Letters, January-June 1905

(ca. 72 items: letters) Letters addressed to Edward M. Wistar. Box 4 (Text) correspondents include: Samuel M. Brosius; Alice C. Fletcher; Hetty B. Garrett; Merrill E. Gates; William L. and Lucinda S. George; Abigail Hadley; George N. Hartley; L. Ella Hartley; J. Edward and Laura Hartsuck; William P. Haworth; J.H. Kennedy; Rachel Kirk; Daniel W. Lawrence; Francis E. Leupp; F.G. Mitchell (Mission to the Navajo Nation); John Nicholson; D.A. Outland; Margaret P. Rhoads; Matthew K. Sniffen; Elizabeth Test; Frank A. Thackery; Harvey Wallace; Francis A. White

Topics discussed include: in general, news of the various missions and the people in the field, especially in the letters of John Nicholson and William P. Haworth; finding suitable people to fill vacancies at missions (Modoc Nation mission, Seneca, Mo.); inquiry into securing fee simple title to the mission land among the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians and the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Terr.; the Kickapoo Tribe and selling their land; Brosius reports that Bentley, who is in Washington, should have no influence with new Indian Commissioner Leupp, Leupp writes to Wistar that he is familiar with Bentley; hearing before the Senate to urge the enactment of appropriate legislation to prohibit the further expenditure of trust funds for sectarian contract schools, also statement of S.M. Brosius to the committee; The Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians, Otoe, Oklahoma (D.A. Outland letters); Harvey L. and Elizabeth Wallace assigned to mission to the Modoc Nation; Friends Skiatook School, Hillside, Ind. Terr.; Elizabeth Test pleads for something to be done to stop Bentley's schemes to get the Kickapoo Tribe's land (he allegedly paid a Native American $8,000 for land that he then sold for $41,000); resignation of William L. and Lucinda S. George from their work at mission to the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma also letters addressed to: William P. Haworth, from: Frank A. Thackery re: building project at Shawnee, Okla. John Nicholson, from: Harvey Wallace who wants to work with Native Americans Herbert Welsh, from: A.J. Bard (typed copy) full of accusations against Samuel M. Brosius (bribery, schemes to defraud Native Americans, illegitimate children)