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Archive of Letters Related to Depredation by Wyoming Indians

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Militaria Start Price:350.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 700.00 USD
Archive of Letters Related to Depredation by Wyoming Indians

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Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
four letters, printed government regulation sheet and envelope in which these were stored. The letters are in regard to a claim by St. Leger Beck (possibly as attorney for an unnamed claimant) for loss at the hands of Indians in 1865 in Weld Co., CO. All 4 letters are from Special Agent Leonard H. Poole of the U.S. Indian Service and are on Indian Service letterhead, with case no. 2881 written at top.

First letter dated 22 June 1888 is to Beck's wife in Miles City, MT requesting information about how to contact Beck. Agent Poole indicates he has been trying to contact Beck "for some time" but has received no reply. On 30 July 1888 Poole writes to Beck at South Butte, MT. Your claim in account of alleged Indian depredations in Held Co., Colo., in 1865 has been referred to me for investigation....I am now prepared to take up the investigation of this case, either here or at Cheyenne, Wyo. Please inform me of the present P.O address of your witnesses... His postscript indicates: It is to your interest to give this matter your promt [sic] attention. After 23 years??? Beck needs to give it his prompt attention when it took the Indian Service 23 years to get around to investigating the claim??

Poole's letter of 20 Sept. 1888 indicates that Beck should get affidavits from his witnesses, since he (Poole) will probably not get a chance to interview them. And 17 Dec. 1888 Poole writes that he needs more evidence: kind, amount, value of property destroyed; by what Indians; under what circumstances; identity of claimant. He will examine any witnesses Beck produces, but he needs proof that the claimant owned the property and this depredation occurred.

Also enclosed is the printed government regulations concerning claims of depredations dated 13 July 1872. There were some interesting steps that had to be taken before the claim was recognized. The claimant was responsible, in addition to collecting evidence, for identifying the nation or tribe that committed the depredation (for horses stolen at night??). After collecting proof of the depredation, testimony of witnesses, etc. by the Indian agent, the Indian agent, or sub-agent, will, without unnecessary delay, present the case to the proper nation or tribe assembled in council, according to the custom of such nation or tribe, and, after fully explaining it to them, he will then and there demand satisfaction for the claimant. If within a reasonable time the nation or tribe shall not have complied with such demand, the fact of the depredation by some of their people being admitted in such council, or if they deny the charge as made and peremptorily refuse to render any satisfaction, the agent, or sub-agent, will in such case submit a report of the proceedings had, together with all the papers, to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Such report shall state whether the Indians in council recognized, remembered, and admitted the depredation charged; and, if so, how far and with what particularity the allegations of the claimant respecting such depredations were borne out by the recollections and acknowledgments of the Indians in reference thereto. Only then will the Commissioner of Indian Affairs take up the case and render an opinion and forward the case to the Secretary of the Interior for action.

How many of these do we suppose were actually resolved satisfactorily? 

The Thomas Minckler Collection of Western Americana

Condition: Folds, toning, minor separations, as expected.