27 



to the Government by that official as weighing more than 1,043 

 pounds each, and the contractor actually received pay at that 

 rate ! 



Of the cattle received during this quarter, other than the above, 

 1 have no personal knowledge, but, from all I could learn from 

 those who had seen them, they were no better than the herd I 

 examined, which Red Cloud in Washington pronounced a good 

 one, and superior to most of those received. I think it would be 

 safe to say that the cattle received for that whole quarter did not 

 exceed 800 pounds average, and yet Agent Saville receipted for 

 them to the contractor at over 1,040 pounds. 



These frauds in weights, which are consummated by direct 

 collusion between the agent and contractor, and through which 

 both the Indians and the government are so greatly defrauded, 

 form only part of the general system of theft. I have reason to 

 believe that equal rascality is practiced in regard to the number 

 of cattle. For example : there is conclusive evidence that the 

 only cattle at the Agency, Nov. 11, 1874, were the seven head of 

 puny animals examined by General Bradley ; yet, according to 

 the Provision Returns of Agent Saville for the 4th quarter of 

 1874, now on file in the Interior Department, he should have had 

 184,905 pounds, or, according to his official receipts, 179 head. It 

 has been shown above, however, that the beef-issue which he 

 claimed to have made Nov. 8th, did not take place. Hence, he 

 should have had on Nov. 11th, at least 446,427 pounds of beef, or 

 about 430 head of cattle, when he actually had only seven ! 



These various beef transactions took place under the contract 

 assigned to W. A. Paxton, well known to be merely the agent 

 of Bosler, who personally filled the contract. Although this 

 contract had been violated in all its important features, and 

 shameful frauds practiced in its fulfillment, Commissioner Smith 

 did not call on the bondsmen of the contractor for satisfaction, as 

 the law required him to do, but, on March 17th, 1875, privately 

 made a new contract with the same W. A. Paxton (or in reality 

 with Bosler), to supply beef for the same Red Cloud Agency at a 



