Chickamoga
June 30th 1802
Sir
As you have at length returned from from [from] S. W. Point. It is time to know how the horses stolen out of my possession belonging to the family are to be paid for, There being no [unclear text: positive ] (altho [although] very strong circumstantial) proof against Estridge, it appears plain to me those horses ought to be paid for by the Government, agreeable to Tellico Treaty & I may add agreable [agreeable] to Col Meigs own decision at the green corn dance held at Wellstown, which agreable [agreeable] to Wm Vanns report, of Wm Hicks, the public Interpreter [unclear text: runs this ] . That Shorey ought to Seize so much of Estridge's property as would be sufficient to indemnify the loosers [losers] of the horses, and if there was not sufficiency found the UStates would make up the remainder, ,, as both Wm Hicks & Wm Vanns speaks. I understand the English well, we could not suppose they could be deceived in the Colonel's meaning. I presume to think if any Indian horses stolen by whites are intended to be paid for under the treaty
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those I mention undoubt [added text: ed ] ly have, These happening to be stolen out of my possession does not lessen the claim of the nation. Natives may send their horses on their necessary business to any post within their own boundaries, & if stolen out of those boundaries by Whites, their claims on the UStates are as strong as if stolen out of the range. Hon [Honorable] Colo [Colonel] Meigs in whose integrity I have high confidence should afterwards deviate from his decision at Wellstown. I cannot accounte [account] for otherwise than by the false & malicious statements of Enemies, who, I am well informed, told the Colonel that one of the horses for which payment was demmanded [demanded] was mine, tho [though] the contrary is well known & can be made more manifest if required. You recollect on Estridges return to the nation last winter, the grounds of the charge against him was submitted to your judgement, after afair [a fair] & candid investigation you passed conditional judgement against him
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which afterwards, by his own conduct became final, but the loosers [losers] of the horses have not been able to derive any benefit from that sentence, & this failure is in a [unclear text: measure ] owing to the Colonels granting him some instrument of of [of] writing, the contents of which I can say nothing about, only from report, but [added text: be ] the contents what it may, it appears it served to favour [favor] his flight from this part of the nation & to obtain from the Tortle at home, the horses lodged in his hands as security, he is now gone to Georgia, but whether he will have the audacity to return is uncertain
You will excuse me Sir if I observe that an Agent could not exercise the function of an Agent to better advantage to the UStates, than to order all the Estridges out of the Nation, which I think may now be done without opposition. Calwell & Miles have lived in every Indian Nation to the Southward & have rendered themselves obnoxious to them all. The Cherokees have become their last retreat to the South, it
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would be well to compel them to seek their fortune further abroad -- Shorey would be obliged to you to let him know as soon as possible whether he has any expectations from the Chief Agent on this subject or not.
With due consideration I remain
Sir your most Ob Servt [Obedient Servant]
[Signed] Daniel Ross
Major William Lovely [unclear text: TeAgt [Tennessee Agent] ]
(C) This document was produced at the request of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 18, 2019, to document the History, Anthropology, Culture, Religion, and Archaeology of The Chickamauga Nation.