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No. 144 LETTER FROM JOHN R. BAYLOR TOE. M. PEASE
Comanche Agency Dec 11th 1856
Sir I take the liberty of again addressing you upon the subject of Indian affairs. I see by the news papers that there has been recently a number of depredations committed by Indians upon our citizens in various portions of the county And knowing as I do that many of the Indians now murdering and robbing in the frontier are Northern Comanches, who have an agent in Kansas and receive an Anuity in goods from the Government I ask that you will use your influence in having those Indians punished, and some measures taken to prevent future incursions into our state. I have traced the murder of the teamsters who were killed near Fort Belknap recently to a party of Ocha's (a band of the Kansas Comanches) and I have at different times heard of war partys of these Indians going to Mexico and always by way of our frontier, even now there are a number of them who were seen by Indians belonging to the reservation their way to the vicinity of San Antonio to rob and kill. It is impossible for me govern the Indians of Texas as well as I might if it were not that war partys of Kansas Comanches are continualy going to Mexico and down our own frontier, for the purpose of robbing and killing. The In- dians on the Reserve frequently ask why it is that those Indians are permitted to roam at large, while they are confined to a small Reservation and not permitted to leave without passports. I am satisfied that until the Kansas Northern Comanches are punished for the depredations committed by them in this country there will be no security. I do not pretend to say that those Indians alone are guilty of all the depredations committed. Some few young men have left the Reserve and have no doubt as among those now robbing our citizens, but the majority of In- dians now at war with us are not Texas Indians, but bands of the Northern Comanches who never come into our state--but for bad purposes, and I am confident that if a general war was made on those Indians, and they were punished, there would be few or no depredations by the Southern or Texas Comanches. There is no inducement for the Indians in the Reservation to steal, as they are not permitted to bring stolen horses here and they know very well that were they to do so, they could not keep them. I can speak confidently of those Indians in this Reserve
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