Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-11-07
Chief of Police
of Mendoza


The one-time chief of police of Men
dota was a little, thin, dyspeptic man
who lived about 1882 on the Red River
of the North, dividing his time between
raising horses and his official duties
as the sole guardian of the peace of
that neighborhood. He had been chief
ten years at this time, and it was a
matter of history that during this pc
Rod he had not found it necessary
to make a single arrest. Mendoza was
peaceful.
East of Mendoza lay great stretches
of Indian land. Many Chippewas oc-
cupied these lands by right of title,
and were supposed to have military
protection from the government. 1t
was a kind, of protection, though
that the highwayman usually gives to
the victim he is planning to despoil.
The military never entered the dis
trict except when thrifty settlers
thought an Indian scare" might lead
to the expenditure of considerable
government money. Despite the pre-
datory raids of government marshalS
and bad whisky sellers the Indians did
quite well in the wilds still left to
them. They rarely suffered from
white brutality except when they Wis
tied the towns lying outside of their
own district. Then if they had money
they fell into the hands of unscrupu-
lous saloon-keepers and sharp mer-
chants and were fortunate to escape
with their lives.
1t was during the heavy SHOWS and
bitter cold of January, 1882, that a
III L.
young daughter of about 16 came into
Mendoza on their snowshoes. The In
dams name in English was Red Fox.
He was known as a hunter of skill,
an abstainer from liquor and a teller
of the truth. He had rarely been seen
in Mendoza and his coming at this sea-
son of the year attracted some atten-
ton. 1t TRANSFERRED, however, that dur
ing the previous summer he had con-
tracted with a merchant of the town
to bring him certain furs, and having
secured these he felt it to be his
duty to make as prompt delivery as
possible.
He delivered the furs, received his
price, and would have left Mendoza
that night but for the heavy storm
which swept over the valley and which
quarters in the Office of the one hotel
in Mendoza. and there he and his
women lay down to sleep in their blan-
kets early that night What happened
later appears in court records that
are still in existence. During the
night there came into the hotel three
men from one of the interior logging
camps. They were under the infiu-
ence of liquor, and the sight of the
sleeping brave and his two women set
mad fancies to whirling in their
brains.
They woke Red Fox, and after
long conversation with him, and de-
spite all law, induced him to drink
with them. They carried their sport
so far that the Indian became wild
with the liquor and a general fight
followed. During this fight the daugh-
ter of Red Fox was killed by one OF
the lumbermen and the mother was
SO badly injured that she died the
next day.
The frightened landlord fed from
the hotel with his family and ran
through the binding snow to the
house of the chief of police. He aroused
that official and begged him to come
peptic was out of bed quickly and into
his clothes. He waited for no assist
ance, but made his way to the hotel
alone. When he entered Red Fox
was lying in stupor behind the stove.
At his feet was the body of his daugh-
ter. and beyond her the dying mother.
The lumbermen had fed. The chief,
whose name was Higgins, summoned
medical aid and then devoted himself
to arousing Red Fox 1t was long
after daylight when the Indian finally
understood what terrible disaster his
own folly had brought upon him. Hig-
gins was with him when the truth
came home. Higgins had never been
tried as chief of police. Higgins had
yet reputation to make. The fair
name of Mendoza had been fouled by
the crime of murder. The murderers
had escaped.
Il will find Them" said Higgins to
Red Fox
Red Fox go with you," said the In
dian.