The Skylight kicker., 1897-12-30
ELLlNwooD's REPORT.
The Following is a Copy of the Report of U. s. Attorney Eiiinwood on
 the Navajo Trouble.
PHOENIX, Ariz., Dec. %. 1897. The Attorney General,
 WASHINGTON. D. c.

WASHINGTON, D. c.
 Sir:-
 Replying to your favor of June 2Sth, IS. B. s. F. 8757-lS95" relative to alleged outrages committed by the Sheriff of Coconino county, Arizona against the Navajo Indians, have to report that I have made as full inyes- tigation as is possible and find that complaint to be without any founda- ton in fact.
 Before beginning the investigation l had transcribed in form of affidavit the letter of complaint written by Additional Farmer Tipton and sent the same to bim with the request that he swear to the ssme in ss, much as I would take the o1l1aysts of ether. who had knowledgs IT ihs factss tistter marked Ex. A.Jsip Saswsr sAsrvso (Ex. B. he replied that the matters and things therein set forth were stated upon information merely and he could not make oath to the same (though in his letter he had not indicated that the same was stated upon information, but had alleged the same to be fac,s). have waited for the statements from the Indians through Mir. Tipton but have failed to receive any information from them.
 l herewith enclose the afiidavits of Sheriff Cameron, Dan M. Francis, County Treasurer, Deputy Sheriff Black, James K. Wallace and R. D. Jones, marked respectively Ex. C.. D., E., F., and G. These men are of un- doubted integrity and veracity and am bound to take their statements as true.
 | Moreover. an analysis of MT. Tip tons letter winch he cannot swear to, ought to convince anyone it seems to me of his reckless use of the hyperbole. | The Indian vocabulary IS very limited and the imagination and vivid coloring of the writer is easily discovered when he reports that the Indians repeated to him such sentences as follows "rhey pleaded for reasonable limt within which to get out; but even this was incxorably denied; and, amid ths touching cries of suffering and feal stricken children ard the weeping o ts-vvfotrivkeu morucrs, rneir frtrft flocks were rounded up and pushed north. through deep snow, toward. the Little Colorado River with re lentless haste. the posse keeping ul an intermittent fire with rifles and re yolvers, frightening sheep, squaws anc pappooses out of their wits" Il The whole report of Additional Far mer Tipton is based upon statements of which he knew nothing at the time and was written with all the dash of a novelist.
 From the afiidavits enclosed it will be seen: That by the laws of the Ter ritory transient herds may be assessed at any time during the year; that Nav l ajo Indians are subject to taxation when of the reservation the same a. other people, there being no treaty stipulations to the contrary; that there was no outrage perpetrated upon thu Indians; that there was no trouble 0l conflict between the officers and tn, Indians; that there was no snow upol the ground, and that the sheep wer, driven across the river without an, loss whatever and without injury . that there was no display of fire arm by the officers, nor any shots fired, no any attempt to intimidate the Indians that there were no tepees nor corral , burned, nor any property of any kin, destroyed; in fact not an allegation o Additional Farmer Tipton is sustained by the testimonyI I havc been able ( obi ain. .A Certainly an action for dam ages could nosbe maintained upon shia | 4T E showing. t5
 Respectfully,
 i E. k. FLEETWOOD,