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been said. The result of that examination is given in the follow. 

 in«- certificate, the original of which is in my possession : 



We the undersigned, officers of the United States Array, were present at an 

 interview held at Red Cloud Agency on the 11th day of November, 1874, between 

 Professor 0. C. Marsh, and Red Cloud and Red Dog, and now bear individual 

 testimony as to the wretched quality of the rations, and to the undersize and puny 

 condition of seven head of Beef Cattle (the remainder of a herd), which were 

 shown us by Red Cloud as having been issued to his people by the agent there 

 stationed. 



Each of us, unknown to the other, marked at that time his estimate of the 

 gross weight of these cattle, and" remember the average thereof to be 3581bs. ; 

 Red Cloud, two other Indians, and one of the herders, asserting that these cattle 

 were not smaller than those turned over for slaughter at any ordinary issue day. 



L. P. BRADLEY, 



Lieut. Col. dth Infantry, 

 Commanding District Black Rills. 



JOHN MIX, 



Captain M Cavalry. 

 LEONARD HAT, 



First Lieut, Adjutant 9th Infantry, 

 A. A. A. G. District Black Hills. 

 Port Laramie, W. T., May 19, 1875. 



This certificate, which was published while the Sioux delega- 

 tion was in Washington, fully confirmed my own statement in 

 regard to the same cattle, and is entitled to great weight, as 

 these officers have had large experience in Western affairs, and are 

 perfectly familiar with matters at the Sioux agencies in the Black 

 Hills District. The Indian Bureau immediately endeavored to 

 destroy the effect of this testimony, and the method adopted so 

 well illustrates the manner in which that Office receives informa- 

 tion reflecting on the management of its affairs, that it is worthy 

 of record here ; especially as the same method had been employed 

 to weaken the force of the facts I had previously laid before it 

 about affairs at the same agency. 



Commissioner Smith dictated to the agent of the Associated 

 Press, for publication, the following counter-statement, which was 

 widely published the next day, May 29th. 



" Commissioner Smith of the Indian Bureau says, in regard to the letter of 

 Gen. Bradley, published yesterday, that the cattle spoken of belonged to the 

 contractor ; that they were sick, some of them with broken limbs, and that they 



