Excerpt from A Visit to the Mission Indians of California A brief recapitulation of facts would seem to be the best introduction to, and explanation of, the following report of my recent visit to the Mission Indians of California. In my report of a previous visit, published by the Indian Rights Association, it was stated that: "At my earnest request the Government has appointed special counsel to take up and defend the rights of these Indians, but appointed him to serve without compensation. It seems evident, therefore, that this effort must be sustained and pushed by our Association." It is known to many that the Indian Rights Association became responsible for the fees of Mr. Ward, the special counsel appointed by the Attorney-General, neither the Department of Justice nor the Interior Department having any funds to use for such purposes. The case of Byrnes vs. The San Jacinto Indians came to trial last summer, and was decided in favor of the plaintiff, and, failing to induce the Government to stand sponsor for the case, and assume responsibility for costs and indemnity to plaintiff pending an appeal to the Supreme Court, the Secretary of the Indian Rights Association gave his personal check for $3300, which has been deposited with the clerk of the Court for San Diego County, California, to await the issue of this appeal. By the timely arrival of this check, the immediate ejectment of 200 Indians from the homes and lands on which, by concession of plaintiff, they have lived continuously since 1815, was delayed at least until the Supreme Court of the State shall confirm the decree of the lower court. It thus appears that the Indian Rights Association has addressed itself earnestly to the effort to settle definitely the question whether or not these poor people have a valid legal, as they undoubtedly have an equitable, title to their lands. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.