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Show 84 BEPOBT OF COMMISSIOETER OF INDLAN AFFAIRS. Mexico, as wellsas to the law-abiding and progressive Indians, the arrest was imperative, and in his opinion the military were to be highly commended for the humane and skillful manner in which it had been made. The superintendent of the San Juan school has reported that lead-ing Indians from different parts of the reservation have assured him that they were pleased with the outcome of the affair, md many have asked h i to thank the office for sending troops. He has received friendly visits from even the former members of By-a-lil-le's band, including his wives, sons and sins-in-law. The guns of By-a-lil-le and his oldest son were voluntarily delivered to the superintendent, and the younger son entered school without any solicitation. The superintendent believes that there are no prospects of further trouble and that everybody has settled down to work. THE NAVAHO EXTENSION. Many Navaho Indians have, for generations, been occupying lands on the public domain in New Mexico and Arizona; but since the advent of the railroad, cattle and sheep men, both white and Mexican, have been appropriating all the available springs and watering places which the Indians had been using. The resources of the coun- - try depend on this not abundant water supply; so it was recom-mended to the department on November 8, 1907, that certain desig-nated lands be withdrawn temporarily from entry and settlement, and set apart as an addition to the Navaho Reservation till the resi-dent Indians could have the lands they were iindividually occupying allotted to them under the general law. Accordingly, about 53,000 acres in New Mexico and 30,000 acres in Arizona were withdrawn by the executive order of November 9,1907, as amended by the execu-tive order of January 28, 1908. The order of withdrawal expressly provided that it should not affect any existing valid rights of any person. Special Allotting Agents William M. Peterson and Joseph G. Kent are now making allotments to these Indians, and on August 29,1908, reported that 493 selections had been made. TRESPASS UPON LAND8 OF PUEBLO INDIANS. In 1818 the Indians of the pueblo of .Taos purchased from the heirs of Antonio Martinez a large tract of land which was part of a grant made in 1716, and received what purported to be a valid deed. Since then they have occupied this land for grazing purposes, and, as it was not fenced, stock belonging to Mexicans have also ranged over it. |