TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1860-1916
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Sir: I had the honor to forward on the 27th ultimo, with letter, the report of Agent John D Miles, who had charge of the dele- gation of Chiefs from the old Kickapoo reservation to their bretheren in Mexico, with the view of inducing the latter to rejoin the main body of the Kickapoo on reservation north of Red River. I have the honor now to invite attention to that report and my letter, and to report further that I have just returned from an official visit to Forts Clark and Duncan, and the adjacent Rio Grande Frontier. The people in that section of country are fully informed as to the conduct of the Mexican Officials, in preventing the return of the Kickapoo to U S territory.-They have been retained in Mexico, by bribes of money and goods as set forth in the report of Agent Miles.- The depredations on live stock referred to in my annual re- port for 1870, and in previous papers continue unabated. The Marauders with their stolen stock have been time and again traced to the Rio Grande, and I am reliably informed that par- ties in pursuit can often see, from the north side of the river their stock in possession of other parties, collected in convenient droves on the South side, for sale or distribution to the interior of Mexico. This gradual but heavy loss of property is very discouraging to the people, they are becoming restless, not to say desperate, and seeing the apparent determination of the Mexican Officials to retain the Kickapoo Indians in Mexico, as a cloak for the evil deeds of the Mexican people, they talk now quite freely of organizing themselves into armed bands and crossing into Mexico to recover their stolen property. This feeling is universal on the frontier since the recent developments with regard to the removal of the Kickapoo In- dians.- The ranchmen live from ten to thirty miles apart and in- cursions from the South side of the Rio Grande in small parties can not be prevented by a reasonable force in Texas, unaided by any force, civil or military, from the Mexican side.- It is believed that these depredations can be effectually and permanently stopped by pursuing marauding bands into Mexico
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