Wyandott K. T.
July 26, 1859
Commissioner of Indian Affairs
Sir
We, Cornelius Seth a Chief of the Stockbridges and Lewis Denny_________of
  the Oniedes and Michael Gray of the St Regis in Kansas Territory respectfully,
  and earnestly call your attention to the following statements and petitions
  and statements.
It is, perhaps, known to you that the Indians known as “New York Indians” to
  whom certain lands in the then Indian now Kansas Territory were granted by
  the Treaty made on the January fifteenth, day in the year eighteen hundred
  and thirty eight at Buffalo Creek, state of New York; are composed of the remnants
  of several Tribes or Nations. In accordance with the stipulations of said Treaty
  the bands whom we represent came to this territory within the time specified
  in the treaty but have not as yet
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found the government as ready to fulfil Treaty stipulations in that, that
  we have not yet had the three hundred and twenty acres of land per head secured
  to us the Treaty provides. We are very desirous and petition that this should
  speedily be done for the following reasons.
1st The White people are continually intruding upon us by settling upon our
  lands and by taking our timber and committing other depredations.
2nd Some of the Indians who are entitled to the lands are becoming fearful
  that the promises of the Government will not be fulfilled, Speculators (some
  of them Agents of the gov’t) are taking advantage of those fears and
  have promised to procure the lands for them provided that these Indians will
  give them twenty acres of each share for their services while these Indians
  are entitled to the lands free and should have them without paying any fee
  Gen Seth Glover of the Paoli Agent offered an agreement to one of us (Cornelius
  Setter) to get him to sign it
3rd the longer the delay, the more claimants there will be for the lands;
  for persons who are not N. Y. Indians at all are influencing some of the proper
  Claimants to get them allowed shares promising a certain amount of money per
  acre if they succed
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in getting them admitted thus invalidating  endangering the rights of
  the legal claimants by practising fraud upon the Gov’t and they are encouraged
  to do so by Gov’t agents.
Again; We petition that the Stockbridges of Kansas, the Oneidas  St Regis
  have their lands assigned together in one compact body on the Little Osage
  River for the reasons
1st That we may if we do choose-, govern ourselves independently of the Munsees
  and others who have already been persuaded to make arrangements for selling
  the entire claims of the N. Y. Indians to their same speculators and that without
  consulting us or those whom we represent and we wish to be so situated that
  they cant interfere with us. 
2nd That by having the lands in a compact form we may not be annoyed by white
  people settling in among us, availing themselves of the privilege specially
  granted to us by said treaty of Jan 15 1838.
We also earnestly ask that our proportion of the four hundred thousand dollars
  promised to us by said Treaty
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of 1838, for school purposes may soon be given to us. Our children have had
  no opportunities for instructions for several years, and are growing up ignorant
  which we very much lament. 
In addition to this we petition that all the other stipulations of said Treaty
  be fulfilled. By referring to that Treaty you Hon. Sir will see that we were
  promised farming utensils, a grist  saw mill a church, a doctor and a
  blacksmith.
W hope that you will believe with us that it is time, that that Treaty with
  all its stipulations should be fulfilled. Some of us have again  again
  begged for our homes to be secured to us and now when almost all our men are
  dead we begin to have some little hope
We desire that the lands should be secured to us in such a manner as that
  it cannot be sold to any but the President of the United States
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We would here state that we are the chiefs by birthright of the Bands we represent
  and that we and the persons whose names are given in the lists herewith enclosed
  came to this Territory between the year 1838 and 1860. Our bands acknowledge
  as as Chiefs.
This we stated to the Special Agent – (A. S. Stevens) and he seemed
  inclined when we met him at Paoli to recognize us as chiefs but when we met
  him at Quindero he seemed to set us aside and recognize as such a set [of men?]
  elected by persons who are mostly citizens of the United states and Indians
  who are not New York Indians and whom our bands do not own as Leaders. It seems
  to us that he does so because we will not be made tools in his hands to cheat
  our people and thereby enrich the speculators as some others have done. You
  will be astonished to learn that some of those who are claimants of the New
  York Indian lands have sold their entire shares at very low prices receiving
  in part pay goods from a merchant at Quindaro. We must believe
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that we were brought to Quindaro to suit the purposes of this man and the
  other speculators. Some of those who sold the land are Brothertowns who are
  citizens of the United States have homes in Wisconsin, and reside there, and
  though now here instead to return there We told Mr Stevens that they had no
  right to a portion of the New York lands, but he paid no attention to us. The
more he admits as New York Indians the more shares there will be to be bought