conduct, what is 
 in my view a delicate and important matter, with your accustomed 
 energy and prudence. 
 
 With my best respects to the citizens of your place, and most es. 
 pecially to Mrs, T. 
 
 I remain very sincerely yours 
 
 Ever, 
 
 J. W. EDMONDS. 
 S. S. Tipton, Esq. 
 Logansport, 
 Indiana. 
 
 Hudson, N. Y., July 12, 1837. 
 Sir,— 
 
 During my investigations, as the Commissioner under certain 
 treaties made by the national government with the Potawatamie 
 Indians of Indiana, Henry Taylor presented a claim, one item of 
 which was $60 for a cloak sold to Abraham Burnet, and in sup. 
 port of that charge he presented a note signed by Burnet and by 
 his mother-in-law, 0-kee-chee. Taylor presented the claim as one 
 against O-kee-chee for $60, and made oath that the note was cor- 
 rect. 
 
 After I had closed my business at Logansport, and while on my 
 journey home, I spent one night at Judge Polk's in Rochester, and 
 he gave me this relation of your knowledge of the transaction, viz : 
 That on one occasion you was at Taylor's shantee near the 
 Judge's, when Burnet came in, or was there ; and some conversa- 
 tion took place between him and Taylor as to the cloak, from which 
 it appears that Burnet had agreed to give 860 for the cloak, and 
 had paid $20 on it, and was to |)ay $40 more, which he said he was 
 unable to pay then. Taylor then insisied that Burnet should give 
 
66 
 
 him a note for the balance, and for $10 in addition, because he had 
 to wait for his money. After some reluctance, Burnet consented 
 to thit--, and agreed to give his note for $50. Taylor then drew 
 the note, but drew it for $60 : Burnet objected to sign it, because it 
 was more than he owed ; but Taylor represented that if B. would 
 sign the note, it would enable him, Taylor, to get the whole sum, at 
 the payment of the general fund belonging to the Indians ; that it 
 would not hurt Burnet, but would benefit Taylor; and he called upon 
 you, and others that were present, to witness his promise that he 
 would not collect of Burnet any more than $40, even if he did give 
 the note for $60. 
 
 Taylor then told Burnet to sign his mother-in-law's name to the 
 note, but B. delined because she was not there. T. said that would 
 make no difference. B. then declined, because she had not autho- 
 rised him to sign for her, but Taylor insisted upon it, and finally him. 
 self wrote 0-ke-chee's name to the note ; and either he or Burnet 
 made the mark. During all this time O-ke-chee was not present, 
 but you was ; and Taylor requested you to witness the note with 
 your signature, which you refused. 
 
 1 am thus particular in stating the facts as related to me by 
 Judge Polke, because all of them are highly important and neces- 
 sary in enabling me to discharge properly my duty toward Govern- 
 ment and the Indians. 
 
 I 'did not summon you before me as a witness to attend at Lo- 
 gansport, because I was not aware of the importance of your evi- 
 dence until after I left that place ; nor did I stop in my journey to do 
 so, because Judge Polke assured me I should have no difficulty in pro- 
 curing your evidence on application to you. 
 
 I therefore request you to make your deposition before some ma- 
 gistrate in your vicinity, setting forth the facts within your know- 
 ledge, with sill the particularity which you can, and transmit the 
 same to S. S. Tipton, Esq., (son of Senator Tipton,) at Logans- 
 port, who will transmit it to me. Mr. Tipton acted as one ol the 
 Counsel for the Indians, and 1 shall forward this letter to you 
 through him. I am. Sir, 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Your obed't serv't, 
 
 J. W. EDWARDS, 
 
 To U. S. Commissioner. 
 
 Wm. Armstrong, Esq.. 
 Bethlehem, 
 
 Clark County, 
 Indiana. 
 
 NOTICE. 
 
 lie Indians, 
 ads. 
 
 The Potawatamie Indians, i p^^^^^ ^^^^.^^ 
 
 1 Abraham Adams. 
 
 Henry Taylor. 
 The Plaintiff, Henry Taylor, in the above cause, or his attorney, 
 
67 
 
 will take notice that we, as the attornies for the defendants in the 
 above cause, will, on the 16th day of September, 1837, proceed to 
 take the deposition of William G. Armstrong, a resident of Clark 
 County, Indiana, before Abraham Adams, an acting Justice of the 
 Peace in the County of Clark and State of Indiana, at his office in 
 said County at ten o'clock A. M. on said day ; and continue from 
 day to day, until the same shall be completed, to be read in evidence 
 in tho final adjustment of the claim of the said plaintiff against the 
 said defendants, before the Secretary of War, or any other officer 
 that may be appointed by the Government of the United States 
 for that purpose at the City of Washington, or elsewhere, wherever 
 said officer shall investigate said matter, when and where you may 
 attend. 
 
 CHASE, STEWART «St TIPTON, 
 
 Attornies for Indians. 
 Logansport, 25th August, 1837. 
 
 Returned, served on the within-named plaintiff, Henry Taylor, by 
 reading. 
 
 JAMES HORNEY, 
 
 Sheriff, C. C. 
 August 25, 1837. 
 
 DEPOSITION OF WM. G. ARMSTRONG. 
 
 The Potawatamie Nation of Indians, 
 adsm. 
 Henry Taylor. 
 
 In compliance with a notice given by the Attornies of the Po- 
 tawatamie Indians to Henry Taylor, which is dated at Logansport, 
 25th August, 1837, and appears to have been served on said Taylor 
 bv James Horney, Sheriff ot Cass County, on same day, I have 
 caused to be brought before me the witness therein referred to, who 
 being duly sworn, deposeth as follows. 
 
 Question by the Justice of the Peace : — 
 
 Have you any knowledge of any trading, or settlement of trading 
 transactions, between Henry Taylor and the Potawatamie Nation 
 of Indians, in the State of Indiana ? 
 
 Answer by witness : — 
 
 I have. In the early part of May last I was in the store kept 
 by Henry Taylor (for Ewing, Walker & Co., as I understood,) on 
 the southern bank of Tippecanoe River, when an Indian was ob- 
 served riding towards the store, who, Mr. Taylor said, was Abraham 
 Burnet ; that he was glad to see him come in before the payment ; 
 that Burnet owed him, and he would make him give him a note for 
 the debt. Taylor immediately went to the desk and wrote. After 
 Burnet had been in the store a short time, Taylor told him there 
 was a note on the desk he wanted him to sign. Burnet took it up, 
 and after examining it, told Taylor it was not right ; that the cloak 
 
68 
 
 he bought Wi.s only sixty dollars, as well as the recollection of 
 witness serves him ; and that he had paid twenty dollars on it ; to 
 which Taylor assented, but said that Burnet was to have paid 
 the balance before that time, and he must have something for wait- 
 ing. Burnet objected, and said it called for more than he owed. 
 Taylor replied, it was no odds to him (B.), he would not have it to 
 pay ; that it would be taken out of the big pile of money at the 
 payment. Burnet objected, and said if it was not taken out of the 
 big pile at the payment, he would have to pay more than he owed : 
 Taylor insisted it would make no difference to Burnet, as it would 
 not come off of him : that there was no doubt but it would be paid 
 out of the big pile. Burnet said, if it made no difference to him 
 he did not care — and signed the note : upon which Taylor told him 
 to put his mother-in-law's name to the note : Burnet objected, say- 
 ing they might play the devil with him if he put her name to it 
 without her authority. Taylor said ihcy could not hurt him — he 
 only wanted her name to show what village he (Burnet) belonged 
 to, and showing Burnet where to sign, Burnet wrote the name ; 
 Taylor pointing, told him to write her mark at the end of the name, 
 which he did ; then told him to make a mark or a cross, which he 
 did also. 
 
 Taylor asked this deponent to witness the note, which he declined 
 doing. During the whole of this transaction there was no Indian 
 present except Burnet. Deponent was present during the whole 
 time Burnet staid at the store. The note was left on the desk until 
 Burnet went away. Taylor inquired whether deponent would re- 
 main in that country until after the payment, and asked him to 
 witness the note : deponent took up the note and examined it, and 
 asked Taylor if that was the way the Indian trading was usually 
 managed. Taylor replied "that was the way ; unless you charged 
 Indians at least two prices, you could not hold your own." Depo. 
 nent remonstrated against the course pursued to induce Burnet to 
 give his note for more than he owed. Taylor said the Indian trade 
 was a disagreeable business, and they had to resort to all sorts of 
 means to gel their claims arranged so as to pass investigation. De- 
 ponent inquired why he dated the note at a different time from that 
 at which it was given. Taylor replied, that was the date he got the 
 goods ; deponent does not recollect any thing further, which he sup- 
 poses material, being said, but noticed the date would apply to the 
 coming, instead oi i{\c 'preceding fall; and farther saith not. 
 
 WM. G. ARMSTRONG. 
 Sworn to and subscribed before me, the undersigned, an acting Jus- 
 tice of the Peace in and for the County of Clark and State of 
 Indiana, and taken at my office in Bethlehem Township, this 16th 
 day of September, 1837, to be read in evidence in the final ad. 
 justment of the claim of said Plaintiffs against the Potavvatamie 
 Indians, before the Secretary of War, or where, or whensoever 
 said matter may be investigated by an Officer of the United 
 States. 
 
 Given under my hand and seal 
 
 this day and date above written. A. R. ADAMS, J. P. 
 
69 
 
 BOUGHT OF EWING, WALKER & CO. 
 
 Ifine clofh blanket, $8, 1 do. cloth blanket $8, 
 To Pork 10s,Jlour S2s, 1 large shawl 16s, 
 1 pair fine red stockings As. tojlour, 
 1 pair fine walking shoes Itis, 2 fine ehirts 16s, 
 
 1 large tin bucket 8s, 10 lbs. sugar 'Zs, 
 Ifine cloth blanket $10, lU3n lbs. fiour at $7, 
 Ifine cloth blanket $8, 100 silver earbobs $5, 
 4 large silver broachts at 16s, 
 Ifine shawl at \6s, 5 lbs. sugar 8s, soap 85, 
 
 2 fine shirts at 16s, 5 lbs. sugar 8s, 
 Ifine cloth blanket $6, sugar 8s, 
 To flour 16s, 1 fine shawl at 16s, 
 1 fine large tin bucket 8s, flour 40s, 
 
 1 fine cloth blanket at $10, 100 lbs. flour $5, 
 6 large silver broaches at 16s, 
 
 2 large fine silver wheels at 16s, 
 
 3 fine fancy shirts at 16s, 
 3 fine shirts at I63, 
 1 pair fine saddle-bags at 48s, 
 
 3 fine shirts at 16s, 
 1 fine shirt 16s, 2 pair superfine gloves $3, 
 
 4 fine white shirts at 16s, 
 4 fine shirts 16s. 1 fine cloth blanket $8, 
 
 $194 00 
 
 This is so in the -^"^ Ewing, Walker df Co. for the above goods, 
 
 original— the words three hundred nineteen 
 
 erasr:a appear to be , j, /• , • i /• .t 
 
 ''for value received." dollars, jor vulue rcceived oj them. 
 
 her 
 0-tow X Wah-quah. 
 Tippecanoe, June 23, 1836. mark. 
 
 Witness, 
 Henry Taylor. 
 
 Amount brought over, $194 00 
 
 1 fine cloth blanket at $8, 4 fine shirts at 16.s, 16 00 
 
 2 pair fine beaver gloves at I63, 4 00 
 2 fine large black silk handkerchiefs at 16s, 4 00 
 2 fine large worsted shawls at 24s, 6 00 
 2 pair fine gloves at 16s, 4 00 
 
 1 fine cloth blanket, at $8, 8 00 
 4 fine chintz shirts at 16s, 8 00 
 
 2 fine cloth blankets at $10, 20 00 
 
 1 pair fine squaw leggins at 32s, 4 00 
 Flour 32s, pork 40s, 9 00 
 4 superfine large shawls at 403, 20 00 
 
 2 fine white shirts at 16s, 4 00 
 To flour $8, pork $7, 15 00 
 1 fine large silk handkerchief at 243, 3 00 
 
 $319 00 
 
 $16 
 
 00 
 
 7 
 
 25 
 
 8 
 
 00 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 3 
 
 50 
 
 17 
 
 00 
 
 13 
 
 00 
 
 8 
 
 00 
 
 4 
 
 00 
 
 5 
 
 00 
 
 7 
 
 00 
 
 4 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 15 
 
 00 
 
 12 
 
 00 
 
 4 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 6 
 
 GO 
 
 8 
 
 00 
 
 18 
 
 00 
 
70 
 
 No. 71. 
 RUFUS HITCHCOCK, $442,68 
 
 This claim is for merchandize and goods sold, is sufficiently- 
 proved with the exception of $10 for casii lent, of which there is 
 r.o proof. His selling goods to the Indians is proved by two wit- 
 nesses, but his lending money to them is not proved. 
 
 Claim $442,68 
 
 Deduct the cash lent 10,00 
 
 There must also be a deduction for an item in 
 January, 1835, claimant having signed the Regis- 
 ter in August of that year, by which he released 
 all their prior claims, $19,83 
 
 29.83 
 
 Allowed, $402,85 
 
 No. 72. 
 
 HYACINTH LACELLE, $7,996,00 
 
 This claim is presented in this general form, 
 
 " 1797 To amount of my claim against said (Potawatamie) 
 
 to nation of Indians laid before the Commissioners, 
 
 " 1810. &c. $11,996,00 
 
 ♦' Cr. by cash received at Treaty of 1832, 4,000 
 
 « Bal. due, $7,996,00 
 
 The claim is not otherwise particularized, and is supported by 
 the affidavits of himself and three of his clerks ; from which it ap- 
 pears that in 1794 claimant " came to the Indian country to trade 
 with the Miami and Potawatamie Indians ;" that in 1797 he 
 moved to the Wabash country to trade on his own account, and 
 continued so until 1810, when he found himself $15,000 in debt ; 
 and he attributes his losses partly to debts owing him by the In- 
 dians still uncollected, and partly to depredations committed by 
 them. 
 
 He says his books are lost, and Gen. Tipton certifies, that at the 
 Treaty of 1832 the books were before the Commissioners, but 
 cannot now be found. 
 
 Upon this evidence, this claim is reposed. 
 
 The fact that the claimant is a respectable citizen of great per- 
 sonal worth and character, while it may induce a favorable consi- 
 deration of his claim, and produce regrets at his want of success, 
 cannot supply deficiencies in the testimony. 
 
 It will be seen that the claim is from 27 to 40 years old, and 
 much of it must have been contracted before some of the parties to 
 these treaties were able to run in debt, and even before some of 
 them were born. 
 
71 
 
 The claim is against the Potawatamie nation generally. The 
 particular Indians indebted are not named ; and it is not possible to 
 determine whether they are those, or the ancestors of those, who 
 now reside along the Wabash, or those who are connected with the 
 Chicago Agency, and who provided for the payment of their debts 
 by the treaty of Chicago, or those who are west of the Mississippi, 
 or those who have amalgamated themselves with northern tribes. 
 
 It appears, also, that the trade was with the Miamis and Potawata- 
 mies ; and it is not said how much is owing to each tribe, or whether 
 the Miamis have ever made, or refused to make, any provision for 
 the payment of their part. 
 
 The whole loss in the trade with both tribes is stated at $15,000, 
 and it appears that the Potawatamies have already paid claimant 
 as follows : 
 
 By the treaty of 1826, 
 
 Two sections of land, which he yet owns, and which 
 are estimated to be worth S15,000, but which are 
 charged at government price, or $1,25 per acre, $1600,00 
 
 By the treaty of 1832, 
 
 In cash, 4000,00 
 
 Three sections of land in the name of an Indian, 
 
 which he sold for $3000,00 
 
 Making a total of $8600,00 
 
 or more than half the whole loss stated. 
 
 For the balance of the loss, viz. $6400, he ought to present a 
 claim against the Miamis, if against any one. 
 
 The correctness of this view is strengthened by the fact, that aU 
 though living in the immediate vicinity of the Wabash Potawata- 
 mies, the claimant has omitted to avail himself of the opportunities 
 for a settlement directly with the Indians, which have been pre- 
 sented at the payment of their annuities; particularly in 1835, 
 when the Chiefs in public council liquidated all the debts they knew 
 of, and in 1836, when the claims against them were settled by the 
 Commissioners. 
 
 The claim is disallowed. 
 
 No. 73. 
 LATHROP M. TAYLOR, $1539,24 
 
 Claimant produces and proves his books of original entries, and 
 the delivery of the various articles of merchandize sold. 
 
 But upon examing the books, in the presence of claimant and the 
 Chiefs, it appears that only $159,91 is properly chargeable to these 
 Indians, the balance being against the Potawatamies of the Chicago 
 or St. Joseph Agency. 
 
 Allowed, $159,91 
 
72 
 
 No. 74. 
 GEORGE T. BOSTWICK, $2193,01 
 
 This claim is entered by my secretary for the above sum, but 
 that is the debit side. The balance actually claimed is only $789,38. 
 Claimant, however, produces all his accounts for examination, as 
 well those before the Register of August, 1835, (which he signed) 
 as those of a later period. 
 
 From that examination it appears that I must make the following 
 deductions : — 
 
 Voucher No. 55, for $20, is against a Miami who has paid 
 $3,50. Deduct, 
 No. 56. — Is not a Potawatamie, 
 No. 60. — Is not a Chippewa, 
 No. 58. — Is withdrawn, 
 No. 26. Do. 
 
 No. 57. — The notes against Wm. B. Burnet, whom the 
 Chiefs deny to belong to the nation, 
 
 $241 08 
 
 There are sundry small notes produced in support of the claim 
 up to August, 1835, of which no proof is adduced. But as that 
 Register was a final settlement between the Indians and those tra- 
 ders who were parties to it, and is frequently, in my opinions, con- 
 sidered as a bar to any claim of those traders prior to that date ; 
 so, on the other hand, it is equally conclusive and final for the tra- 
 ders against the Indians, that the latter owed so much money as is 
 there set down. Fraud and mistakes are, however, properly to be 
 considered as not barred thereby ; but the whole matter is still open 
 so far as it may be necessary to redress the former or correct the 
 latter. 
 
 Applying these principles to this case, they render the foregoing 
 deductions from the claim necessary, because they evidently are 
 mistakes ; and they render any farther proof of the notes in ques- 
 tion unnecessary, because they were acknowledged then as proper 
 debts. 
 
 Claim in fact, $789 38 
 
 Deductions as above, 241 08 
 
 $16 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 25 
 
 155 
 
 :-i3 
 
 43 
 
 00 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 21 
 
 00 
 
 Allowed, $548 30 
 
 No. 75. 
 
 JOHN R. HINTON, $31 
 
 This claim consists of only 3 or 4 items : — 
 1st. For a martingale $1, which the Indian says he paid for once, 
 but which he pays again in my presence. 
 
 2d. A charge of $2 for horse-keeping, which is proved. 
 
73 
 
 3d. A charge of $12 for keeping a horse 12 weeks, but it is proved 
 that he admitted he kept him only 3 weeks, and for that he has re- 
 ceived $6,00, which is enough. 
 
 4th. A charge of $22 for keeping a horse 11 weeks, but it is 
 proved that he kept the horse 10 weeks, and agreed to charge only 
 $1 a week instead of $2, as he now brings it in. 
 Allow him, therefore, 
 
 The 2d item, 82 00 
 
 On the 4th item, 10 00 
 
 $12 00 
 
 No. 76. 
 WILLIAM REPOSE'S ESTATE. $837,55 
 
 This is a claim for bread deliver^id to the Indians by Repose, who 
 was a baker at Logansport ; delivered during the Agency of Gen. 
 Marshall, on his orders, and those of his sub-agent, secretary and 
 interpreters. 
 
 The orders are produced, and those which on their face purport 
 to be in favor of the Potawatamies, amount to $427,06, at the price 
 of 2s. a loaf. 
 
 Some of the orders are in favour of the Mia mis. All those drawn 
 by P. Langlois are of that character. 
 
 Many of them do not specify for which tribe they are drawn ; 
 but the testimony shows that most of the orders drawn were in fa- 
 vor of the Potawatamies. It is therefore fair to suppose that half 
 of the residue was for them. 
 
 The claim would then present itself in this shape, 
 
 1. Orders in favor of Potawatamies, as above, $427,06 
 
 2. Half of residue, (excluding the Miamis,) 242,29 
 
 Total of claim, $669,35 
 
 It appears, however, that in 1836 the adm. re- 
 ceived on this claim, $75,00 
 And in 1835, 50,00 
 
 $125,00 
 
 This sum of $544,35 
 
 is all that can now be due. 
 
 But, against even this much, it is averred and proved, 
 
 1. That Repose was a very poor man, and it is not at all proba- 
 ble that he would pass by the payments for three years in succes- 
 sion without getting his pay, or something on it. Yet there is no 
 credit for the years 1832, 1833, and 1834 ; during which time the 
 debt accrued. 
 
 Repose died in 1835. 
 
 2. Gen. Marshall was in the habit of buying flour, and having it 
 
 K 
 
74 
 
 delivered to Repose to bake for the Indians. How much of the 
 bread delivered was in this account, it is impossible to determine. 
 
 3. Gen. M. in the fall of 1834, refused to pay him any more mo- 
 ney on this account ; averring that he had already overpaid him. 
 
 4. In the year 1834, the General received from the Indians 
 88000 to pay their debts ; and in the distribution of that money 
 Repose was paid something ; but how much, cannot now be deter- 
 mined. By referring to the papers in case No. 45, it will be seen that 
 there is no account of any moneys being paid to Repose ; but there 
 is an account of several sums going into Gen. M's. own hands ; and 
 whether he paid any of it to Repose, 1 have not ascertained. 
 
 5. Gen. Grover, sub-agent, was also in the habit of furnishing flour 
 to Repose to bake into bread for the Indians; and he furnishes a 
 memorandum thereof, amounting to $142,50. 
 
 6. Gen. M. kept an open account with Repose, and made him 
 frequent payments, of none of which have we any account ; either 
 by Repose or from Gen. M. 
 
 7. Many of the orders were given for the Indians during the Sac 
 war ; and for that an appropriation was made by Congress of $2000 
 or $3000. 
 
 8. Repose's books are not produced, showing the exact state of 
 the accounts, if he kept any ; but the evidence rests mainly on 
 orders produced ; and, for aught that I know, his books may show 
 payments to him balancing the account. 
 
 9. The claim of this estate was presented last year at $175, in 
 the following words : " In the years lb30, 1831, 1832 and 1833, to 
 bread and provisions furnished ; a part of which demand was re- 
 ceived and allowed at the payment of 1835 ; balance justly due the 
 said estate, $175." On this, $75 was then paid, leaving a 
 *' balance justly due " now of only $100 ; yet it is now presented for 
 
 $0o7,00. 
 
 I cannot arrive at any result with certainty ; but the presump- 
 tion of payment is so strong, that I cannot feel justified in allowing 
 any thing. 
 
 Since the foregoing was written, I have found, among the papers 
 of 1835, a certificate of Gen. Marshall, dated in Dec. 1833, that 
 the Potawatamies owed Repose $50 for provisions furnished them 
 the year 1832. Upon tracing the paper up, I find that it was pre- 
 sented in August 1835, in connexion with some other claims, and 
 allowed under another name ; and paid to the present representa- 
 tive of the estate, who signed the Register of August 1835; and 
 thereby discharged the Indians in full from any farther claim of 
 the estate- 
 
 The claim is disallowed. 
 
 No. 77. 
 
 DOMINIQUE ROSSAU, $1508,76 
 
 This claim is for merchandize, and claimant gives credits as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
75 
 
 . Received at payment ground, $66,00 
 
 1836 do do 297,00 
 
 By sundry credits, 37,51 
 
 And for the balance, $1108,25, he presents a note signed by seve- 
 ral Indians ; but this balance is not correctly stated. The sundry 
 credits and items in his claim not proved, reduced the claim to 
 $1055,64. Besides that, he signed the Register of August 1835, 
 by which he gave the Indians a receipt in full up to that date ; yet 
 his present claim presents items amounting to $170,82, contracted 
 before that period. 
 
 The case will stand thus, 
 
 Claim, $1508,76 
 
 Deduct 
 
 Items not proved, and sundry credits, $453,12 
 
 Contracted prior to August, 1835, 170,82 
 
 Amount received in 1836, 297,00 
 
 920,94 
 
 Amount allowed, $587,82 
 
 No. 78. 
 
 TODD & VIGUS, $415,00 
 
 The bare inspection of this claim shows that it is not against the 
 Indians, but against the late Agent, Gen. Wm. Marshall. It has 
 grown out of dealings with him as an Officer of Government, and 
 the Indians have nothing to do with it. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 79. 
 
 MESS-SAW, $55,00 
 
 This woman lent the Chief, Iowa, $55, which he admits is still due 
 to her. 
 
 Allowed, $55,00 
 
 No. 80. 
 ETIENNE BENNAC, $1849,75 
 
 Claimant is an Indian and a trader ; is unable to read or write, 
 and employs others to make out his claim. He presents a note for 
 $2560, which it is proved is for an amount then investigated by a 
 competent man, and explained to the Indians. That Bennac pur- 
 chased goods, and trusted them out to the Indians, is also proved. 
 
7^6 
 
 The other items in the claim are also proved, except a charge of 
 $500 for cash stolen at the payment ground in 1834. Of this there 
 is no evidence ; and if there was, the claim for it would be barred 
 by the fact that Bennac signed the Register of 1835. 
 
 Two charges, of $80 and $100, are for money which Che-cha- 
 kose and Ashkum got to pay their expenses of going to Washington 
 to make the treaty of February 1837. By that treaty, Government 
 stipulates to pay the expenses of that delegation. These items 
 are therefore not chargeable to the Indians. 
 
 Claim, $1849,75 
 
 Deduct money stolen, 500,00 
 
 Do. lent to Ashkum, &c. 180,00 
 
 680,00 
 
 Allowed, $1169,75 
 
 No. 81. 
 
 BENJAMIN HURST, $290,00 
 
 Thirty days services as chain bearer in a survey at $2 per day 
 are sufficiently proved, but there is no proof to support the residue. 
 It is, therefore, allowed at $60,00 
 
 No. 82. 
 
 ALEXANDER CHAMBERLIN. $300,00 
 
 This claim is for " hogs and sheep killed and taken by ' the Pota- 
 watamie Indians of the Wabash,' from 1827 to 1835, inclusive." 
 Independent of defects in the testimony to support the charge, clai- 
 mant is entirely precluded, by having, in August 1835, received $110 
 of these Indians, and given them a discharge in full up to that time. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 83. 
 ESTATE OF RICHARD CHABERT, $950,00 
 
 In support of this claim, a note is produced, purporting to be 
 signed by some of the Chiefs of the Potawatamies. Upon being in- 
 terrogated, they deny ever having given the note, or having ever 
 owed Chabert any thing. Upon investigation, it appears that in 
 1833 Chabert had a note of some kind against some Indians, 
 which was delivered to Gen. Marshall to have him get it allowed 
 in a treaty he was about making with the Miamis ; and the note 
 now produced " was made from recollection, signatures and all." 
 
 It appears, also, that even the original was for $850 or $950 ; they 
 
77 
 
 cannot tell which ; and was- " made out from nothing at all" — •" from 
 no items, but in general terms." 
 This is all the evidence in the ^case. 
 
 Of course it must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 84. 
 JOSEPH TRUCKEY, $250,00 
 
 By the Register of 1835, a debt of S490 was admitted as due this 
 claimant. He, that year, received $122,50 upon it, and in 1836 
 he received of Messrs. Ewing & Taber $183, and of the five Com- 
 missioners $100 ; leaving due to him on that account only $84,50. 
 
 The next item of his claim, $60, for provisions in 1834, is of 
 course precluded by the allowance to him in *1835, and his dis- 
 charging the Indians from all debts up to that time. 
 
 The charge of $10 for a coffin, has already been allowed to Mar- 
 tin, who made it. 
 
 There is no other evidence in favor of the $84,50 than the Re- 
 gister of 1835, but upon the principle which I have adopted of con- 
 sidering that paper as concluding both parties, that sum ought 
 with the same justice to be allowed as the sum of $60 to be disal- 
 lowed. 
 
 Allowed at $84,50 
 
 No. 85. 
 
 JAMES BLACKBURN, 41,00 
 
 Iowa and M-jo-quis admit that they owe these notes, which were 
 given for ploughing their fields. 
 
 Allowed, 41,00 
 
 No. 86. 
 JOHN B. JUTROIS, $4700 
 
 See Report on No. 16. 
 
 No. 87. 
 
 JACOB SMITH, $613,75 
 
 This claim is presented in the shape of two notes signed by some 
 Indians, and is an apt illustration of the facility with which their 
 signature to a note can be procured. The subscribing witness 
 says, " He saw the notes executed ; no accounts were produced ; 
 
79 
 
 but Smith told the Indians how much they owed him, and they 
 signed the notes. He mentioned some of the articles, — flour, and 
 for cultivating fields for Minoquet, who is dead." 
 
 A note given under such circimistances cannot afford satisfactory 
 evidence of an indebtedness to the amount mentioned in it. Other 
 evidence must be given. 
 
 In this case the additional evidence substantiates the following 
 items only : — 
 
 Cultivating for IVIinoquet in 1835, $50 00 
 
 Do. for same and Pessis, 65 00 
 
 Small claim proved by McCartney, 13 75 
 
 Goods for treaty purposes in Dec, 1834, 88 20 
 
 210 95 
 
 Deduct payment in 1836, 75 00 
 
 Allowed, $141 95 
 
 No. 88. 
 
 I-O-WA, $103,25 
 
 This is a claim for various small articles which the Chief, I-o-wa, 
 
 sold to the Indians. Each Indian charged admits the indebtedness, 
 
 and upon consulting the Chiefs generally, they say it ought to be 
 
 paid — that I-o-wa is not a regular trader to bring in false accounts. 
 
 Claim, $103 25 
 
 Deduct for error in stating the account, 9 50 
 
 Allowed, $93 75 
 
 No. 89. 
 
 WILLIAM BARBER, $101,98 
 
 This claim is proved by one who saw the notes executed and 
 the goods delivered. 
 
 Several of the claims are against Indians not belonging to these 
 bands. 
 
 Claim, $101 98 
 
 Deduct. The int. charged, $13,60 
 
 Claims against foreign Indians, 87.25 
 
 50 85 
 
 Allowed, $51 13 
 
 No. 90. 
 PO-KA-GUN, $60 
 
 This Indian says he had a horse stolen from him, but he offers no 
 proof, and none of the Indians seem to know any thing about it. 
 It is disallowed. 
 
79 
 
 No. 91. 
 NAH-WAH-KAISE, $177,00 
 
 This Indian charges a squaw, whom he kept as his mistress, with 
 stealing from him two horses, seven cloth blankets, some earboba, 
 &c. She and the Chiefs tell this story about it. 
 
 That the horses strayed away, and were not stolen. 
 
 That she did steal the cloth blankets, and 
 
 That he gave her the other things ; and when she left him, she 
 would not give them up to him. 
 
 It will be fair to allow him for the blankets, $35,00 
 
 No. 92. 
 
 WEE-SAW, $150,00 
 
 All the Chiefs admit that this is right, being for a horse killed in 
 1836. 
 
 Allowed, $150,00 
 
 No. 93. 
 
 FRANCIS CLERMONT, $50,00 
 
 This is for a horse stolen by an Indian not belonging to these 
 bands. Disallowed. 
 
 • No. 94. 
 
 JACOB KEYKENDALL, $150,00 
 
 This is a claim for a horse stolen. There is no evidence that the 
 thief belongs to these bands, and the Indians have once refused to 
 allow it. If a just claim, it can best be obtained in the form of a 
 depredation claim under the act of Congres.-,. 
 
 nisdilowed. 
 
 No. 95. 
 
 G. N. FITCH, $99,00 
 
 No. 96. 
 
 FITCH & FARQUHAR, 36,51 
 
 It frequently happens in the investigation of claims, that the par. 
 ties make a statement themselves, and expect me to give full force 
 to it, although made decidedly in their own favor, and unsupported 
 by other evidence. They forget that my duty, as a public officer, 
 
80 
 
 requires me to decide according to the evidence produced, and that 
 their declarations or assertions are not evidence in their favor ; that 
 I have no right to give weight to their statements, however exalted 
 may be my personal opinion of their integrity. These cases are of 
 this character. 
 
 Dr. Fitch, whose character stands high, both professionally and 
 as a citizen, says that he last year presented claims of himself, of 
 F. Filch, and of Fitch & Farquhar, amounting to about $495, on 
 which he received $250 ; and that he gave credit on No. 95 for 
 $ 101, and on No. 96 for $37,24 i which would leave the claim of F. 
 Fitch to be about $222, and $111,76 to be applied upon it. 
 
 Upon recurring to the report of the Commissioners of 1836, and 
 the claims presented to them, it appears that the claims of F. Fitch, 
 then presented, was $49,00 ; and even that was not properly charg- 
 able to the Indians, because it was for services rendered to the Indian 
 wife of a white man, and he ought to pay. It appears, also, that the 
 claim of G. N. Fitch was $232,50, and $53,25 was properly charg- 
 able to the same white man. 
 
 The claim would therefore, in September 1836, be as follows : 
 
 Fitch & Farquhar, $73,75 
 
 G. N. Fitch, 179,25 
 
 253,00 
 At that time was paid 250,00 
 
 Leaving a balance of $3,00 
 
 As none of the charges in the present claim are for servics ren- 
 dered since Sept. 1836, the above sum is all that would be properly 
 owing by the Indians. This is a legitimate deduction from the evi- 
 dence before me. If that evidence does not give me a correct view 
 of the case, it is a misfortune to the claimants which I cannot pre- 
 vent. But I am confirmed in my view by*the fact, that the above 
 balance, together with the sum which is still due from the white 
 man to whom I have referred, will not be far from the amount 
 
 claimed. 
 
 Allowed, $3,00 
 
 No. 97. 
 
 PIRRRE ANDRE, $926,00 
 
 This claim is entirely unsupported by evidence, is 33 years old, 
 and consists of $726 of interest. Yet he received $200 upon it 
 last year. 
 
 It is disallowed. 
 
 No. 98. 
 WM. R. DAVIS, $71,50 
 
 This claim is proved, and admitted as follows : 
 
81 
 
 Claim of last year, $90,25 
 
 November, 1836, pistol-lock to Wabousie, 3,00 
 
 93,25 
 Deduct amount paid last year, 50,00 
 
 Bal. due, $43,25 
 
 The rifle sold to Joseph Barron for $35 cannot be allowed as a 
 claim against the Indians. 
 
 No. 99. 
 
 ROBERT BURNET, $40,00 
 
 The Chief, Iowa, admits this indebtedness, being the balance due 
 on a horse he bought. 
 
 Allowed at $40,00 
 
 No. 100. 
 
 WILLIAM S. VAIL, $143,50 
 
 Tills claim is for goods sold as follows : 
 
 To Pash-po, 38,00 
 
 To John C. Burnet, an Indian (a balance,) 22,25 
 
 To Joseph Barron, 105,50 
 
 $165,75 
 It is all proved, and ought all to be allowed, except the goods 
 sold to Barron, 
 
 Allowed, $60,25 
 
 No. 101. 
 
 JOHN DODD, $45,25 
 
 This account, which purports to be for flour, bread, and bacon, 
 is not supported by original entries, nor are the whole particulars 
 furnished, or the absence of them accounted for. Where the parti- 
 culkrs are furnished, they contradict the claim as presented. Thus, 
 Barron's orders, which are charged at $96, amount only to $34,75 ; 
 thus calling for a deduction larger than the whole balance claimed. 
 
 The claim is, on this account. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
82 
 
 No. 102. 
 STURGESS & BRACKETT, $40,50 
 
 This accouut for medical services is proved or admitted. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 103. 
 PETER OGAN, $176,25 
 
 There is no evidence to support this cldim, other than the fact 
 claimant had some goods on hand, and Indians were seen trading 
 with him. But wliat Indians, and how muci; they traded, and 
 whether for cash or on credit, is not shown. 
 
 The facts proved, are not sufficient to justify an allowance. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 104. 
 RICHARD HELVEY, $153,00 
 
 The sale of the flour and beef, charged at $30,00, is sufficiently 
 proved, and must be allowed. 
 
 But the claimant has mistaken his remedy for the hogs which he 
 alleges the Indians have killed and stolen. The act of 1834 affords 
 so complete a remedy for such depredations, that it is better for all 
 concerned to resort to it than come before me. 
 
 The other item in this claim is not proved. 
 
 Allowed, $30,00 
 
 No. 105. 
 
 EDWARD McCartney. $2024,25 
 
 From the papers in this case, it appears that at the making of 
 the treaties of 1832 by Messrs. Jennings, Davis, and Crume, Mc- 
 Cartney was a claimant for $4000 ; that by one of those treaties he 
 was allowed a debt claim of $1000 ; and by another, two sections 
 of land to his Indian wife ; amounting, at government price, to 
 $2400. Whether he received any, and if any, what payments in 
 1833 and 1834, does not appear. But it does appear that at the 
 settlement in August 1835, he presented a claim for $1000, which 
 was allowed to him, and he received upon it $350 at that time, and 
 ^325 of Messrs. Ewing and Taber in 1830, and $73 of the five 
 Commissioners that year. And by another claim entered on the 
 Register of 1835, he received that year another sum of $350. 
 
83 
 
 His claim and payments wcuM then be truly stated thus, if we 
 
 go back to 1832. Claim in 1832, ^*??2*22 
 
 Sundries since, 274,25 
 
 4274,25 
 
 Deduct Payments in "i 832, $3400 
 
 in 1835, 700 
 
 in 1836, 398 
 
 $4498,00 
 
 Showing that he was overpaid $223,75 
 
 Claimant's name, however, appears twice on the Register of 1835 ; 
 once as a creditor for 81000, ami once for $4000 ; on each of which 
 sums he received tlien $350. The Chiefs, in their letter to the Pre- 
 sident, of October 1836, complain that the latter sum, and two 
 others, amounting in the aggregate to $7126,00, were put on to that 
 re-^ister improperlv, and without their sanction. Upon investiga- 
 tional, this allegation appears to be correct. Those sums were en- 
 tered after the council broke up, and cannot therefore be consider- 
 ed as admitted by the Indians, or as entitled to the same sanction 
 that is properly given to the claims which were liquidated in open 
 
 council. 
 
 Again ; the claim now presented to me, says that the amount due 
 in 1835 was $3000 ; whereas, if that Register was true, it was 
 $5000. The residue of the claim is for indebtedness accruing prior 
 to 1835, and is cut off by claimant's having signed a receipt in 
 full, in August 1835, for every thing except the sums named on the 
 
 The proper mode of stating the claim, as shown by the papers 
 before me, would be tlius : — 
 
 Claim allowed in 1835, $1000,00 
 
 Paid him in 1835, ^^00 
 
 in 1836, 398 
 
 1098,00 
 
 Showing a balance due the Indians of, $98,00 
 
 No. 106. 
 HENRY BARNETT, $40,50 
 
 This claim is for labor done for the Indians in cultivating their 
 
 fields, is admitted by them, and is 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 107. 
 COMPARET & SCOTT, $3347,92 
 
 Monei- H. Scott, the active i.icmlici of liiirt tirm, ^-resented a 
 
84 
 
 claim in 1835, which was allowed at $1214. He then receired 
 $814 on that claim, and in 1836 he received of Messrs. Ewing & 
 Taber $200, and of the 5 Commissioners $1500. 
 
 The account which he now presents, runs back prior to 1835, 
 and amounts, as above, to $3347,93, without making any credit for 
 those payments. 
 
 The following will be a proper statement of the claim as proved. 
 Allowance of 1835, $1214 00 
 
 Goods delivered in 1834, by order of Gen. Marshall, 
 for treaty purposes, and not included in settlement 
 of 1835, 1172,00 
 
 Items delivered since 1835, as proved, 278 17 
 
 Deduct the payment in 1835, $814,00 
 
 Do. Do. in 1836, 1700,00 
 
 $2664,17 
 2514,00 
 
 Bal. allowed, $150,17 
 
 N. B. This great deduction from the apparent amount claimed, 
 arises from two causes. 1st, from allowing the payments as above ; 
 and 2d, from my error in stating the amount claimed on my regis'- 
 ter, whereby a part of the items allowed in 1835 were put in a 
 second time. 
 
 No. 108. 
 LOUIS DROUILLARD, $16,00 
 
 This claim, for sundry articles . of clothing, is admitted by the 
 Indian, and 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 109. 
 H. B. M'KEAN, $4000,00 
 
 This claim is supported only by a certificate of three persons, 
 that in 1817, '18, '19, and '20, claimant dealt with the Ottawa and 
 Potawatamie nations of Indians. No particulars are given, nor are 
 there any means of determining whether these bands were indebted 
 or not. 
 
 This is one of the cases complained of by the Indians as having 
 been improperly put on to the Register of 1835. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 110. 
 
 WM. CANNON, $50,00 
 
 This is a claim for depredations, and must be referred for settle- 
 fnent to the act of 1834. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
85 
 
 ' No. 111. 
 
 JOHN PLASTER, $12,75 
 
 This bill is for sundries furnished to Joseph Morrisau or More- 
 land, whom the Chiefs deny to belong to their bands. 
 It is therefore disallowed. 
 
 No. 112. 
 
 CANDLER & MUDGE, fl84,50 
 
 This bill is for goods delivered during my investigations. I en- 
 deavoured to discourage the creation of any such debts, because I 
 anticipated the fund would fall short of the debts ; but the indebted 
 Indians insisted upon its payment. 
 
 It is proved and allowed. 
 
 No. 113. 
 
 MIRIAM, STEPHENS & CO., $29,88 
 
 There is no evidence whatever to support this claim, and it is 
 therefore 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 114. 
 DAVID P. BOURE, $2182,82 
 
 Claimant was unable to procure the attendance of his witnesses, 
 and he made oath that one of them has gone west of the Mississip- 
 pi, and the other refused to attend. Having no power to compel 
 their attendance, I felt constrained to accept of the affidavits which 
 he offered, which were ex parte, and were liable to the objection that 
 no opportunity of a cross-examination was allowed. 
 
 The claim consists of three items : 
 
 One of $579,26, is not supported by any affidavit. 
 
 One of $1136,63, turns out, upon examination, to have been all 
 contracted prior to August 1835, excepting only $48,13. 
 
 One of $466,94, contains $5 contracted prior to that date. 
 
 Claimant signed the Register of 1835, by which he released the 
 Indians from all claims prior to that date ; yet $1147,25, of the claim 
 which he now presents, accrued before that time, and of course is 
 barred by that paper. 
 
 By that he was allowed $981, and received that year $345,25, 
 and in 1836 $317, of Messrs. Ewing& Taber, and $400 of the five 
 Commissioners, making $71,75 more than the amount allowed hira 
 in 1836. 
 
 The whole of the item of $579,26, must be disallowed (except 
 
86 
 
 $6,50 admitted by Miss-in-a- go-qua,) because there is no evidence 
 whatever to support it. 
 
 The following is the result : 
 
 Allowed on tlie claim of 8579,26 $6,50 
 
 on the claim of 1130,03 48,13 
 
 on the claim of 466,94 461,94 
 
 Deduct over-payment of 1830, 
 Allowed, 
 
 516,57 
 71,75 
 
 $444,82 
 
 No. 115. 
 J. B. CHAPMAN, $1332,19 
 
 This claim is not supported by evidence to support any thing 
 more than a charge of $9. 
 
 That sum only can be allowed, $9,00 
 
 No. 116. 
 
 COMPARET & COQUILLARD, $537,80 
 
 In the settlement of August 1835, these claimants were allowed 
 $675, but they now insist that their claim at that time was $1276, 
 30, and that it was presented for an erroneous amount, because M. 
 Comparet, who was the chief manager of the concern, was not pre- 
 sent at that settlement. The claim of $1276,30 is proved, and by an 
 examination of the claim presented in 1835, the error is manifest. 
 
 My rule is, to consider the settlement of 1835 as conclusive against 
 every thing but fraud and mistakes. This being a mistake, it ought 
 to be corrected. 
 
 The claim of 1835, was $1276,30 
 
 Separate payment, $ 29,00 
 
 Pavmentin 1835, 336,00 
 
 bo. in 1836, 
 
 400,00 
 
 There are additional items proved, 
 And liquor items in the bill. 
 
 Allowed, 
 
 $26,50 
 48,00 
 
 765,00 
 $511,30 
 
 21,50 
 
 $489,80 
 
87 
 
 No. 117. 
 
 THOMAS J. CUMMINGS, $1144,00 
 
 Tills claim is supported by several notes. The most important of 
 wliich is, a note signed by several of the Chiefs for $1000, and 
 dated Aug. 23, 1835. The note was for tailoring done at the request 
 of Joseph Barron, and claimant had Barron's note for $1080, which 
 he gave up when Barron gave him the note in question. 
 
 Independent of all other considerations, it will be seen that both 
 Cuinniing-s and Barron signed the Register dated on the 22d Aug. 
 1835, and both thereby released the Indians, in consideration of the 
 sums then allowed, from all claims prior to that date. The whole 
 of tliis debt was contracted prior to that date, and is barred by 
 that act. 
 
 The residue of the account is proved, subject, however, to the fol- 
 lowing deductions : 
 
 No. 2 of the vouchers is for $200 for a horse, which the subscrib- 
 ing witness to the note says was worth only $100. 
 
 No. f^, Joseph Morelan's note, $10, is withdrawn. In 1836 claim- 
 ant received of the live Commissioners $300, which he now wishes 
 to have applied on the $1000 note. As that note is not a debt, as 
 I have already shown, this application of that money would be 
 manifestly unjust. 
 
 Whole Debt, $1448,00 
 
 Deduct the note for $1000 
 
 On No. 2, 100 
 
 The whole of No. 5, 10 
 
 The payment of 1836, 300 
 
 1410,00 
 
 Leaving due, and allowed, $38,00 
 
 While the eveidence before me compels me to the decision that 
 the $1000 is not owing by the Indians to Mr. Cumniings, I feel 
 myself bound to say that I believe that he has not received his pay ; 
 and that Barron unquestionably has had the benefit of the claim, in 
 some f)f thelaro-e allowances which have been yearly made to him. 
 He ought to be made to pay it to this clannant. 
 
 No. 118. 
 
 JOHN GREEN, $144,50 
 
 This is another casein which Barron has obtained property on 
 tbe credit of the Indians without their consent. The account for 
 goods delivered to him for his own benefit, and for the Indians, is all 
 kept together. He admits that $57,75 is exclusively for him. It 
 is a matter of regret that this course has been so generally pursued, 
 for the result is, either that the Indians pay for the goods twice, or 
 the actual claimant loses it. 
 
88 
 
 The claim is 8144,50 
 
 Deduct payment by Commissioners iu 1836 $50,00 
 J. Barron's account, 57,75 
 
 107,75 
 
 Allowed, $36,25 
 
 No. 119. 
 SAMUEL CHAPPEL. «11,50 
 
 This claim, though small, must be governed by the same rules 
 which control my action in larger cases. There is no evidence to 
 support it, except merely notes Off hand, vs'hich do not even specify 
 the consideration. 
 
 They must be disalloioed. 
 
 .No. 120. 
 
 EBENEZER WARD, $50,00 
 
 No. 126. 
 
 WILLIAM POLKE. $100,00 
 
 These gentlemen attended before me as witnesses in my investi- 
 gations at my request, and that of the Commissioner of Indian 
 Affairs. They were two of the 5 Commissioners who distributed 
 the money in 1836. Their attendance was material and advanta- 
 geous to the Indians. Their charges are reasonable, and are al- 
 lowed. 
 
 No. 121. 
 
 THOMAS H. McKEAN. $20,00 
 
 This is a note for bread and cash furnished to an educated In- 
 dian. The execution is proved. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 122. 
 
 PIERRE LAPLANTE. $1140 
 
 This is a general charge against the Potawatamie Nation for 
 " sundry merchandize, horses, lead, powder, &:c. to different indi- 
 viduals of said nation, from A. D. 1815 to 1820," and is supported 
 by no evidence whatever. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
89 
 
 No. 123. 
 
 ELPREGE & ANDERSON, $198,52 
 
 These claimants seem entirely to misunderstand the condition of 
 their claim. They state it thus : — 
 
 Balance due on old ace. adjusted 1835, $200 00 
 
 2 notes on Kewa^a and others, 198 52 
 
 398 52 
 Rec'd on the above ace. of Com'rs at Judge Polke's, 200 00 
 
 Which is the balance they claim, 198 52 
 
 i But in 1836 they received of Ewing & Taber, 200 00 
 
 And they are over-paid, $1 48 
 
 They also state in tlieir affidavit, that the sum of $200, received 
 at the payment of 1836, was in full of their claims prior to the pay- 
 ment in 1835. Their claim subsequent to that time is $198,52, 
 and as they received $400 in 1836, of course they are already 
 over-paid. 
 
 No. 124. 
 
 BENJAMIN TALBOT, $210 00 
 
 This claim is for work done as public blacksmith for these In- 
 dians. His claim, it is evident from its face, is not against the 
 Indians, but against the government or the late agent. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 125. 
 
 JAMES H. KINTNER, $70,75 
 
 This additional claim for saddlery is admitted by the Indians 
 under circumstances which leave no doubt of the justness of the 
 
 claim. 
 
 It is allowdd. 
 
 No. 127. 
 
 JOHN E. SCHWARZ, $5000 00 
 
 This claimant, after having proved that he was a trader among 
 the Potawatamies of the Wabash, and exhibiting invoices and re» 
 turns of clerks, showing a large loss in that trade, rests his claim for 
 an allowance upon the settlement made in Aug:jst, ie^^5. His name 
 
 M 
 
90 
 
 appears upon the Register of that date for $5000, and he then re- 
 ceived $500 on his claim, and now asks for the balance. 
 
 His claim rests upon the same principle which has already go- 
 verned my action in several cases, in which I have given full sanc- 
 tion to that settlement ; and hold it conclusive both for and against 
 the Indians and the traders, excepting only in cases of fraud and 
 mistake. None such appearing in this case, upon that principle the 
 balance claimed must be allowed 
 
 Allowed, $4500 00 
 
 No. 128. 
 CUMMINGS & CRADDOCK, $474 81 
 
 This claim is supported by various notes of hand, the considera- 
 tion of which is proved. 
 
 The claimants withdraw No. 1 for $5, and No. 14 for $12 81, 
 because not against Indians. No. 5 for $25, is not proved. They 
 received $300 in 1836. 
 
 Their claim is $474 81 
 
 They received in 1836, $300 00 
 
 They withdraw 17 81 
 
 They do not prove 25 00 
 
 342 81 
 
 Allowed, $132 00 
 
 No. 129. 
 JOHN B. BOURE, $4000 00 
 
 This claim is on a note dated 15th Nov. 1835, and of course pur- 
 porting to have been executed then. It is signed by five Indians, 
 the first named signed at the date ; the second a {ew weeks after, 
 and the other three after my investigations begun, and in June, 
 1837. There was no settlement of accounts when either signature 
 was made to it, and it was drawn up for the purpose of being large 
 enough to cover all his debts. 
 
 No original entries are produced, nor any account of the items ; 
 but it is supported only by evidence that claimant has traded with 
 the Indians since 1832. 
 
 Ash-kum, one of the signers, being interrogated about it, says 
 that at one of Marshall's treaties, he and Washiona's widow got 
 goods of claimant, and never paid for them. It is for this he signed 
 the note. Claim No. 39, for $1600, is for the goods thus delivered, 
 and of course it would not be right that they should be paid for 
 twice. 
 
 Po-ka.gos, another signer, says that he and his band got goods of 
 claimant to the amount of $1000, and in 183G claimant received 
 $1000 of the CoramissioDers. 
 
91 
 
 By the Register of 1835 he was allowed and paid $599 ; but he 
 says and proves by one witness, that he was not present at the pay. 
 ment in 1835 ; that he did not sign the Register ; that his clerk put 
 in his claim, received the money and signed his name ; but he put in 
 the claim too small. 
 
 The present claim is entirely for debts accruing prior to that 
 time, but his misfortune is that he does not prove any indebtednesa 
 except what has already been provided for, — that of Ash-kum by 
 the allowance of No. 39, and that of Po-ka-gos by the payment of 
 last year. 
 
 He attempts to account for this difficulty by proving the loss of 
 his books. His own affidavit and the testimony of his brother 
 show that his books were stolen from him at the payment on the 
 Tippecanoe in 1835. There is evidently a mistake as to the time, 
 and his supplemental affidavit probably fixes the time of the loss 
 correctly in 1834. 
 
 But his affidavit shows, also, (hat his claim for goods sold prior 
 to August, 1835, is no more than about $3000. He received that 
 year $599, and $1000 in 1836, and is allowed $1600 under No. 39, 
 which exceeds the amount at which he states the indebtedness for 
 goods. The residue of the claim is for those services which all 
 traders render in order to procure custom, and which are particu. 
 larly commented upon and disallowed in No. 26. 
 
 The whole claim must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 130. 
 
 CYRUS VIGUS, $890,75 
 
 This claimant is a tavern keeper, and his account is principally 
 for keeping Indians and their horses. 
 
 The claims for 1835 and 1837, amounting to $472,50, are 
 proved. 
 
 There is no proof to support the account for 1833 and 1834, 
 amounting to $418,25. Even if there was, it would be barred by 
 the fact that Mr. Vigus signed the Register of 1835, and discharged 
 the Fndians in full to that date. In 1836 he received of the Com- 
 missioners $150. 
 
 His claim is, $890,75 
 
 Unsupported and barred, $418,25 
 
 Received in 1838, 150,00 
 
 566,25 
 
 Allowed, $322,60 
 
 No. 131. 
 HARVEY HETH, $400 
 
 This claim is clearly just ; but, being for depredations, it must be 
 
92 
 
 presented to the Agent and the Indians, at the payment of their an- 
 nuity, and its payment can there be enforced agreeable to the law 
 of 1834. 
 
 I cannot allow it to be paid out of this fund. 
 
 No. 132. 
 ANDREW JACKSON, $000 
 
 This claimant is an Indian, and he presented this claim for kill- 
 ing his aunt. There is no evidence in the case, except the state- 
 ments of the Chiefs to me in council, and a note signed by some of 
 the Chiefs. The note is signed by Pashpo, the principal Chief of 
 the tribe; 0-ka-maus, the next Chief, and several others; and the 
 Chiefs in council say they wish it paid, that they owe it to him. 
 
 I am scarcely well enough acquainted with their manners and 
 customs to give a satisfactory decision in this case. It is under- 
 stood, however, to be a conventional arrangement in some of the 
 tribes, in order to prevent the shedding of blood which grows out of 
 private revenge and family feuds, that he who has committed homi- 
 cide may buy his safety of the relatives of the deceased by a satisfac- 
 tory present, — the Weregild of our Saxon ancestors, only volun- 
 tary in its nature, and without yet having arrived at their perfection 
 of graduating the price by the rank of the slain. 
 
 The custom saves the effusion of blood, arc! deserves encourage- 
 ment until some judicatory shall be established among them, whereby 
 crimes may be punished legally, and private rec'ress become as unne- 
 cessary as it is improper. 
 
 This consideration commends this claim to our favor ; and, sup- 
 ported as it is by the admission of the Chiefs in council that it was 
 a just debt, and their request that it should be paid, I have deemed 
 it advisable to allow it. 
 
 The price is, of course, indefinite ; but the sum of $600 was fixed 
 by the Chiefs. 
 
 Allowed, $600 
 
 No. 133. 
 JESSE BUZAN, $46,00 
 
 This claim is for cultivating fields for the Yellow River Band 
 in 1834, and they and General Walter Wilson say it was then paid 
 by General Marshall. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
9« 
 
 No 134. 
 ASH.KUM, $600 
 
 This claim is of the same character with No. 132, but it is not 
 supported by any admission of the Chiefs, They were consulted 
 about it, and merely answered, that last year " Ashkum had wanted 
 only $300, and now he wants more." 
 
 This is an essential difference between the two cases, and this 
 must be 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 135. 
 
 JOHN R. MERRIT, $53,75 
 
 This account has already been paid by the Government. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 136. 
 ALEXANDER LARAVV, $110,00 
 
 There was no evidence to support this claim. It is not sworn to 
 by claimant : but purports to be a note signed by Ash-kum, without 
 a witness. Ash-kum handed me the paper, but did not say a word 
 about it. 
 
 It must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 137. 
 
 CICOTT & VAN NESS, $32,00 
 
 This claim, being for borrowed money and flour, is well proved, 
 and 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 138. 
 
 ABRAHAM BURNET, $900 
 
 No. 139. 
 
 JOHN C. BURNET, $900 
 
 These claimants are educated Indians, speaking the English Ian- 
 guage. They visited Washington with Ashkum and Checkaukose 
 in February, 1837, and acted as their interpreters in making the 
 treaty uf the 11th of that month. Their notes for the above amounti 
 
94 
 
 were given on their return for their services. Their expenses were 
 paid by Government, and Government agreed to pay the expenses 
 of the treaty and of the delegation. 
 
 If these claims are for expenses which the delegation were ne- 
 cessarily incurred, tliey are chargable to the Government if any 
 where. If they were presents from the Chiefs, they are not pro- 
 perly just debts to be paid as such out of this fund. 
 In either event they must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 140. 
 
 EDWARD V. CICOTT, $640 
 
 This is a bond from Ashkum to claimant, in which he agrees to 
 convey a section of land. It appears, however, that it was a gift 
 from Ashkum, which cannot be enforced as a debt, and which Ash- 
 kum himself has recalled twice; once by agreeing to sell the same 
 section to G. W. Ewing & Bourne, and afterwards by conveying it 
 to the U. S. 
 
 It must be disallowed. 
 
 No. 141. 
 JAMES H. KINTNER, 836,90 
 
 This additional claim is presented now, because the witness was 
 not present at the examination of Kitner's former cases. The wit- 
 ness, however, fully proves this claim, and 
 It is allowed. 
 
 No. 142. 
 JOB B. ELDRIDGE,. $2,87 
 
 This is proved, and allowed. 
 
 No. 143. 
 
 WILLIAMSON WRIGHT, $5,00 
 
 This is for professional services, rendered by an attorney. The 
 performance of the service, and the reasonableness of the charge, are 
 proved. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
96 
 
 No. 144. , 
 
 JEREMIAH DUNHAM, $43,00 
 
 This is for two rifles, delivered on the order of Gen. Marshall, In. 
 dian Agent, m October 1834. 
 
 There are two reasons against its allowance : 
 
 1st. It is a claim against Gen. Marshall or the Government, and 
 ought to be paid by one of them. 
 
 2d. Dunham signed the Register of August, 1835, and thereby 
 discharged the Indians from all claims up to that date. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
 No. 145. 
 CHASE, TIPTON & STUART, $600,00 
 
 On my arrival at Logansport, Col. Pepper informed me that some 
 of the claimants had employed counsel to appear before me: and 
 that he deemed it right to employ counsel for the Indians. I ac 
 quiesced in the propriety of this course, and he employed the above, 
 named gentlemen. They were all occupied, and laboriously so, do- 
 ing the whole of my investigations. Less than three persons, of 
 their industry and capacity, could not have performed the task 
 which devolved upon them. It was well and faithfully done. Their 
 services were well worth to them the amount of this claim ; and to 
 the Indians they were worth much more. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 No. 146. 
 JOHN T. DOUGLASS. $108,00 
 
 This claim has been paid by the Government. 
 
 Disallowed. 
 
^. 
 
v^^