The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-10-06
man camp at Sherburn He was
twenty.nine years old.

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From Tuesdays DaIiv
That w. e. C"Pussyfoot") Johnson,
former chief special officer In the
United States Indian service, the
man who put the "lid" on the Min
nesota Indian country last year, will
go from the government service
back into his speciality as prohi-
bition writer, and will 'muckrake"
the governments Indian bureau in
articles, is the prediction
made by w. G. Calderwood, chair
man of the Minnesota prohibition
says The Minneapolis
Journal. Mr.. Calderwood is an old
friend of JohnsOn's and has been in
correspondence with him for years.
He received today copy of John
sons statement explaining why he re-
signed from the government se--
vice.
johnson Will Write Some.
ut is just gossip" said Mr.. Calder
wood today, "but / understand that
Mr.. Johnson is going to write some
magazine articles exposing the influ-
ence of the liquor interests in the
Indian bureau. l also hear that he
will establish a law enforcement
bureau or detective agency, devot-
ed to getting evidence of liquor law
violations. Johnson resigned about
year ago because, as he claims,
his efforts have been neutralized by
the acts Of his superiors. After
Judge Wizards decision in Decem-
Der he gave up the work in Mime
sofa and went to New Mexico"
In signed statement explaining
his resignation Johnson says:
Political Ring Too Strong.
after five years of service, am
laying down my commission as chief
special officer in the United States
Indian service. A political ring has
been formed in the interior depart
ment which resents anything like az
gressive effort in suppressing the
liquor traffic among Indians. This
cabal is led by Assistant Indian
Commissioners +. Fl. Abbott, a pro-
fessional politician from Nebraska,
and Assistant Secretary of the Int
rior Samuel Adams, corporation
lawyer from Chicago. For several
months those two men have done
everything in their power to hamper,
undermine and prevent the success
of our efforts in catching reservation
bootleggers. l refused to be chloro-
formed, but these men finally got
me so bottled up that l could do
but little except to mark time and
draw my salary. l saw no other
way to maintain my self-respect ex-
cept to resign.
New Mexico Complications.
"The immediate cause of my res
ignation was the New Mexico COM
plications. During the past ten
years the Pueblo Indians of North,
ern New Mexico have been syste-
matically plundered of their pasturage
and robbed of their lands in a way
that would put Boss Tweed to
shame. This system of robbery is
now being carried on with the knowl.
edge and under the protection of
the Indian administration in New
Mexico. The Indian office is fully
informed of the rascality, but the
dead hand of politics palsies any
move to protect the Indians"
More Serious Charges.
Mr. Johnson details conditions at
length which led up to the fight at
Chamita, N. NJ, when one of his
deputies, Juan Cruz, was attacked
by a party of four drunken Indians
and one of the latter was killed.
Cruz was arrested charged with muir
der in the first degree. Johnson
says he was ordered by Indian SUI
perintendent c. ]. Crandall to do
nothing in the defense of his deputy.
This he ultimately declined to do,
and after a hard fight the deputy
secured his freedom.
"And now, after l have secured
the liberty of the boy" the state
ment continues, this same Assist
ant Commissioner Abbott and Assist.
ant Secretary Adams are trying to
find way to disallow my accounts
for expenses in the trial and com.
pei me to pay the bills for wit
nesses' expenses and travelling items,
amounting TO about $780,
The "Booze" cabaI.
'But the vengeance of this booze
cabal has not even stopped there.
Some time ago, Superintendent Gran.
dali proposed officially a scheme to
plumber them of their executive or
der reservation. The plan was to
take this land away from the Santa
Clara Indians, amounting to about
10000 acres, add a few barren ahd
worthless hills to it and distribute
the entire area among all of the TIE.
huas Indians, of which the Santa
Clara Pueblo was a small part. AS.
sistant Commissioner Abbott is now
working through the department this
gigantic steal. 1t is scheme tan
tamount to robbing the Irish of
their domain and giving it to the
Scotch in order to benefit the peo-
pie, of the United Kingdom by Civ
ing them more land"
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