The Florence tribune., 1898-01-08

WASHINGTON, D. c.
 sir:--
 Replying to your favor of June 28th, IS. B. s. r. s757-1s95p relative to alleged outrages committed by the Sheriff of cocouino county, Arizona, against the Navajo Indians, have to report that have made as full inves- tlgation as Is possibfe and find that complaint to be without any founaa- tion n fact
 Bsfone .begiaing the investigation Had transcribed in form of affidavit the letter af complaint written by Addi- tional Farmer gipton and sent the same b him with the request that he swear to the same inasmuch as would take the aGidavits of others who had knowledge of the facts, (letter marked Ex. Al. Inanswer thereto (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 (thongh in his letter he had not indicated that the same was stated upon information, but had alleged the same to be iacts). l have waited for the statements from the Indians through Mir. Tipton, but have failed to receive any information from them.
 herewith enclose the afRdavits of Sheriff Cameron, Dan M. Francis, County Treasurer; Deputy Sheriff Black, James R. Wallace and R. D. Jones, marked respectively Ex. C., D., E., F., and c. These men are of un- doubted integrity and veraeity and I am bound to take their statements as true.
 Moreover, an analysis of Mr. Tipten's letter, which 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: "They pleaded for reasonable. time within wblsa to get out but even this was inexorably denled, and, amid the saa-l,is- o-sss ef suffering aaG fear stricken children and the weeping of grief-alscl1en mothers their little locks were rounded up aud pushed north, through deep snow, towards the Little Colorado River with relent- less haste, the posse keeping up an in- termittent fire with rifles and revolvers, frightening sheep, squaws and pap pooses out of their wits"
 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 novelist.
 From the afidayits 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 ajo Indians are subject to taxation when off the reservation the same as other people, there being no treaty stipulations to the contrary; that there was no outrage perpetrated upon the Indians; that there was no trouble or { conflict between the officers and the Indians; that there was no snow upon the ground, and that the sheep were driven across the river without any loss whatever and without injury that there was no display of fire arms by the officers, nor any shots fired, nor any attempt to intimidate the Indians ; that there were no tepees nor corrals burned, nor any property of any kind destroyed in fact, not an allegation of Additional Farmer Tipton is sustained by the testimony have been able to obtain Certainly an action for dam ages could not be maintained upon this showing.
 Respectfully.
 ! D. E. ELIIgwooD,
 T, s. Attorney.