Arizona weekly miner., 1876-08-04
Local InteIligenc
APOOR JOB OF HORsE-sTEALING. Recovery of the Stock and Capture of the
 Thieves.

Early on Monday morning, July 3ist, s. c. Miller, of Miller Bros, came to town and reported his buggy team of black horses, a roan race mare and bay mare stolen, from the ranch adjoining Prescott. Posters were immediately gotten out, offering a reward, -etc., and the officers and several citizens went in pursuit. The black horses were soon found running loose below Fort Whipple by some soldiers who were out repairing the tel egraph line. J. H. Behan and B. H. Hussey found the mares and soon after the stock was sent home. Hussey and Behan, with Mat Bledsoe who was acting-deputy Sheriff, proceeded on down the Verde road, below Rogers & Co.'s slaughter-pen, where they came upon man, named Leary, whom Bled- soc had known at the Peck mine, and whom he concluded to arrest on suspicion, as will more fully appear in the statement of Leary, who subsequently, turned States evidence. Behan and Hussey came on to town ahead and arrested two others-Charles James and John Morrison-on information obtained from Leary, and Bledsoe remained behind with his prisoner, in order to give them time to secure the others. Morrison was arrested at Gang lodging house, and James at Noyes' saw-mill, where he had gone to work.
 On Tuesday an examination was had be- fore H. H. Cartier, J. F., E. w. Wells ap- bearing for the people, and F. l.. B. Good win, who had his own name and that of Mu- rat Masterson entered of record, as Attor- neys for defendants James and Morrison.
 $. C. Miller was sworn, and examined for the prosecution, and testified to the stealing of the stock, and their value as follows: The black horses are worth $500 each; the roan mare, sl 900; and the bay, s75; or in the ag- gregate, sl,675.
 Madison Bladsoe testified that he was Act ing Deputy Sheriff, under Sheriff Bowers, and gave the circumstances of the arrest of Leary, his confession and disclosures as to the others.
 Emil Gang sworn said he had known James eight or nine months, having first seen him on the roao coming 10 this coun- try from Kansas Morrison came to his lodging house seven weeks ago, and Leary two weeks ago. Leary stayed but a day or two and moved out to a camp on the Creek. James went out to stay with him. Morrison had been helping about the house, had en- gagged to cook for Hatz and was about going to work when Behan and Huzzy came and arrested him. Morrison had evidently been in the rain the night before, as his clothes were wet. He said he had been out To the quartz-mill, and walked home through the rain.
 Robert Smith, watchman at Whipple De- pot saw three men with four or five horses pass the corral between II and l2 o'clock Sunday night.
 The prosecution here rested, and defend ants were informed that it was their privi- lege to make a statement in their own be- half, when Leary told his story, of which the following is brief synopsis:
 My name is William Leary, native of Albany, \. Y.; age, 37 years. Have lived in Prescott abou. two months. My occupation is that of hotel cook. I lived two days at Ha.z' hotel after coming from the Peck mine, and then moved out onto a Creek near town where I made a camp. 1 had met James frequently in town, and he had bor- rowed some money of me. He come out to my camp and importuned me for several days on the feasibility of getting out of the country. I had no money and but few pro- visions, so I took into consideration all that James said. asked him how we could get away, and he said it was the easiest thing imaginable; that we could steal saddles and horses. I put him off from day to day until I grew tired of his importuniiics, and as saw my provisions could not last much longer, and didn't know where to get any more, I finally consented to his proposition. Last Saturday, James came and said it was all planned, he knew where to put his hand on the stock,-we had stolen two saddles two days before. On Sunday evening about supper-time, James and Morrison came to my camp; at dusk we went to Miller's ranch and at night stole the two black horses from where they were pieketed in the meadow, and the two mares from an adjoining pas ture. We took down the fences and put them up again We then went back to my camp, saddled up and started on the Verde road. After passing Whipple Depot we lost the road several times. the night being so dark and rainy, We passed the corral be- tween II and 12 o'clock. After passing Rogers slaughter-pen we again lost the road and got into a trail, which I saw in the morning led to the left of the main road. Here we camped under a tree until day break, when James said: "Boys, think the best thing we can do, is to unstable and turn the horses loose, as they belong 10 Mil Ter, and one isa fine mce-mare, there will be great row about them." I saw that he had turned coward, and told Morrison what he had said. We unsaddled and turned the horses loose, and James said, if Morrison and I wanted to go on by ourselves, We could take the mares and do so, and he would go back to town and carry his blan- kets and rifle, and he went. Morrison also went to town by my advice. sat there few hours and I also came to own, but didn't see either of the others. l then went back to camp and sat down on hillside, where soon saw Bledsoe and two other gen. tlemen approaching me. Isang out, "hello, Matt, where are you goingf" He said, "No where in particular" and asked where l was going. Itold him was camped near here. He then said he was looking for stolen horses. I told him some men had upsadJlod af v,,~y co n, n poa r harn He aSk0d