Statement.  Indian Inspector W.J. Pollock came to the Yakima Indian Agency in the latter part of December 1880. He stated that he had been ordered here by the Hon. the Secretary of the Interior to inspect the affairs of this agency.  In compliance with a request of Mr Pollock, I attended all the public councils he held at the agency with the Indians, and took notes of the proceedings.  Any statements in this paper attributed to Inspector Pollock, are either the exact words taken down at the time, or the  exact substance, in an abbreviated form.  In a council held at the school house Dec. 27th 1880, 1 o   clock P.M. Mr Pollock said  to the Indians,    I understand the Agent has       been giving you a good many cattle.       I am not going to talk much myself today   ;    but am going to ask you questions, and       I want you to answer.  Then, taking a folded paper    in his hands, he began opening it, and    said;    This is the paper on which the agent writes    the names of those he gives the cattle.        Now I want to ask the Indians how       many cattle they got in the months of July,       August, and September last.     
        was written, countermanding the drive. Some of the parties who had gone out, were by this time at least forty miles away, and before the word to stop, had reached them, three days had elapsed, and the cattle were pretty well stirred up and started away from their ac- customed haunts. Some had been driven away from sage brush and sheltering hills, and were abandoned in the open prairies, to live or die, as chance might befall them.  Some of us who had spent some winters in this climate, remonstrated with Pollock against attempting to count the cattle in such a  storm; but he did not hesitate to say he knew more about cattle than any of us.  I never heard any opinion expressed about the results of the drive either by whites or Indians, except, that it was foolish and damaging to the stock. I am fully convinced, that it would have been far better to have let the cattle alone,  and gathered in such as were near by; or were poor, and in exposed situations where they could get no feed, and to do even this much, leisurely, and carefully, as the stock could  stand it.  The consequence of Inspector Pollocks ill timed experiment, no doubt is, that the Indians have many bleaching bones, where they  
        ought to have living thrifty cattle.  On Jan 3. 1881. another council was held in the agency carpenter shop On that occasion, much of the time was taken up hearing what the Indians had to say. Inspector Pollock, at this meeting however, took occasion to say to the Indians, Mr Wilbur had been greatly deceiving the authorities at Washington. In speaking of the number of Indians on the reservation, the council were assured by Mr Pollock, there were not more than 900, or 1000 Indians on the reservation all told, exclusive of the Piutes. He several times said    the Great Father will be surprised, when I tell him of these things. I was somewhat amused, when a certain Indian arose to speak complainingly of the agent, Pollock said,    I think that man will tell the truth. He looks like an honest man.     The truth was, the Indian, acting on Inspector Pollock   s statement that all the goods belonged to the Indians,  amp;c. had been caught stealing a bolt of cloth, two or three days before.  At this council, an evident attempt  was made to show that    praying Indians    had been shown more favours, in the way of getting new houses, than others. After looking over the list of houses built last year, and inquiring  about the religious state of the owners, Pollock ventured to suggest that,    This  
        list    shows that it pays to belong to the church     January 5th another council was held. At this meeting, the Agents manner of disposing  of annuities, was the principal topic discussed.  The Indians were told by Mr Pollock, that the agent had been wrong all all along, and had violated the law. He (Pollock) was sorry  the agent had not understood the law better    The Great Father had sent the Indians goods to be given out gratuitously, and they had  been working for them all the time. The Great Father did not know these things, he would be greatly surprised when he, (Pollock) told him how things on this agency were. Matters on this agency had been covered up    the agent had not truthfully represented things The Great Father did not know these things,  amp;c After all this, Pollock went on to say, in a  tone of derision,    I hope when I get through, I       shall find Mr Wilbur as pure as an angel.     When talking of the agents plan of distributing annuities Pollock said,    this is all wrong.       I think it will be changed          After this when you work for the agent he    will pay you money.       John Brown worked at hauling logs.       He got overalls, and sugar, and things, and it   s all mixed up. He can   t understand it.    John Brown then said  
           I have got a lot of things from the agent       which are charged to me. Am I to pay for       items or not? I need to know.     Pollock turned to the interpreter and said       Tell him he need not pay for them,    Anything       the agent has charged against him, he       need not pay.    The goods belong to you Indians,       the agent has no right to ask you to work       for them. If John Brown works on his       farm, the agent will give him a harness  amp;    plow.  John Brown said    Give me the harness now, today.    If you give me the things now, I will believe you.    I don   t want to wait til next week. If I take the things home with me, then I will know you tell the truth. At this Pollock was evidently non plussed; but said       It is not my business to give the things; but       to tell the agents how to do it.    He however assured John Brown he would get the harness and Lewy Simpson a wagon, and gave all the Indians to understand, that hereafter, they would not have to work for annuities. During this council, Pollock within ten minutes time said, no change would be made until the agents return, and then said a change will be made    from this on.    The acting agent was told, by Pollock, to change nothing without written orders.  
        to do so. He failed to give the acting agent any such orders. Here it was left in this shape. The Indians understood a change was going to be made, and the acting agent was left powerless to make any change. Here was a clash. The results were as might have been expected. The Indians flocked in, big, little, old, young, rich and poor, all claiming goods. The    Washington Tyee      Inspector   told them they should have the things, and have them they would. Matters were certainly in an extremely unpleas- ant situation. It was simply impossible to satisfy the Indians.  If Inspector Pollock had exhausted  his resources in devising a scheme to create discord and dissatisfaction among the Indians, I hardly think he could have hit it more nearly than he did.  An Indian Inspector, in common with all American citizens, has the right, it must be conceded, to any religious or irreligious views, as a matter of personal liberty; but it seemed strangely disconsonant with the Christian plan of civilizing and christian- izing the Indians, to hear him use profane language, and sneers agaisnt Christians;        The singing and praying kind,    to use his  favourite formula.  
        I was so unfortunate as to hear Inspector Pollock use profane language, certainly on two occasions, in presence of Indians;   both  times in Agent Wilburs parlour.  On another occasion, I remarked to the Inspector, I did not think he had found, or would find, anything in the business of Mr Wilbur that indicated dishonesty.    With a tone painfully suggestive of personal malice, he replied,    God damn it, I   ve got the old man       where he can   t squirm     He then proceeded to relate something in regard to a transaction between the agent and Jack Morgan.  Several times I heard Indians remarking Inspector Pollock   s profanity, and wondering why the Great Father should send such  men among them.  I observed that Inspector Pollock seemed to have a singular penchant for ventilating his opinions, and speaking of the agents frauds before the Indians, and especially the employes. He did not fail to give all the employes to understand, he was finding great evidences of dishonesty in the agents official papers. In no single instance, did I hear a favourable comment upon Agent Wilbur or his work.  Pollock professed he always found most fraud, when there was most   
        singing and praying.    He represented that other inspectors went to agencies   the singing and praying kind of inspectors    to inspect their affairs, and went away  giving glowing accounts of things. A few days afterward, he, (Pollock) came along, and on close examination, found every thing rotten to the core. The idea seemed to be that the    singing and praying    inspectors tried to cover up the frauds of Christian agents, while he, (Pollock) would expose rottenness without fear or favour.  Instead of coming to this agency in a calm, unbiased, judicial spirit   weighing evidence   earnestly searching for truth    he evidently came with the spirit of a  prosecutor, (if indeed I may not say persecutor), who had a personal interest in the conviction of a culprit.  Instead of holding his counsels in his own mind, and acting on the presumption of law, that all men are innocent until proven guilty, he proceeded from the outset, as if the rascality of the agent were a foregone conclusion, and as if there were no sacred principle of honor right binding an Inspector to respect and the honor, and good name of a man who had an established reputation for integrity.  
        I am not much versed in the proprieties, and rules governing officers, whose duty it is to conserve the rights of the Indians,   I do not profess to discriminate as to what should be the conduct of an Indian Inspector, but I confess, it struck me as a singular departure from the customs in other departments of government service, for a man to be so peculiarly frank and open, as to be announcing, day by day, in driblets, to every one he met, his conclusions, as to the dishonesty and inefficiency of Agent Wilbur, and the extremely bad condition of things here.  I am convinced, that a mul- titude of people got the substance of Inspector Pollocks report on this agency, weeks before it was received by the Secretary of the Interior.  I do not pretend to say whether this grew out of Inspector Pollocks righteous zeal to expose fraud, or a commendable disposition to portray display to the world his superior  abilities as detective.  In all of Mr Pollocks in- vestigations, so far as I am advised, there was a noted, and singular anxiety to get such evidence as would reflect upon the character of Agent Wilbur.  The agent being absent, and not able to defend himself, or interpose a word of  
        explanation, Inspector Pollock had the field mostly to himself, to use to his liking. And he used it.  The effect on this agency of his  visit, and talks to the Indians, will be a lasting damage to it. Discord, dissatisfaction, suspicions, and discontent have been sown.  Many of the Indians had through the labours and influence of the agent become Christians. Having been many years among them, and having always a good name, they naturally looked to him, as a correct exponent, and representative of business, morality, and religion.  After nearly a score of years of toil   the best years of life   and when he is growing old, his work being nearly done, a man under the cloak of authority, from Washington, comes and gives the Indians to understand, as plainly as lan- guage can convey it to their minds, that their agent, whom they have learned to love and trust, is a fraud and cheat. While Bowing with them in prayer, his hands have been in their pockets, clutching for their money.  While professing to feed the lambs, he has been really fleecing the sheep.  It is hardly necessary to say the Indians have had a sore trial   No one will doubt that these things have been disheartening to agent and employes. G.B. Kuykendall   Agency Physician   
        Subscribed and Sworn to before me this thirteth day of April 1881.     James H. Wilbur   U.S. Indian Agent.  
           I will read the names, and I want the       Indians to come up and tell how       many cattle they got.     He remarked that Indians never forgot anything   if they received any cattle, they would remember it. He    wanted to see if the agents papers were right.     The general tenor of his remarks was such as to create the presumption among the Indians, that he expected revelations of rottenness. After these, and other preliminary remarks, he went on,    I will now read the names. The first       name here is Yesmowit.    The Indian was  called up, and asked how many cattle he had       received during the previous July, August, and       September.     With a look of profound amazement he said,    I received none.    Pollock said to him    Think now, I want you to be certain.    Then to the Interpreter Pollock said    Tell him to think and be sure.    The admonition was repeated, by the interpreter, in the Indian language, when Yesmowit said    Chow los  Chow moon          Not one. Never.     This announcement created an evident sensation all over the house. I being busy writing could not see the Indians, except at intervals, but there was a buzz  
        G.B.Kuykendall 
        of whispering and low talking, and an interchanging of looks among the Indians, that made it manifest they were intensely aroused. One after another names were called, and the individuals came up, in a great ma- jority of cases, denying having received any cattle. During the time of reading names, and interrogating the Indians, Pollock frequently exclaimed    I don   t understand this paper.       This paper is all wrong.       You say you are certain you did not receive any cows? Then I can   t understand this paper.     All this only tended to increase the  excitement, and bad state of feeling.  The Indians enmasse seemed to  turn against the agent, and dark scowls settled over their countenances.  I am pursuaded that it would not have been difficult to have incited some of the more dissolute and reckless of the Indians, to mob the agency, such were their feelings.  I am confident every Indian present, fully understood that Inspector Pollock meant them to distinctly understand, Agent Wilbur had been practicing a stupendous fraud, and had been swindling them shamefully.  I, myself, did not ever surmise anything other than that every Indian whose  
        was called up and interrogated, had actually been charged with the cattle.  While I did not for a moment suspect any dishonesty in the agent, I did not imagine that a gentleman occupying the honorable position of Indian Inspector, would grossly deceive the Indians, with a purpose to turn them against the Agent.  I believed some great blunder had been made, in getting the names of those to whom cattle had been issued. I was however dumbfounded, and humiliated, to think so stupendous an error had been made, and was utterly at loss to make any explanations.  There is not a shadow of doubt but that every Indian present, who believed Inspector Pollocks statements, distinctly understood he had dis- covered great frauds, and meant they should so understand. Each Indian called up and interrogated, thought the agent had him charged on the issue paper with cattle, and Pollock allowed all to go away from the council with that impression.  If Inspector Pollock did not know he was creating this impression, it certainly is a strong reflection upon his knowledge of human nature, and if he did, then the reflection would impunge upon his  
        honor.  What follows will probably show which horn of the dilemma will have to be taken.  When he had done calling the names on the issue paper, he proceeded to convey to the Indians, in language not to be mistaken, that Agent Wilbur, Clerk Fairchild, and Supt. Teaching Brock, had knowingly, and wilfully testified to a lie, when they certified to the correctness of the issue paper.  He further gave them to understand, that the Agent had taken advantage of the ignorance of the interpreter, to defraud the Indians. In connection with the subject of signing and witnessing papers, he, (Pollock) said    If you had an educated man for       interpreter, the agent could not cheat you;       but Stick Joe (the interpreter) can   t read, and       that   s where the trouble is.    The Great Father tries to keep the Agent from cheating you  amp;c.  From these remarks only one deduction could be drawn, that is,      Agent Wilbur has       been taking the advantage of the ignorance of       the Interpreter to cheat us, because we are       poor and ignorant. The Great Father has been       trying to keep him straight; but now, Inspector       Pollock tells us, that in spite of all this, we       have been basely defrauded.     
        The closing business of that council was to order a general cattle drive. Pollock said    You Indians have a great many cattle on the       reservation. The agents papers say so many; but    I think there are more. I don   t know how many       cattle you have got   You don   t know   no one       knows. I would like to have Chief Joseph tell       me how many cattle he thinks there are on       the reservation.    Joe Stwire replied, that he       could not tell how many.    Well,    said Pollock,       I should like to know, and if you will all help       me I will tell you.     He then ordered all the I.D. cattle driven up, and put into the government fields, and promised each man, who would assist, a cow   assuring the Indians they would find many more cattle than the agent reported.    I think,    said Pollock,    you will all be very happy    when you find how many cattle you have.     Companies were then organized to go out and drive in the cattle, and the council adjourned, there being, at the time, two inches or more snow on the ground, and indications of a storm coming.  The    department cattle    were scattered everywhere, within a radius of 30 miles from the point to which they were to be driven.  The Indians fully understood that it was  because of Agent Wilburs shameful misrepresentation  
        of the number of cattle, that Pollock had ordered this drive. If they had not been boiling over with indignation at their supposed wrongs, and led to expect great revelations of multitudes of cattle, more than the agent reported on his books, I presume it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to start them out stock  driving, in the face of such a storm.  At the close of that council, (nearly dark), I was much oppressed, and  did not sleep until almost dawn of the fol- lowing day. In the morning I went to the clerks office, and was there shown the paper about Pollock had said so much the afternoon previous. I was profoundly amazed, when I saw that we all had been grossly deceived, and that all of the Indians interrogated in regard to cattle the previous day, only a very few had cattle charged to them. That Yesmowit, John Lundy, Thomas Cree, Eneas and others who had been led to believe cattle were charged to  them on the agents issue paper, were in reality charged with none. That in fact, the issue paper after all that had been said, was virtually correct, and that the utmost that could truthfully said against the paper was that there was slight technical error. Of this, I was informed, the  clerk had already spoken to Inspector Pollock.  
        I now had not the slightest doubt, that Pollock was designedly working against the interests of the reservation, was purposefully working up dissatisfaction among the Indians, and meant, if possible, to besmirch the agent.  While talking about the government cattle, Pollock strongly condemned the agents management of them. The Indians were told  plainly, the Department did not intend to keep a large band of cattle on the reservation    They all ought be issued out to the Indians. Said he,    The cattle are yours.    They are not the    agents cattle.    They ought to be issued out to       you   You know how to take care of the cattle       yourselves     Going out on the drive in the spirit which this kind of talk was calculated to inspire, the Indians were not careful in driving the stock. The cattle were rushed pell- mell, being driven too fast and hard. Before one of the parties had been driving two hours, a fine fat cow laid down and died. Young calves could not keep up in the deep snow. Some of the more considerate Indians remon- strated against this rush and hurry. The others were angry, and said;    We don   t care if the    cattle do die.       We rather have no cattle, than       to have the agent stealing them from us.  
        So far as I am able to learn, after careful inquiry, this was about the spirit in which the drive was conducted generally.  Believing that collecting and driving the stock in such a storm, could only prove disastrous, I in company with an other employe, went to a number of the leading Indians, among other the Head Chief, and interp- reter, and asked them what they thought about the propriety and feasibility of the undertaking.  They all expressed the opinion that if carried out, the result would be the loss of at least half the cattle. The storm was then fearful    strong wind, and air full of snow. By this time the snow was fully 18 inches deep.  I strongly urged the Indians to go to Inspector Pollock and express their views plainly, and courteously, and then if he directed them to continue the drive, to do so; but that I hoped, that for their sakes he would desist, as the cattle could better be counted in the spring, or early summer. The consequence of this  interview was, a good many of the principal Indians came to the agency, and told Pollock how they thought the dirve would affect the stock.  He was evidently much puzzled, as to  how he could extricate himself. The outcome of the matter, however, was, that an order