Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1927-07-18
SHOOTING;
AT CAMPO
DfPL0RED
Valley Residents Deny
Signs of Drinking at
Indian Fiesta.
TWO ARE KILLED
Claim Made That Only
One Indian in Camp
Was Armed.

Considerable comment has been
created among valley residents by
the riot which occurred Saturday
| night on the Indian reservation
near Campo in which two Indians
| were killed, one white man believ-
ed fatally injured and at least a
dozen other Indians struck by bull
let's. While the invading Officers
claim that discretion was used at
all times in the firing and that
only those Indians who were endan-
| gering the lives Of others were shot,
this story has met with consider
able rebuke from others, especially
natives living about the reservation
and some who were present at the
rioting. A number of valley per-
sons were in the hills over tina
weekend and many Of them went
to the fiesta which was being held
| by the Indians.
y number who attended the fl
esta denied emphatically that the
Indians had been drinking heavily
! just prior to the rioting and that
the rioting was the result of drunk
|
people that only one Indian, Mar
co Hillmiup, carried gun and that
the report that at least 20 armed
Indians were attacking the Officers
is untrue.
Hillmiup, chief of the Indian po-
lice, was killed as was another In
dian named Frank Cuero. Indian
Agent George J. Robertson is lying
at the point of death from wounds
inflicted, at the Mercy Hospital in
San Diego, while another Indian,
whose identity is unknown, is said
to have been killed in the mixup.
w. f. Gould, deputy labor com.
missioner, said this morning that
| he had been misquoted in paper,
carrying stories relative to the riot
He said he was indignant at what
he termed promiscuous shooting By
the officers who invaded the fies
ia. He was not present but his
son Fred, together with his chum,
| D. B.. Lilly, aged 16, Stella Lilly,
| aged I6, and Edward Jordon, a
! member of the Campo school board,
had gone to the fiesta.
One Indian Armed
When the firing started the girl
| swooned and the party was greatly
endangered by the bullets as they
attempted to get the girl out Of the
line of fire.
AS result of the shooting he
began inquiries and said that as
near as could be learned the only
Indian that fired shot during the
| struggle was Hillmiup. -
The Indians claim they were hav.
ing a peaceful celebration as is the
custom in their annual fiesta when
the prohibition officers appeared
upon the scene. According to
their side of the story Hillmiup in
tervened as the officers came In,
telling them that they were not
having any trouble and ordering
them to leave them alone.
The prohibition agent is said to
have pushed Hillmiup away at this
time, calling him vile name and
drawing gun. Hillmiup also
reached for his gun, it is said, and
as he did the agent attempted TO
shoot him. The agents gun
jammed and Hillmiup fired. A
deputy sheriff arriving ON the
scene is said to have shot Hillmiup,
killing him instantly and this shot
presaged a volley rom the guns of
the invading officials.
Powell Is Praised
Much credit is given by the In.
dams to Deputy Sheriff King J.
Powell, whom it is claimed, tried to
stop the shooting by the other Of
ficers. During the shooting an In
dian who had been arrested earlier
in the evening was sitting on the
grounds, his hands handcuffed be.
hind him and three shots were fired
at him in his helpless state, all TAX
ing effect in his right leg.
DR.. APP John of Jacumba treat
ed number Of the injured after
the shooting and it is believed that
more than a dozen were injured in
all. .~4
A number of valley residents ac-
companied Mrs. P. NJ. Moore, pro-
prietress of the Oak Knoll grocery
store, to the fiesta, leaving the
scene shortly before the shooting.
All said that at that time the Tn
dams were behaving themselves
and that there was no evidence of
any drinking. They said that they
watched the Indians in their hu-
merous games for time and that
they left shortly before the rioting
began.
1t is expected that a thorough In
vestigation of the rioting will be
made by federal authorities.