TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859
335
No. 225 LETTER FROM R. S. NEIGHBORS TO J. H. BROWN Brazos Agency Texas July 17th 1859
Sir
I have received your communicat.ion of the 14th inst the con- tents of which have been duly considered. It should have been answered earlier but I deemed it my duty to submit it to the commanding officer at this post for consideration I can assure you that I have no desire to discuss with you the subject of our frontier difficulties. When I did so before when you were here as commissioners I was under the impres- sion that you would act "impartial" in your investigations but am sorry to see from the newspaper publications made by your- self and others that you had already prejudged the Indians on this Reserve and accused them of having committed most. if not all of the late depredations on this frontier. As I am not pre- pared to admit any such assertions. I of course as the Supt In- dian affairs do not feel authorized or justified in aiding you in the exercise of a surveillance over t.hem. The commanding officer says: viz: "In reply I beg leave just to remark that as a military officer in command of the troops here my duties are specified and distinctly defined in or- ders. They are for the purpose of protecting the Indians at this station from all attacks of armed bands of citizens" "Hon [?] for Capt Brown in the position he has assumed. May be sus- tained by the law in relation to the Indian Reserve I am unable to say but it is evident that his orders as quoted in his commu- nication to you are opposed in some degree to the instructions you have received from the Department and if carried out by him must present in a measure their execution. I regret the position he has assumed as it must tend very much to compli- cate affairs on this frontier. "Should Capt Browns course here re- sult in loss or damage to the Indians in their life or property or in producing the evils it is so desirable to arrest it will be a mat- ter for the General Government to settle. I as same as Capt Plummer have my duties defined by or- ders from the General Government, they are specific and shall
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