ORGANIZATION OF THE COMMISSION. E93 182 LETTERS OF APPOINTMENT AND INSTRUCTION. Secretary Delano to Hon. Clinton B. Fisk. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, SIR: I am desirous of appointing a commission from the members of your Board to investigate certain reports put in circulation by a Mr. Marsh relative to the Indian service at the Red Cloud agency, and I write to you to request that you will consult with your Board and name to me such members of it as may be designated to make the investigation. It would be well to have the commission consist of three members. Should you be unable to designate them from your Board, will you do me the favor to recommend some other suitable persons as commissioners? I desire to have the commission named by yourself, or the Board of which you are president. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. CLINTON B. FISK, C. DELANO, President Board Indian Commissioners, Saint Louis, Mo. Secretary. Agent Saville to Commissioner Smith. WASHINGTON CITY, June 5, 1875. SIR: My attention has been called to statements of Professor Marsh, regarding qualities of supplies furnished and management of affars at Red Cloud agency, which reflect both on my ability as an agent and honor as a man, and also involve others, both in and out of the Department. I have awaited a time, thinking this to be one of the usual effervescences of the moment, but it is pushed with a persistence and malignance that calls for an official notice from me. I have not seen the statement of Professor Marsh as first published, but know of it only from extracts that I have in the papers and have derived from personal conversation with him. In the month of November, 1874, Professor Marsh visited Red Cloud agency on a scientific mission; while there, it appears from his statement, he received from Red Cloud and Red Dog, two chiefs at the agency, certain samples of unmerchantable provisions, which the chiefs claimed were procured at the Indian lodges, and were fair samples of the provisions issued to the Indians at the agency, and desired him to deliver the same to the President on his return; that four months later he de. livered the samples to the Board of Indian Commissioners at New York 52316 |