Tony Hillerman spins very good yarns. However, here are the facts about the plague incident in 1961. Page 2 documents the death of his field companion, John P. Miller from bubonic plague.

   Dr Leopold had very close ties to Santa Fe.Dr Bergere Kenney was his cousin and his two aunts owned the property called Los Dos out on the Buckman Road. This was one of the suspected sites of the plague-carrying fleas. Drrs Leopold and Miller spent several nights sleeping out at that place while collecting some data on an arroyo. After John Miller's death, Dr Leopold continued to do field work around Santa Fe every year resulting in multiple publications.