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Ft. Wayne March 13<sup>th</sup> 47 <br>
Honbl. W<sup>m</sup> Medill
Com<sup>r</sup> of Indian Affairs

As the Miami Emigration contractors are assailed by the notoriously worthless and unprincipled Joseph Sinclair late removing Agent, with a view to prolong his sinecure office and defraud us, we trust and hope that the Hon: Department will not decide against any of our Material rights until the <u>proof</u> is first submitted and considered.

1st. I have just learned that he has charged, that some 30 of the Waw-we-assee or northern Indians were permitted to their contractors to stay behind.-- We are prepared to prove this to be utterly false and Sinclair knows it is basely false. So far from this, we employed a Mr. French, their trader, who speaks their language and a very respectable man, to go out amongst them and collect them; he did so--and they were all ready to embark, but some runaway Indians came amongst them and persuaded them not to go, and they went off with them and secreted themselves in the woods. We have to pay Mr. French for this service, and can prove as above stated by him.--

Some time after the Indians had removed, some of them came back and hearing that Mr. French was going West to attend their payment offered to go with him, but I beleive their main object was to attend the