Parker was accused of fraud and defalcation — essentially of corrupt financial dealings in connection with the supply contracts.

He was referred to the Board of Indian Commissioners for further review.

The Board of Indian Commissioners, the very body that Parker himself had helped establish as an oversight mechanism, reviewed the charges and ultimately cleared him of the most serious allegations.

It found that while some of the contracting procedures had been irregular, the purchases themselves had not been corrupt, that Parker had not personally benefited from the contracts, and that the essential charge of fraud was not supported by the evidence.

But the political damage was done.