Bisbee daily review., 1907-09-24
PAPAGO CUSTOM ASKS PAY FOR
 MURDER
indians Resent What They Think Interference By Capt, Wheeler In Their Own Way Of Handling Murderer,
(Tucson citizen.)

| A news ttlet OA lHdiA HUH -LS cpS-
 cial correspondence of The Citizen at
 Ajo reveals an extraordinary and as | tonishing state of affairs in the In-
 dian country to the south and vest
 of Ajo.
 l Sheriff Pacheco and Captain Vince
 Ter were greatly surprised at the GUS
 disregard for any civilized laws.
 The letter is as follows: An eye | for an eye and a life for a life is not
 the custom that prevails among the
 Papagoes that live in the southwest
 ern part of Pima county They vary
 the ancient law so that instead of really giving an eye when one is lost
 or instead of having an execution
 when a murder is committed the fam fly or relatives of the killed or mur- | dered party are recompensed by a
 money consideration.
 Tt was the refusal Of John Johns.
 the Indian murderer, to pay the small
 sum of S75 to the widow of the mu-- | dered man, that led to all the pres | ent trouble. As is the custom or the | tribe the squaw of the dead man took | her claim up with the head chief in l the Indian pueblo and the order was 1 given that Johns should pay her S75 ] Johns baked in the payment and the | squaw in her Indian understanding of ! her legal right attempted to force payment of this sum. This refusal of Johns placed him under the ban of the law and it is the general belief that he would have been dealt with according to the Indian customs had not the White Mans Law stepped in to the case.
 No sooner had word been received in the Pueblo that the officers from Tucson wanted Johns than the whole village rallied to his support. The Indians did not at all relish the pros. pect of interference with their affairs from the Tucson officers and they de- termined to either resist with arms or to secret Johns when the officers arrive. For this reason it is believed that the officers posse will have the greatest difficulty in discovering the whereabouts of the Indian.
 By a means of communication known only to the Indians word reached the village Of Fl Cubo with in twenty-four hours after it was known in Tucson that the posse would start for the village
 The Papago fest in this country are grew sone affairs and not sin gle one goes by without a serious cutting or killing EcraDe The h. dians seem to accept these things, however, as a matter of course and the relatives are always satisfied when they receive their money pay ment
 Tt was during the last fiesta at Ajo that Rafel Vega, a Papago. mys- teriously met death. It was supposed that he had perished in the flames which destroyed his shack. but there was evidence that his skull had been factured and this strongly indicated murder Those who are familiar with Indian adobes do not attribute the fracture to the falling walls of the shack.
 At another recent fiesta an h. dian named Juan. struck an Indian named Juaquin in the eye with a large boulder, mashing the latter's 1 face and gouging the eye out. This | ghastly scene took place at Redcndo's l Well. The assailant settled with his 1 victim by the payment of $75 and 1 the two are now warm friends.
 TAI the depredations on the part of the Indians are caused through 1 their becoming drunk on the vile | brand of mescal which is smuggled l across the border from Mexico and l sold to them. This fiery fluid in | flames (1e Indians and it is no unu- suSI Igfsg TOT 3 brave 10 XIII some [ meTDer of his Tamiiy or his best i friend. Thus far the officers have 1 been unable to stop tiae mescaI snug i gling and until they do the horrible | scenes that mark ali the fiestas will | continue to be enacted.
 The Indians when sober are fair | ly industrious and live peacefully in their village according to their own laws and customs. A governor se- lected from their ranks is the chief ruler of the village and he settles all | disputes and prescribes the form of punishment for all offenses.
 Tt is from the tribes in this vicin- ity that many of the young braves | and squaws who attend the Tucson school are recruited They remain in the city for several years and re- ceive a fair education. They soon revert to their old ways and customs however, on their return to the yil- lages and within a short time appear to have forgotten all that they were taught in the Indian schools