Evening star., 1937-01-03

| UUD " UuOI IL
TO INDIAN GROUP
20 Get Provisions From
Many More" Are
UnIocated.
BY the Associated Press.
GALLUP, N. Mex, January 2.-E.
R. Fryer. superintendent of the Navajo
Indian Reservation, returned from an
airplane trip late today with informa-
ton that about 20 Indians, snow
bound in wild country south Of here,
had been found and food dropped to
them, but many more" remained to
be located.
Fryer said he and Pilot Bill Cut
ter received a radio report while on
the flight that others we're making
their way out and added that they
saw a truckload moving slowly along
q trail.
More than 300 Indians were ma
rooned in various parts of the noun
famous region from 80 to nearly 100
miles south and southwest of here
AS Fryer and Cutter returned. word
was received from Ganado tAriz) }
Hospital of the safe arrival there of
Arthur Hubbard. an Indian, and a
sick child he brought nearly 20 miles
through snowdriftS A tractor finally
cleared his trail.
Fryer blamed "fly-by-night" traders
for the Indians predicament.
Trucks Making Progress"
He said trucks we're reported max
ing progress" from Ramah and Mag
dalena and that absence of further
snowfall gave hope they would reach
the stranded groups possibly by mid
night.
81 Morehouse. Transcontinental and
Western Air pilot. said at Albuquerque
the radio operator at El Moro Field
reported three truckloads Of men, ap-
parently those for whose safety con-
Germ was felt passed Ell Moro this
afternoon en- route to Ramah.
Warehouse got the information in
a radio conversation.
He said he didn't see the trucks
himself
Ell Moro Field is near the region
where the indians have been snow
bound.
Although the United States Wealth
er Bureau at Albuquerque saw some
relief. from last nights temperature
Of 10 degrees below zero, Meteorologist
E. L. Hardy said the mercury prob
ably would reach zero tonight.
No Doubt Of Suffering.
Fryer said there was mo doubt that
the Indians are suffering" from ex-
posure and lack of food, but expressed
belief they can survive for a time
on horse meat and pinon nuts"
Scouts who came through the snow
with word of their tribesmen's plight
said they were killing and eating
their horses.
Before taking off for the aerial
survey. Fryer charged that "fy-by-
night" traders who brought "the In
dians in to exploit them during the
pinon harvest" had failed to make
arrangements for returning them to
their reservation north of here.
He said he was informed by truck
ers of the region that the Indians
had asked the traders to remove them
a week ago, but that nothing had been
done.
Fryer explained that the Indian
Service does not have Jurisdiction
over traders who operate off the res
ervation. The ones involved, he said,
were rsnchers and others not ordi-
narily in the trading business who
laid in small stocks of goods to per-
suade the Indians to come south for
the nut harvest
Left on Own Resources.
when the harvest is complete, the
Indians are left with neither pinons
nor money. and are left on their own
resources he said.
A big transport airplane stood ready
at Albuquerque to drop food to the
stranded red men, if necessary, but
Indian Service officials said they
would not avail themselves of the
offer unless supply trucks failed to
reach the Indians shortly.
Flyers smaller plane carried 100
pounds of bacon.
No word has been received from
three other persons caught in the
snow across the border in Arizona.
They are two Indian girls. believed
dead, and James Pointer, highway
maintenance man, near Fredonia.
Tragedy struck a holiday party In
California when the roof of a cabin
near Forest Home collapsed under
heavy snow, killing Jascha Litwack,
general supervisor of the Lynwood
Calf, Elementary School.
Eight persons with him in the
cabin, all of whom were injured, were
rescued.
e. q. Sullivan, district engineer
Of the State division of highways, said
he did not think his men could reach
Camp Rokili, Calf, where As Orange
County Boy Scouts are marooned
until Wednesday. They have ample
provisions for month and the camr
is in no danger, he said.
Many mountain resorts were closed
to week end travel.
TAKES NEW QUARTERS