Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-04-26


T. Shelton, agent of the Navajo In
dams at Shiprock, N. NJ, at any
time of the day or evening the
chances are he will find one or
TWO blue-clad Indian policemen on
hand. They represent the central
detail of the reservation police force.
There are eight or ten others scat
tered among the hills and mesas and
this little band has driven the outlaws
and whisky sellers out of a territory
OF 5000 square miles in extent
The Navajo Indian police are hard
riders, game fighters and above all
things else, faithful to their agent,
whom they regard as sort of walking
edition of Uncle Sam himself, says a
writer in the Los Angeles Times. They
care little about the munificent salary
OF $40 month the government pays
them for their services II is for
Non-ton-ni-nez" (the tall captain). as
they term Mr.. Shelton, that they face
more dangers than fall to the lot of
the average city policeman. to say
nothing of hardships to which the com
fortably housed metropolitan officer is
total stranger.
There is a certain element of pride
in wearing the government uniforms
also and in the authority 1t gives the
. wearer among his tribesmen-to say
nothing of the delights of a life in the
saddle which appeal to any of these
horsemen of the desert
1t would seem impossible for less
than dozen men to keep order and
enforce the laws in a range of terri
tory as extensive as a New England
state, but the police under Agent Shell
ton have done it for eight years. Only
once was it necessary to call upon the
soldiers for assistance and that was in
subduing an Indian outlaw, By-a-lil-le,
who had gathered a number of sup
porters and was bent on leading a
Robin Hood existence in the most in
accessible part of the reservation.
When By-a-lil-le was finally captured
the Indian police were in the van and
bore the 0runt of the fire which the
outlaw and his retainers directed at
the representatives of law and order
Choosing Candidates for the Police.
In choosing candidates for the In
dian police influential men among the
Indians are picked. Following the ex-
ample of those who selected frontier
marshals from among the gunner"
in early days, Mr. Shelton has in sew
eral instances picked as policemen In
dams who have been known as Dad"
Some of the most valuable members
of the force have been engaged in
ugly outbreaks In the past, but the
agent has been justified in his shrewd
choice. for the donning of the official
blue has in every case served to elm
mate the "broncho" In the redskins
disposition
One of the most jealous members Of
the force today was leader in an out
break in what is known as the -Four
Corners Country" where the states of
Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New
Mexico meet. Some "broncho" Indians
got into difficulty with a trader, who
quickly rallied dozen or more COW
boys to his support. Shots were ex-
changed and the cowboys were COM
PEELED to stand at bay in the hills,
where it seemed probable that they
would be massacred unless they Sc
cured aid. The trader volunteered to
attempt to get through the encircling
lines OF Indians and said he would
hoist white handkerchief on a near
by hill If he got through.
When the handkerchief fiuttered on |
the hill the Indians saw it and real |
lied what it meant. Two of them |
struck the trail of the trader and start. |
ed In hot pursuit. One of the Indians |
is now a policeman. He tells today |
how he pursued the trader with muir /
der In his heart and felt strong enough |
to kill all the white men in the world. |
But the trader halted just after round. |
ing the brow OF the hill and when the /
Indians came upon him he had them |
covered with rife and ordered them
10 throw up their hands.
When / looked into the barrel OF |
that gun. said the policeman laugh !