| Show HILARIOUS NA NAVAJO V AlO INDIANS EMBOLDENED BY WINE CREATE INCIPIENT UPRISING AT BLUFF An Incipient uprising among Navajo Indians who were vere stagIng stag stag- Ing a squaw dance a few miles east cast of Bluff fizzled out Friday when a supply of wine wino furnished furnish furnish- et ed the braves by bootleggers I I was confiscated by officers and the hilarious feelings of the dancers subsided The trouble started Thursday night when State Trooper Merlin Mer lin un Brown of Moab ant and Sheriff T. T R. R Harvey of San Juan county county coun ty attempted to arrest an Indian In dian dlan bootlegger during the progress pro gress of ot the dance The Navajo broke away from the officers one of whom drew his gun and fired two or three shots the fleeing Indian reportedly falling tall fall ing down As this happened Navajo Indians crowded around the trooper and sheriff herit sher her it iff who then withdrew from tram the scene The fleeing Indian was not hit and has not been I I seen since A large amount olwine of ol wine was confiscated by the sheriff In the face of threats made by Indians Trooper Brown radioed radioed ra ra- ra for tor reinforcements and 18 Utah state troopers headed head ed by Chief Joseph W. W Dudler raced to Bluff Chief Dudler flew to the scene In a state plane The officers had gone Bone to Bluff at the request of Father Liebler of St. St Christopher's mission mis slon sion who had appealed for tor law enforcement to quell bootlegging bootleg ging during the dance The officers remained at Muff Blurt all day Friday but as no further trouble developed they returned to their homes Friday night and Saturday With the supply of wine confiscated the Indians resumed their dance peacefully But nut for a time there was considerable tension The Navajo sing which starts at sundown and lasts until sunrise sunrise sun sun- rise was being held to cure one of the tribal members of bad dreams Combined with the sing Is a version of the squaw dance which In earlier days was a war ceremony Navajos from all parts of the reservation attend This years year's dance started Wednesday night nighton on Montezuma creek near the Colorado state line and Thursday Thurs day night It U was conducted about five miles mUes east of If Bluff Blurt On Friday the ceremonial was wu continued at a point about three miles mlle east of Bluff Three alleged Indian bootleggers bootleggers boot boot- whom the officers sought to arrest Thursday night were wert at large Saturday Most residents of the district said they ther had disappeared a across ross the Ithe San Juan river rivet and were lost lest In the wilds of the reser As An a result of the incipient uprising Bluff people saw more law enforcement officers than had ever before visited the village 18 18 cars loaded with troopers Eating facilities s in the community were taxed to the limit |
