18 



sued to him for his own band was not more than half what lie 

 should have had. This earnest protest on the part of the chief, 

 who is next in rank to Red Cloud, called my attention particu- 

 larly to the amount issued ; and on recalling the exact circum- 

 stances of the delivery, which I had witnessed a few minutes 

 before, I felt reasonably certain that not more than twenty bales 

 were issued, and that the number could not possibly have ex- 

 ceeded twenty-five bales. One of the persons whom I then 

 saw assisting the agent in issuing the blankets was Louis Richard 

 (or, as the name is usually pronounced and written at the Agency, 

 Louis Reshaw), whom I knew personally, and subsequently em- 

 ployed as interpreter by the advice of General L. P. Bradley, 

 who had previously employed him as guide, and spoke in high 

 terms of his faithfulness and reliability. I subsequently met Louis 

 Richard in Washington with J. S. Collins, Esq., of Fort Laramie, 

 now secretary of the Special Sioux Commission, who had brought 

 him on from the Red Cloud Agency as a trustworthy interpreter, 

 and who spoke highly of his truthfulness. On conversing with 

 Mr. Richard about the affairs of Red Cloud Agency, with which 

 we were both conversant, I learned incidentally that he had 

 carefully counted all the bales of blankets that were issued on 

 November 12, 1874, when he assisted in the distribution which 

 I witnessed. He assured me that the number of bales of blankets 

 then issued was eighteen, each bale containing fifty pairs of 

 blankets, and he gave me the following affidavit : 



Washington, D. C, June 4th, 18*75. 

 I hereby certify that at the issue of Annuities at Red Cloud Agency in Nov., 

 1874, I assisted the Agent, Dr. J. J. SaviUe, in the issue, and know from actual 

 count that there were only eighteen bales of blankets issued, each bale containing 

 fifty pairs. I was present at the whole issue, and saw all the Annuity goods de- 

 livered. No bales were left in the warehouse after the regular issue. 



The brand U. S. I. D. on these blankets injured the cloth, so that, after a short 

 wear, holes replaced the letters. 



LOUIS RESHAW". 

 Witness, 



J. McKennbt, 

 F. W. Hague. 



