1  Fort Simcoe Wash. Terr.   Jan. 14. 1881 Father Wilbur  The inspector has left us and there is great sorrow in the camp. We have all taken a long breath and  are looking around to see where we are. In the language of Paul to the jailor we can all say    we are all here    inspector    do thyself no harm.  You will naturally say    Well how is it   ?    What is the result?     What the Inspector with his big eye glasses and    patent smellers    found we all know.  What he will attempt to make of it is only surmise founded on certain presump- tions.  Here is what I believe to be the truth He Pollock is an infidel   very profane   a great admirer of Ingersoll   he prides himself upon his qualifications as a detective   wishes  to have a great reputation as a man who can dig up all kinds of fraud no matter how well concealed   he looks upon religion as mostly cant and hypocrisy and    acts on the presumption that much singing and prating is a sure sign of rottenness   he  rather falls in with that class known as face thinkers   He probably thinks more of Tom Paine  
        than he does of St Paul. He encountered  some one or perhaps more than one person     who gave him a good deal of information       This is my about things here before he came. His informer   opinion    informants were bitterly opposed to you.                     Some things he learned were true and many were false and all badly colored.  He therefore came to the reservation badly prejudiced. He then saw the goods were being sold to Indians and speedily jumped to the conclusion that there was fraud. In all this he was backed up by Eneas and clique and certain other parties who were working in the dark. You were absent and he determined to carry things high handed He may have believed in the start that there were glaring frauds and this belief may have been the cause of his acting as he did  If the above theory be not about true then he must be an exceedingly black hearted man. I can see no other way of escape  from this conclusion.  It is well know that Shurz is a rank infidel   but he has the reputation of being honest. Sometimes I have thought that Pollock was ordered here by the  Secretary of Interior on purpose during  
        your absence   on account of person representations made to the secretary by certain persons in the Dalles and Yakima Country. I have thought that military gentry may have sent similar representations to Washington and that on account of these com- munications Pollock was ordered in here in your absence while you were away. I have not been able to get at exact facts but think if the truth were known  my guesses would be found to be tolerably  accurate.  Pollock coming here all    cocked and  primed    to fix us up and starting in exceedingly    brash    and getting right on the start a square backset he feld exceedingly chagrined and was loth to give up the programme he had first laid down; but was by force of circumstances compelled to do so. When we found out his plan we arranged our tactics to meet it. Feeling sure a straight stick  would always go through a straight hole and never lodge we all showed an open hand and attempted to disguise nothing.  The facts as disclosed in regard to the  papers and handling the goods can not certainly lead to anything detrimental to the reputation of the agent for honesty and uprightness. The facts (so far as he has  
        facts) in regard to statistics cannot be questioned and will have to be got over as best they can.  I very much disliked the idea of  an Indian inspector trying to prejudice  every one he met against an agent. There is no doubt but that Pollock did this and used unfair means to do so. When he went to go away I said to him    If it is you intention to be telling this and that as you go along you way to persons you may meet I shall myself publish all the  facts in the case exactly as they are. If you simply report them to Washington and let Mr Wilbur and the Commisar  amp; Secty of Int work it out between themselves then I have no desire to publish any- thing    He then said    I keep my business to myself no one shall know what I shall report unitl I make it to the  authorities at Washington.     I found he was telling this and that to your damage and meant to warn him that all the facts were clearly understood here and would be produced if necessary.  This of course will tend to make him feel a spite toward me and probably toward all of us.  
        2 In regard to certain transactions between agent and Indians you will of course be called upon to explain. I regret exceedingly that you will have to do so there where you are away from corroborative evidence   where  you can   t call in pesons who could aid  It will be a tax on your memory and  some of the things he is going to try to entrap you on   and it may be better to  attempt no explanation until you can hear  from here. He tried to make a big thing of the    Jack Morgan    horse purchase and tried wanted to make parties believe you had testified to  a lie to put a dead horse on to the  government. He said to one that you claimed the Moses horse until it died and then you p certified it was a govern- ment horse so as to get pay for it.    and boasted that he had got you where you    could not squirm out of it.    I told him you never claimed the Jack Morgan horse which was bought in its stead of the other and laid claim to no other department horse and I could not see how you could make anything in the operation. He persisted  in trying to    bull doze    me in the matter until I told him he had tried to bull doze me and I knew so when he had told  
        me certain things but I had waited to hear something more.   I suppose Bro Fairchild has written how we understand that matter that is: the horse was really bought (so far as the purchase from Jack is concerned) before the Moses horse died. When you certify that in fact that the Morgan horse was bought to take the place of the one that died.  I understand that you took the horse from Jack on his ranch bill at a venture   not yet having permission to purchase a horse   and not knowing you would get permission. But that you wanted a mate for the Moses horse and thought if government would not approve a pur- chase you would yourself pay for it  In the mean time while permit was coming to purchase and before the end of the quarter March 31. the other horse died. Now having permission to purchase you certify that you purchase the horse to take the place of one that died, which in fact you did do as you worked the Morgan horse with the same horse which the one that died had been worked with. We never understood you con- sidered the Moses horse private property but supposed you really thought it was on the property returns. Pollock tried to make something out of the Lee about your having him work for his horse but failed signally.  
        4 This thing of issuing out all the cattle  next summer is the greatest piece of folly ever heard of. The government cattle will probably winter through mostly but those on the outside will nearly all die hence to get beef cattle will be next to an impossibility. Now issue out all the Department band and how much is it going to cost to run things here   feed all these Piutes  amp; laborers  amp;c.? How long would it be before all the improvident ones would eat up their cattle and be as poor as before? Not only that but they would be clamoring for another grand potlatch.  Pollock stated in council that a  great many of the Indians belonging to this agency had been driven away by the system of requiring work for annuities. This he may urge at Washington in his report. It certainly is not true. It is well known by us who have long been acquainted with the Indians in this country that a  good many have staid away and refused annuities because they though the taking of them would create an obligation upon them (the Ind   s) to remain on the reservation. I candidly believe that there are more Indians here today than there would  
        1  Fort Simcoe Wash. Terr.   Jan. 14. 1881 Father Wilbur  The inspector has left us and there is great sorrow in the camp. We have all taken a long breath and  are looking around to see where we are. In the language of Paul to the jailor we can all say    we are all here    inspector    do thyself no harm.  You will naturally say    Well how is it   ?    What is the result?     What the Inspector with his big eye glasses and    patent smellers    found we all know.  What he will attempt to make of it is only surmise founded on certain presump- tions.  Here is what I believe to be the truth He Pollock is an infidel   very profane   a great admirer of Ingersoll   he prides himself upon his qualifications as a detective   wishes  to have a great reputation as a man who can dig up all kinds of fraud no matter how well concealed   he looks upon religion as mostly cant and hypocrisy and    acts on the presumption that much singing and prating is a sure sign of rottenness   he  rather falls in with that class known as face thinkers   He probably thinks more of Tom Paine    than he does of St Paul. He encountered  some one or perhaps more than one person     who gave him a good deal of information       This is my about things here before he came. His informer   opinion    informants were bitterly opposed to you.                     Some things he learned were true and many were false and all badly colored.  He therefore came to the reservation badly prejudiced. He then saw the goods were being sold to Indians and speedily jumped to the conclusion that there was fraud. In all this he was backed up by Eneas and clique and certain other parties who were working in the dark. You were absent and he determined to carry things high handed He may have believed in the start that there were glaring frauds and this belief may have been the cause of his acting as he did  If the above theory be not about true then he must be an exceedingly black hearted man. I can see no other way of escape  from this conclusion.  It is well know that Shurz is a rank infidel   but he has the reputation of being honest. Sometimes I have thought that Pollock was ordered here by the  Secretary of Interior on purpose during    your absence   on account of person representations made to the secretary by certain persons in the Dalles and Yakima Country. I have thought that military gentry may have sent similar representations to Washington and that on account of these com- munications Pollock was ordered in here in your absence while you were away. I have not been able to get at exact facts but think if the truth were known  my guesses would be found to be tolerably  accurate.  Pollock coming here all    cocked and  primed    to fix us up and starting in exceedingly    brash    and getting right on the start a square backset he feld exceedingly chagrined and was loth to give up the programme he had first laid down; but was by force of circumstances compelled to do so. When we found out his plan we arranged our tactics to meet it. Feeling sure a straight stick  would always go through a straight hole and never lodge we all showed an open hand and attempted to disguise nothing.  The facts as disclosed in regard to the  papers and handling the goods can not certainly lead to anything detrimental to the reputation of the agent for honesty and uprightness. The facts (so far as he has    facts) in regard to statistics cannot be questioned and will have to be got over as best they can.  I very much disliked the idea of  an Indian inspector trying to prejudice  every one he met against an agent. There is no doubt but that Pollock did this and used unfair means to do so. When he went to go away I said to him    If it is you intention to be telling this and that as you go along you way to persons you may meet I shall myself publish all the  facts in the case exactly as they are. If you simply report them to Washington and let Mr Wilbur and the Commisar  amp; Secty of Int work it out between themselves then I have no desire to publish any- thing    He then said    I keep my business to myself no one shall know what I shall report unitl I make it to the  authorities at Washington.     I found he was telling this and that to your damage and meant to warn him that all the facts were clearly understood here and would be produced if necessary.  This of course will tend to make him feel a spite toward me and probably toward all of us.    2 In regard to certain transactions between agent and Indians you will of course be called upon to explain. I regret exceedingly that you will have to do so there where you are away from corroborative evidence   where  you can   t call in pesons who could aid  It will be a tax on your memory and  some of the things he is going to try to entrap you on   and it may be better to  attempt no explanation until you can hear  from here. He tried to make a big thing of the    Jack Morgan    horse purchase and tried wanted to make parties believe you had testified to  a lie to put a dead horse on to the  government. He said to one that you claimed the Moses horse until it died and then you p certified it was a govern- ment horse so as to get pay for it.    and boasted that he had got you where you    could not squirm out of it.    I told him you never claimed the Jack Morgan horse which was bought in its stead of the other and laid claim to no other department horse and I could not see how you could make anything in the operation. He persisted  in trying to    bull doze    me in the matter until I told him he had tried to bull doze me and I knew so when he had told    me certain things but I had waited to hear something more.   I suppose Bro Fairchild has written how we understand that matter that is: the horse was really bought (so far as the purchase from Jack is concerned) before the Moses horse died. When you certify that in fact that the Morgan horse was bought to take the place of the one that died.  I understand that you took the horse from Jack on his ranch bill at a venture   not yet having permission to purchase a horse   and not knowing you would get permission. But that you wanted a mate for the Moses horse and thought if government would not approve a pur- chase you would yourself pay for it  In the mean time while permit was coming to purchase and before the end of the quarter March 31. the other horse died. Now having permission to purchase you certify that you purchase the horse to take the place of one that died, which in fact you did do as you worked the Morgan horse with the same horse which the one that died had been worked with. We never understood you con- sidered the Moses horse private property but supposed you really thought it was on the property returns. Pollock tried to make something out of the Lee about your having him work for his horse but failed signally.    4 This thing of issuing out all the cattle  next summer is the greatest piece of folly ever heard of. The government cattle will probably winter through mostly but those on the outside will nearly all die hence to get beef cattle will be next to an impossibility. Now issue out all the Department band and how much is it going to cost to run things here   feed all these Piutes  amp; laborers  amp;c.? How long would it be before all the improvident ones would eat up their cattle and be as poor as before? Not only that but they would be clamoring for another grand potlatch.  Pollock stated in council that a  great many of the Indians belonging to this agency had been driven away by the system of requiring work for annuities. This he may urge at Washington in his report. It certainly is not true. It is well known by us who have long been acquainted with the Indians in this country that a  good many have staid away and refused annuities because they though the taking of them would create an obligation upon them (the Ind   s) to remain on the reservation. I candidly believe that there are more Indians here today than there would    have been if annuities had been given out annually all the time. The very ones that clamour for annuities are the ones that habitually stay away and would only come in and get their little shares and then straggle off all over creation  amp; gamble with their easily gotten goods.    Come easy, go easy,    fits an Indian to a dot. What a  man has to work for he knows the value of. Let an Indian lie on his back, and feed him honey with a spoon, and he will hardly admit that it is sweet, and certainly won   t thank you for your trouble. It is high time this  dawdling nonsense were laid aside for something practical.  Pollock told the Indians that after this they would not have to work for the agent for plows, harrows, harness,  amp;c but if a man staid at home and worked his land he would get all these things for nothing Of course the expectation will be that next spring every Indian will be fitted out complete. This illusion should be dispelled by some direct communicatioin from head quarters. At the last council the inspector said he should make no change and then in 5 minutes ordered a change. I send an extract from council pro- ceedings.  Hoping and praying all may come out  right I am  Yours Truly   G.B. Kuykendall