Experiences of a special Indian agent

Lawyer, journalist, and Indian agent -- these were the occupations of Eugene Elliot White. The first gave him valuable training, the second brought him bankruptcy, and the third, excitement and adventure. At the age of thirty-one White was appointed in 1885 a special agent by the Office of Indian Affairs, and after a short training period was sent as temporary agent to the North Carolina Cherokees. Later he served as special agent to reservations in the West and Southwest, whose tribes included the Utes, Osages, Kaws, Comanches, Kiowas, and others. As special agent, White inspected the Indian agencies and sent reports to the Indian Bureau in Washington concerning efficiency, accounting practices, and other matters relating to the agencies. Occasionally he was temporarily put in charge of an agency to fill a vacancy, which existed, more often than not, as the result of impending trouble. On one of these appointments, for example, he arrived to find hostile Utes making ready to massacre the agency employees and nearby ranchers. This situation, like many others that he was likely to meet, required delicate handling. White's account of his experiences, first published in 1893 and long out of print, is a sparking narrative generously sprinkled with anecdotes and amusing incidents -- Book jacket.