Letter-1854, August 25

Transcribed letter from Thomas Johnson, Superintendent Manual Labor School to Geo W. Manypenny, Commissioner of Indian Affairs dated Aug 25, 1854

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Shawnee M.L. School
Aug 25th 1854

Sir,

   You will see from Agent Robinson’s Report that the Shawnee Council have requested that their school fund should be employed at this school, + as this was the only condition to be complied with to complete the contract with your Department I have called the school together under this new contract+ have given the Shawnees notice that they may send in any number of scholars they choose not exceeding seventy + according to your suggestion I have given permission to the Wyandottes to send in six and the Ottawas fourteen leaving room for ten to be brought in from the plains by General Whitfield.

   You will please forward to me immediately a copy of the contract officially signed in your office, or address a communication to me accepting the propositions made to you while I was in Washington. And I would also suggest that you forward a copy of the contract to the Agent here with suitable instructions for carrying it out,+ be very careful not to forget to forward the money in due time to the Agent here as the contract specifies for we shall need it.

   The ammendments [sic] to the Shawnee Treaty were concurred in by acclamation when they found that they had the right to shut down the gate against those old fraudulent claims which they named. If that right had not been yielded to them it is doubtful whether they would have concurred in the ammendments, for some of them told me that they would not vote for concurrence on any other terms

I have the honor to be
Yours with respect
Thos Johnson

Hon G. W. Manypenny Comr.
Ind. Affs.
Washington City

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[Transcribed from National Archives microfilm series M234, roll 787, frames 359-360 by Roger Berg Jr., Jan 1993]