The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-06-09
HOW "PUSSYFOOT" JOHNSON MADE
GOOD CITIZENS OF indian CHARGES
Story of Deed That Will Render Johnson Immortal the Hearts
of the Pueblo Indans-Fghts for Boy Deputy Against
Forces of Bad Government Which Ultimately
Cost Him His Official Position
ANOTHER OF JOHNSON'S GREAT EXPLOITS

On one occasion Pablo was detailed
to assist in the raiding OF saloon
near Sasakwa Bill was no Pussyfoot
in action. Rushing through the door,
he ordered the proprietor to throw up
his hands He failed TO notice, how
ever, that a bartender vas bending
down behind the bar. His presence
was suddenly brought home to Pablo
when a revolver barked and bullet
nearly carried away one of Bills ears.
With a roar like a bull Pablo immedi-
ately replied with a shot which broke
the bartender's wrist. Then, jumping
over the bar, he picked the man up
and flung him into the middle of the
saloon to his assistant, while. collaring
! the proprietor, he walked of with him
| through the terrified crowd OF loafers.
When Johnson took hand in the
| New Mexico situation the lot OF the
| Indians there was pitiable one. For
years they had been suffering at the
| hands of the crooked politicians who
| ran the state. AS an instance Of this:
about hundred and fifty years previ-
ously the Pueblos of Santa Clara had
| purchased from the Spanish govern
ment a tract consisting of some ninety
| thousand acres of land, for which they
paid a thousand dollars and horse.
| The land was transferred to them in
fee simple, and used by them until a
few years previously, when some land
sharks took the question of ownership
into the courts, with the result that
the Santa Clara purchase dwlndled IN
size from ninety thousand acres to
narrow strip of less than nine hundred
acres along the Santa Clara river
known as the Shoestring Grant.
This particular affair came to the
attention Of Mr. F. E. Leupp when he
was commissioner of Indian affairs,
/ and he interested himself in the mat
! ter to the extent of giving the Indians
! about thirty thousand more. acres as
! an executive order" Indian reserva-
ton, in lieu of what they had lost
through the manipulations in the
courts. Subsequently an attempt was
made to manipulate this new grant
by bestowing it upon other tribes,
| doubtless with no disinterested pur-
pose in view. At the same time cat
tie were driven upon the Indians
lands and pastured there, without any
shade of legality.
But the worst evil with which the
! Pueblo Indians had to contend was
the liquor traffic, though its effects
being more insidious, were less ap
parent. The crooked politicians at
Santa Fe we're in close alliance with
the illicit dispensation of whisky
among the red men.
Johnson had plenty Of deputies al
1 his call when, in 1910, he resolved tt
clean up conditions among the Pu
| eblos. Johnson knows a man Wher
he sees one, even II he is less blus
tering but no less courageous thar
the redoubtable Bill Pablo. Such
man was young Juan Cruz OF Pablo
San Juan, whom Johnson saved from
legal murder at the cost Of his posi-
ton.
Juan Cruz was a deeply religious
Young Indian, devoted to his church
his young wife Dolorita. and thel
baby Jess. He had lived all his lii
upon his reservation, and had VIII
messed the evils which the introduc
ton of whisky brought in its train
He had seen two of his companion