Detroit, December 12, 1833.
To Hon. the Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs in the U. S.
Senate
The following are the charges and specifications preferred against
George B. Porter, Governor of Michigan Territory, and Superintendent
of Indian Affairs:
GOV. PORTER, } _Commissioners Chicago Indian
COL. OWEN, } Treaty, 1833._
MR. WEATHERFORD, }
* Robert A. Forsyth, $3000 } out of the $100,000 appropriated
† James Kinzie, 5000 } in lieu of the reservations--Forsyth,
of the U. S. Army, receiving his
as Indian Chief.
* Robert A. Forsyth, $3000 } To be allowed out of $175,000
* Marcia Kercheval, 3000 } appropriated for claims
* Alice Hunt, 3000 } against the Indians. The
* Jane Forsyth, 3000 } names marked *, are the Children
† Jno. H. Kinzie, 5000 } of Old Mr. Forsyth; those
† Ellen Woolcott, 5000 } marked †, are the Children of
† Maria Hunter, 5000 } Old Mr. Kinzie. The annexed
† Robert A. Kinzie, 5000 } claims are allowed to the heirs
† do. do. do 1216 } of Forsyth and Kinzie, for the
* Robert A. Forsyth, 1300 } destruction of property by the
____ } Indians during the late War.
$42,516 } Mr. Forsyth died in 1814, and
his claims against the Indians
were never heard of till now.
Old Mr. Kinzie, whose claims are placed on the same ground, died a
subject of the King of Great Britain--he fought against this country
in the late war--his own family only escaping at the massacre of
Chicago. The heirs of Forsyth and Kinzie, are cousins, consequently
the above claims are all in one family. Major Robert A. Forsyth, a
Paymaster in the U. S. Army, and the individual above named, was one
of the committee on claims who allowed the above sum of $42,516 to
himself, his sisters and cousins--one individual only being associated
with him. The Major, and all of his sisters, were born in the province
of Upper Canada, and he to this day has never been naturalized. He is,
however, the especial protege of the Secretary of War, and Governor
Porter. A large amount of just claims were rejected by the Committee,
to make room for the claims allowed above.
* Robert A. Forsyth, $ 300 }
* do. do. do. 200 }
* do. do. do 1000 } Said to be held in trust for
* do. do. do. 800 } certain Indians, and allowed by
* do. do. do. 200 } the Committee on Claims.
* do. do. do. 400 }
Roberson and Caldwell, the principal Chiefs of the Potawatamie Nation,
half whites, and persons whom Robert A. Forsyth can control as he
pleases, received $10,000 each, as a bribe to induce them to influence
the other Chiefs of the Nation. It is allowed out of the $100,000
appropriated in lieu of reservations. Caldwell was the principal Chief
at the massacre of the River Raisin. A Frenchman called Loranger, an
Indian trader, was allowed by the committee on claims $5000, by
assigning his claim to Robert A. Forsyth, to whom he was indebted
$3000. The goods _furnished by John H. Kinzie, Aid-de-Camp to Governor
Porter, (and the individual named in the list of claims,) and Mr.
Kercheval, (the husband of Maria Kercheval, named in the list of
claims,)_ under former treaties, amounted to $100,000. The practice of
Gov. Cass has always been to give the furnishing of goods to be
distributed among the Indians, under a regulation of a former treaty,
to the Indian Agent at the Agency where the goods were to be
distributed, as a perquisite of his office. Had the precedent been
followed in the present case, the Indian Agents at Green Bay, Chicago
and Logansport, would have had the distribution of the goods. But Gov.
Porter assigned, _over and over again_, as a reason for taking this
perquisite from the Agents, that he was desirous of saving the per
centage usually allowed them, and that in lieu of this per centage, he
had engaged Kinzie and Kercheval only as agents to purchase the goods
in New-York, and was to give them a per diem allowance for this
trouble. Yet, in express contradiction of this declaration, Governor
Porter, _as can be positively proved_, has allowed to Kinzie and
Kercheval, 50 per cent. on the whole amount of goods furnished, making
to them a profit of $50,000.
Claims $42,516
Trust Fund 3,200
Profit on Goods 50,000
------
$95,716
This amount of public money is put into the pockets of one family in
the short space of six weeks. Is it not reasonable to suppose, that
Governor Porter finds a strong reason for confining the patronage of
the Government to one family, in the _fact that he comes in for a
share of the “plunder?”_
In addition to this, Kinzie and Kercheval have received from Governor
Porter, the contract to furnish the Indians with horses, from which
they will undoubtedly realize $10,000.
Kinzie also obtained the exclusive furnishing of the goods at the
forks of the Wabash, amounting to $40,000, and Kercheval at
Nottawassippie, to the amount of $20,000.
It is a fact notorious among all who attended the Chicago Treaty, that
the goods furnished at that treaty, were afterwards taken from the
Indians in large amounts, and furnished at other places. Kinzie
himself, used the goods which he furnished the Indians as a _gag_ to
those who complained of his conduct, by making them presents of cloth,
&c.
Lucius Lyon, our Delegate in Congress, is in possession of all the
foregoing facts, and will vouch for their correctness; and for their
further confirmation, I refer you to Geo. W. Ewing, Logansport, Ind.;
Alexis Coquillard, South Bend, Ind.; Thos. J. V. Owen, Indian Agent,
Chicago; Peter Godfroy, Teunis S. Wendell, Wm. Brewster, Edward
Brooks, and S. T. Mason, of Detroit; and Robert Stewart, Mackinac; and
Col. Ewing, Secretary of the Commissioners. Most respectfully
submitted for your consideration.
Your Obedient Servt.