Letters of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1849-1880, California Superintendency

California S275 E. Steele Yreka, Cal. Feb 1, '64

Enc. letter from Jas Anthony & Co. rel. to their a/c for advertising, [illegible] under Late Supt. Agt. Hansen

Rec. Mar 4 '64 Ack'd and instructed to pay the fine March 5 1864

Fin

OFFICE INDIAN AFFAIRS NORTHERN DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA.

Yreka Feb 1st 1864

Sir Herewith please find copy of a letter to claim this day received by me.

If there is no voucher for it in your office it should be paid. You will please advise me upon the subject and give me proper authority in the case

Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant E Steele Supt Agt Ind Affrs N. D. Cal

Hon Wm P Dole Commissioner &c Washington D. C.

[left] [ink stamp] RECEIVED AT THE Mar 4 1864 INDIAN BUREAU

Finance

OFFICE INDIAN AFFAIRS NORTHERN DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA. Unofficial

Yreka February 1st 1864

Dear Sir Your unofficial favor of 3 Dec 63 was duly received by me. The delay in answering has been with the hope of getting some more explicit information, from the Brysons taking the monies due him

Previous to the receipt of yours I had visited Smiths River Reservation and am happy to state found the interests of the department better cared for & the [illegible] better administration than at any other Reservation in my District

Upon entering upon the duties of my office I determind to make no changes unless the interests of the Government or the will [for?] of the Indians required it and [illegible] upon that resolution I had before the reciept of your communication arranged with the Brysons to continue in his charge as Supervisor of that Reserve. I am now pleased that, that action has accord with your wishes, Mr Hanson has advised me when turning over the official bond that I should be oblidged to discharge Mr B for inefficiency but I was agreeably dissappointed with affairs under his control

Whilst addressing you unofficially permit me to state to you in the difficulties under

.which I labor in discharging my official duties

At the first place I can placed daily with claims against Mr Hansons administration some dating back to the term of his appointment [illegible] I have nothing in my office to aid me with in certifying to or justifying of the corrctness correctness of claim matters have I any instructions except upon some matters of minor importance

Mr Hanson turned over to me a cash book an invoice book, a statement in blank of accounts current, each and every of them without an entry having been made in them He also turned over a copy, (letter) book after having cut out all of his letters to the department so that the few letters he left me were inexplicable, not having his letters to which they refer. Neither have I a [illegible] role by which I can tell who been employed in this deaprtment - You will see therefore that it is impossible for me to judge correctly of claims against the service until they are sent up to your office for examination as I presume his reports will show who have been employed, who paid & who not and the purchses

Very Respect Yours E Steele Supt Agt Ind affrs N. D. Cal

California S270 E Steele Yreka, Cal. (E) Feb 1, '64

Submits statement rel. to his administration not to make changes unless required by [illegible] [illegible], and to the difficulties [illegible] -tered by him, no correct official of by predecessor [having?] left him [illegible] & ask [illegible] him in regard to [illegible] &c

Comments when [loading?] the [illegible] to be [reg?] [illegible]

[ink stamp] RECEIVED AT THE Mar 5 1864 INDIAN BUREAU

Finance Clark

Coffman which I suppose should of been the proper persons for him to of applied to for information but insted of his going to them he pointedly refused to have any interview with them during his stay of a week or ten day that he remained on the Reservation the first of Oct the only visit he has paid the Reservation since his appointment it was owing to the influence that the present supervisor Dr. Melendy and Hanson had exercised over him that influenced his course toward unknowing as they did that the officers had been here for a year past and new all about my course as Supervisor and likewise that of the present Supervisor knowing as they did that he was a Doctor and not a farmer and likewise that he was making a good individual thing of it having bought a band of our one hundred head of horses that he keeps on the Reservation at the expenses of the department without any profit to it tho the expense that he offered for not seeing them and likewise for not reinstating me was that Captain Douglass had appointed me to the duty of providing for the wants of a large number of sick Indians that had just been bought on to the Reservation and the acting Supervisor being absent in serch of the new appointed Superintendent and had left no one in charge to relieve their wants the Indians being in a suffering condition had applied to the Captain for [illegible] knowing the feeling the Indians entertained toward me I having just arrive in The Valley the Captain applied to me to take the charge and likewise to bring in about one hundred and

[left] 864

California S277 James Short 478 Jone City Cal. [E] Jany 25. 1864

Relative to his claims against the Gov't for moneys expended in the Indian Services.

Referred to Commissioner of Indian Affairs Geo [illegible] Acting Chf Clerk Dept. of Interior Mch 5/64

[ink stamp] RECEIVED AT THE March 5 1864 INDIAN BUREAU

[ink stamp] DEPARTMENT OF THE Feb 28 4964 INTERIOR

White Finance Clark over

[right] Acknowledged April 12 and referred Mr. Short to Office letter Jan 27th/1864

commission merchant at Tehama fifteen dollars commision and drayage on Garden Seeds beans peas and flax seed which I was compeled pay in gold or do without for the use of the Reservation for the Season Hanson was oweing Mears over one thousand dollars that he had owed him over one year and he could not get one dollar from him some of it money that Meas had for him and he refused to let any thing more go out without the charges being first paid the fourgoing amounts amounting to Eight hundred and fourteen dollars and twenty cts I have the proper vouchers from each and then I paid George Bower one hundred and ten dollars for services rendered as an Employee on the Reservation there was a defisincy [deficiency] of help on the Reservation Hanson had directed me to employ what hands was needed but on attempting to do so I found the same dificulty attending it that I did in buying food for the Indians there was no one that was willing to take the chances of getting pay from Hanson as there had been hands employed for a year without getting a dollar and then said their claims for half the amount I had to become responsbile myself and paid the money I was at a loss to know what way to take his vouchers he lived in the neighborhood and said he would come over when Hanson come and give his vouchers but before Hanson come the Indians killed him consequently I have no vouchers for that money but I can [illegbile] the payment of the account by his administrator I have an account of fourty two dollars for my necessary expence going to and

however on meeting with Mr. Steel informed me when I met him that it was Mr. Conness that had it all done and that no one else had any hand in the matter that Mr Conness had telegraphed him on the the tenth of August last from Washington to that effect Mr Steel not being willing that it should be presumed that I had any thing to do in the affair after he had treated me has he had to the displeasure of every Union man in the Valley I wish you would see Capt Douglass communication to the President last October if you have not seen it I [illegible] how things is suffered to pass if they reported to the department as they should be by those intrusted with the affairs of the government in this distract Hanson taking the government property off of the reservation since Steel has had charge by the consent and aid of the supervisor which can easily be proven and Col Henley told me a few days ago that Hanson was in Nevada territory disposing of Indian goods that he had on hand and the Col knows how sutch [such] things are done Hanson took a horse from the reservation that he had bought from my son for the government service and put apon the Reservation the first of August he remained there until October when he sent for him and the supervisor gave him up Hanson had taken my sons vouchers for the price of the horse one hundred sixty five dollars and gave him a check on the assistant Treasury at San Francisco but was not paid for the lack of funds to Hansons credit he likewise gave my son a check and took his vouchers for three hundred and sixty odd dollars for his services as an employee which is in the same Mix has not been paid

[illegible] large amounts that is in the same cituation [situation] report say eighty thousand dollars if you recollect you wrote and read to me the out lines of a letter that you would send to Steel directing him to investigate my claims and cause to be paid what was fund justly due me but in stead of his doing so he stated that you had directed him not to pay any of Hansons contracts now if I am to receive my pay at all I should be glad to have it arranged so that I could get it at the assistant treasurys office at San Francisco in stead of having to run after Steel as he keeps his office at Yreka in the extreme Northern County of the state on the Oregon line I suppose some five or six hundred miles from here and I have already spent about eight hundred dollars in trying to get it and more than half of that amount was in gold and it would necessarily cost me one hundred dollars to hunt him up again whitch [which] I am entirely destitute of now if it is in your power to see me righted it will be a great accomodation to me in my present cituation [situation] if you will attend to it at your earlyest [earliest] convenience and if it is not you would greatly oblige me by instrusting me what course to persue I am well assured if you and the President were familiar with all the facts in the case that I should be reinstated be good enough to let me hear from you at your earlyest [earliest] convenience Direct Round Valley Mandecino Co Cal via Rekish city I remain Dear Sir Respectfully Yours James Short

Hon J. P Usher Sec Interior