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Show DESCRIBES BATTLE AT BLUFF BETWEEN INDIANS AND POSSE BBJ nCal war whoops and a battlo lasting B all day botwoen Marshal Noboker and B his deputies and tho Indians under HH Poke and Pasey on Feb. 21, aro do- 1 scribed In a letter from former Rop- BbI resentatlvo Francis Nielsen of Bluff B to bis brother-in-law' Reprosentatlvo B Wayno H. nedd, In part tho letter Is BBBJ as B "just at daybreak on tho morning H 0r Feb. 21, tho town was aroused by H tho war whoops ot tho Indians, follow- B ed a few seconds later by tho report H of guns, volley aftor volley and slmul H taneous for two hours or more, and B In fact almost during tho entlro day B with a lull otcaslonally. Tho Indians H had tho best of It from tho beginning BBV 8 thoy soon scurried into tho gullies B and ravines, which protected them, B whllo tho dupttes had to fight moro B or less In tho open. Besides, tho do- B PutlcB had ridden from Grayson tho B night boforo In ono of tho w B storms and blizzards that has been B known In yoars, and must havo been B chilled to tho bono. B "Tll 1'0BS0 Passed through Bluff and B wcnt wcst through tho lane. Tho In B dlans wero camped In the hills a lit- B tle north and west ot Mr. Harshborg- B er's house across tho Cottonwood B wash. As soon as tho duptles got B across tho wash, tho war whoop (a B real ono) occurred. And then they B commenced firing on tho pobso of do BY puty marshals. B "Part ot tho deputies dismounted, B anJ commenced to return tho flro, B closing In on tho Indians. Tho bal- B anc0 JaBllcJ UP lll waBl, Past and K beyond tho Indians. In tho position HB they practically had tho Indians sur- Bj rounded. It was at this tlmo that B i,nrt f tli injians tam ut wti1 B tllolr hands up and surrendered. It B was also at this tlmo that Man- B c Jim and Uutciiy wer scnt to iUo B war zono with whlto flags to try and B Induco Poko and his boy and also B Posey's boy to surrender, but woro' B told tboy would fight till thoy dlod BBB and for them to get out of there or B they would kill them. However, when BE tlinv ,iiil en. Poke und tho boys took FtB advantage of tho situation and kept HfjB Mancos Jim and Dutchy on tho lino B between them and tho deputies, who Bf wcro in a pustlon to shoot them, but B could not do so without danger of H lilttlng Mancos Jim. They got Quito a H distance by this means, and wcro H soon In tho rocks and climbed up H through a crack In tho rocks directly Bl ovr Scnrup's reservoir on tho high B cllff and Uof5an flrlng down thnt B position, having long rango high pow- BB or guns. B "It was then that tho duptles' HJ troubles began in earnest. Posoy and H his band who wcro camped two or B thrco mllos bolow, hearing tho shoot- B ing, amo to tho rcscuo, mooting B Dutchy on tho way, who wob looking for safer quarters, but still using tho whlto flag to got out of tho llrlng lino, took tho flag away from htm, aud used It to get into tho postlon thoy wanted, then opened flro on tho deputies. Calls For Assistance. "It certainly looked at this tlmo as If tho duplies would bo used up, and It was at this tlmo that Montlcollo and Grayson wcro phoned to for as sltunco. Nono too soon, howover, as tho Indians' cut tho lino In four places u fow minutes later, and It could not bo ropalrcd until late the next day. "Fivo of tho duplies wcro cut oft nnd woro out all that night. Tho bal-auco bal-auco got back to town, ono ot their number being shot through and through, but ho hung on to his horso until ho got to town. "Posoy and his band hold tho ground tho rest ot tho day, firing back nnd forth at long rango but retired re-tired to Butler wash during tho night' Noxt day Polk and his crowd woro tracked north to Spring canyon Hick wast across tho Cottonwood and Tank bench to Butler wrah, whoro ho Join ed Posoy and his band, Tho Navahos roport having seen them between Butler But-ler and Comb washes, nnd thoy may havo been thero a day or two ago but I am sure thoy will make their way to Navaho mountain, nnd I would rathor follow 100 llko Lopez than follow fol-low them. "I think when they start after them again they will find "Its n long way To Poko nnd Posoy, It's a long way to go "Whether or not It's as far as to Tippcrary remains to bo seen. But ns long as that gang Is running at large, life nnd property will not bo safo in this tountry. I shudder at tho thots of the spring round up, but I bcllovo my Undo Sam Is too big a man to let things go as thoy nro. I bellovo thoy will bo pursued until captured, but unless It Is done before grass starts In tho spring, and their hors cs get sofno flesh on, they will havo a Job on their hands that they Httlo dreamed ot. t "Wo havo lived horo 35 years and havo endeavored to cultivate friendly friend-ly relations with them following tho policy of tho pioneers feed them rather than light thorn. Part ot them havo taken advantage of this and thought wo did so through fear nnd havo said repeatedly, 'whlto men heap scared, no fight;' and somo of them havo dono as they pleased. This climax had to como. There was no other courso to pursue They will 'havo to feel tho strong arm of tho government and bo brought under somo supervision and restraint." |