The Ordway new era., 1912-04-26

ONE drops IN at the once OF w.
T. Shelton. agent of the Navajo In
dians 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 a sort OF walking
edition Of Uncle Sam himself. says q
writer in the Los Angeles Times. They
care little about the munifcent salary
OF $50 month the government pays
them for their services. 1t Is for
"Son.ton.ninez" 1.-THE tall captain). as
they term MIR. 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
a total stranger.
There is 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 life In the
saddle which appeal to any OF these
horsemen OF the desert
II would seem impossible for less
than a 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 1t necessary to call upon the
soldiers for assistance and that was in
subdufng 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 brunt Of the fire which the
outlaw and his retainers directed at
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 "gunmen''
in early days. MIR. Shelton has in sew
eral instances picked as policemen In.
dians who have been known as bad -
Some OF the most valuable membe rs
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 a 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 II seemed probable that they
would be massacred unless they Sc
cured aid. The trader volunteered tc
attempt to get through the encircline
lines OF Indians and said he would
hoist a white handkerchief on a near
by hill II he got through
When the handkerchief nuttered or
the hill the Indians saw 1t and real
fzed what 1t 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
Eut 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
to throw up their hands.
when I looked into the barrel oi
that gum" said the policeman laugh
tngly. II didn't feel strong any more