Letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs

Carlisle, PA, 23rd November 1898

My dear Mr. Commissioner,

The enclosed correspondence is in regard to Fred Smith, whom you ordered transferred from Lincoln to Carlisle. Note the dates, and also that I have not come to the Department about it, nor have I encouraged the boy in any way to come here.

Jacobson reported him to me as a boy that should be in our proposed band, but what I hear shows some undue influence has been used to get him to Lincoln. I had an application from the boy, himself, and sent that to the Superintendent of the Educational Home in the letter, of which the enclosed is a copy. Given's reply which follows is characteristic of the man. The fact is that Lincoln ought to be ended. The Goverment will never get value received even if the school should continue until doom's day. It is purely a church school, and was established for that purpose, and am sorry to say in somewhat opposition to Carlisle. There are constant tangles, and the underlying principle is wrong.

On receipt of the order, I sent ticket for Smith to come to Carlisle, and wrote that the expense of getting him to Lincoln come to me for settlement, as you ordered. There is no response, amd I have no doubt that, as usual, Mrs. J. Balangee [sic] [Bellangee] Cox and the authorities of Lincoln will strike out with a big political pull to block the matter, and assert that you are militating against them and in favor of Carlisle, which is all rot.

I suppose old Given's statements that he had authority from you to create a band with the same purpose in view is about as true as some other statements he makes.

Sincerely yours, signature, Richard Pratt

Note: In the Carlisle records there is a Fred E. Smith who entered Carlisle 11/29/1898 and graduated 2/12/1902. The author of this letter was Richard Pratt. Pratt's papers are at Yale University, some of which have been imaged (see https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog?q=%22WA%20MSS%20S-1174%22&search_field=all_fields. ) including the above letter which is shown below: