1914 Congressional Investigation

Chief Inspector E. B. Linnen reports his findings after conducting an investigation of the Carlisle Indian School in early 1914. Broken up into approximately 20 sections, this report discusses the shortcomings Linnen found with Moses Friedman's administration of the school including use of corporal punishment, misappropriation of athletic funds…

Four receipts for expenses incurred by Superintendent Moses Friedman while travelling on two trips and for subscriptions for two newspapers The Sentinel and the Philadelphia Press. All four were paid for out of Athletic Association funds.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at…

This document lists payments made or owed by student athletes at Carlisle in 1907 and 1908.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit G.

These photographs depict two Carlisle students in the Cumberland County Jail.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, these photographs are labelled Exhibit H-1. 

Due to the sensitive nature of these photographs they have not been made public. Likewise, the students…

This document lists money deposited into the Carlisle Athletic Fund from 1907 to 1914. The category “From Whom Received” lists the place or college where an athletic event was held.

For a text-searchable version of this list, see William H. Miller’s Second Testimony under Related Entries.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the…

Carlisle Superintendent Moses Friedman requests that he be given permission to expel Charles Kelsey from Carlisle.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit W-1. 

A letter written by H. P. Conner of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to Moses Friedman. Conner tells Friedman that since his company did not want to receive a duplicate check for a rail fare, he returns the check Friedman sent. (The check written by James Bearchild is also enclosed here.)

In Inspector Linnen's supplemental report for the…

Two letters from Anna Mills and Estelle Bradley which discuss the sale of a mandolin from one student Rose Simpson to music teacher Claude Stauffer. Bradley wanted to purchase the mandolin from Simpson but Stauffer bought it first then Stauffer resold it to Mills.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation…

Two letters sent between students at Carlisle and Rev. Dr. James W. W. Walker. The students of the YMCA thank Walker for his care and attention in running the YMCA. In the second letter Walker sends gratitude in turn.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit…

These documents consist of three letters (two from Superintendent Moses Friedman to Frank J. Veith and one from Veith to Inspector Edward B. Linnen). Veith claims he gave vegetables to Friedman's wife Mary Friedman with her full knowledge. Supt. Friedman denies this.

In Inspector Linnen's main report for the 1914 Congressional…

These materials include correspondence on two separate topics. In the first series, Supervisor Oscar Hiram Lipps inquires whether the February payroll submitted by his predecessor, Superintendent Moses Friedman, should be paid. In the second series, Representative Charles E. Patton inquires into the suspension of Musical Director Claude M.…

Superintendent-in-Charge Oscar Lipps informs the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that he has delivered the charges preferred against Friedman and Stauffer to each person. He forwards the duplicate copies that have been signed by Friedman and Stauffer to acknowledge the receipt of them. These charges are not included with this letter now. …

A telegram from Carlisle student Gus Welch (also known as Gustavus Welch) to Inspector Edward B. Linnen. Welch expresses his concern that Claude Stauffer, Anna Ridenour, and an attorney named Ligitt had approached the student Julia Hardin to force her to sign papers. Additionally, Ligitt was passing around a petition and Welch says that some…

The disciplinarian Edward E. McKean telegrams Inspector Edward B. Linnen expressing his worry about a paper he had hurriedly signed related to Superintendent Friedman. This telegram was sent in the midst of Linnen's investigation into the school. 

These materials include correspondence regarding requests from numerous employees for salary increases and on-campus housing provisions. During the 1914 Congressional Investigation, investigator Edward Linnen noted the need for salary increases for many employees, and for more on-campus housing to counter the high cost-of-living for employees…

John Whitwell writes a letter to Inspector Edward Linnen about events in the aftermath of the investigation Linnen undertook in winter of 1914. This includes meetings between a student and the matron Anna Ridenour and music director Claude Stauffer and an effort by a notary to have employees sign a statement in support of Superintendent…

Julia Hardin answers questions from Inspector Linnen about the aftermath of her testimony before Congress.

In Inspector Linnen's supplemental report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit G. 

Note: This content discusses an incident of corporal punishment, which some may find…

In the first affidavit, Siceni Nori answers questions posed by Inspector Edward Linnen about the financial mismanagement of Superintendent Friedman’s administration and Nori’s role in that mismanagement. At the time Nori was Chief Clerk at Carlisle. In the second affidavit Nori answers questions about the disposal and purchase of government…

In this affidavit Kensler (Quartermaster at Carlisle) answers questions about the sale of government property and the management of government funds by Superintendent Friedman.

In Inspector Linnen's supplemental report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit C. 

In this affidavit Beatrice Herman (a clerk at Carlisle at the time) answers questions about Siceni Nori’s role in the financial mismanagement of Superintendent Friedman’s administration.

In Inspector Linnen's supplemental report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit J.

Addressed to Commissioner Sells and signed by 55 student athletes, this petition asks that school athletic director Glenn Warner be removed for his position due to his poor moral character and conduct. The petition includes nine different critiques ranging from Warner's use of "profane and abusive language" to his practice of suppressing…

In this affidavit Gus Welch (a student at the time) gives a statement about a letter allegedly written by Jim Thorpe. Welch says that the letter (in which Thorpe said that Warner and Friedman knew nothing of Thorpe’s professional playing) was written by Warner and Friedman and Thorpe was pressured to copy it out and publish it to protect their…

This document is a list of student names and corresponding addresses. A small number of students have multiple addresses, possibly accounting for them moving elsewhere.

While this is labelled Exhibit A and is part of the 1914 Congressional Investigation's papers, the document itself does not match the description that Inspector Linnen…

This document is a list of numbers which are said to be all payments made by the Carlisle administration to have construction work done by outside contractors in the year of 1913 and the month of January of 1914. There is no further context for each number. The sum of the payments at the bottom of the list reads $6,539.

This document is…

This document shows a list of pupils who went home on leave and the corresponding cost for their railroad fare. 

In Inspector Linnen's supplemental report for the 1914 Congressional investigation at Carlisle, this document is labelled Exhibit F. According to Linnen's report there should be one other receipt of this kind, but no…