Arizona citizen., 1879-06-27
Alleged Conspiracy of Officers and EI-
 press Detectives Against Charles 2
 Sfnnfoa.

Stunton
 Charles P. Stanton is out in two col. umns of The Miner, showing up what he calls "a black and most infamous conspiracy against himself to enable the conspirators to accomplish a dia bolical purpose, etc. If his story is true, it is high time the people of Ari. zona took some acton to protect them selves from illegal and vicious arrests by reward hunters and officers whose right names are blackmailers and op- pressors and whose proper treatment would be a summary hanging or shoot. ing down. Stanton's story is too long for our columns, but its importance demands that some points be given. He was arrested for stealing a speci- men of gold on March 6, 1879, on a warrant sworn out by w. J. Tompkins, of Prescott, and was placed in jail by Under Sheriff Herbert. He was in- formed by the Sheriff and others that the charge was trumped-up one and amounted to nothing, but that evidence was being hunted up on which to base a very grave and serious one, no less than the murder of Zimmerman, of Antelope Station. On writ of habeas corpus, Stanton was released from prison after an exhaustive hearing be. fore Court Commissioner Hargrave. The whole case as given in The Miner has been reported to the General su- perintendent of Wells, Fargo & Co. Here are some verbatim extracts from Stanton's published letter:
 On the 9th day of March, being the second day of my imprisonment, after all the prisoners were locked up for the night, about 8 o'clock, Nicanora Rodrigues was taken from his cell into the Sheriff7s room-he was absent considerable time. The next morn ing he informed me that he was taken out by Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Detective Thacker and E. P. Rains. He said that they had the following conversa- tion-I give it in his own words:
 "Thacker and Rains said to me, that man Stanton is bad man, he is an educated scoundrel, he knows every lthing, he has nerve as cool as iron, he is dead shot and an escaped con- vict. He could put on his moccasins and travel faster over that country than a deer; he knows every inch of the country; could have gone down there (ten miles to the spot where Tim merman was killed) and been back home in less than no time; he is the man that killed Zimmerman and you know it, you know the bullet came out of his gun and if you will swear to it you will at once get out of this jail and be we'll paid for your trouble. Will you do it?"
 Nicanora Rodriguez replied: " No, l cannot do that; that man is innocent l know he is; 1 am bad enough, but 1 cannot swear against an innocent man." Rains then replied, "Very we'll, go into prison and you will be hung"
 Nicanora Rodriguez then com Imenced communicating robberies to me, perpetrated on Wells, Fargo X CO., and others, and said: "If 1 am going to be hung, Mir. Stanton, 1 want others to be hung with me, and chief lamong them are Rains and Thacker.
 "When Jesus Moline and Juan Rui- bal robbed the stage near Date Creek Ruibal came into Wickenburg with the large bar of silver bullion and asked me what he had better do with lit? l then went to Rains, who was also at Wickenburg, and asked him what we had better do with it? Rains replied, Let us bury it in the ground, and we did so.
 Rains then went to Prescott and sold the bar of bullion for $500, but the bar was worth $2,3O0. He (Rains) then hired a buggy and went to Wick. enburg for the silver, and 1 (Rodrig. ueZ) accompanied Rains in the buggy with the silver from Wickenburg to 
 Prescott. On our way to Prescott we stopped at the house of Zimmerman at Antelope Creek Stallion, and left the bar of bullion in the buggy all night in front of the door, Zimmerman showed us large amount of placer gold which he had in the house among it was some fine chispas.
 "When the money was received for the bar of bullion Rains got $500, which he had to pay for board; the other $500 was divided between me and Juan Ruibal."
 Rodriguez further stated that Rains had him and RuiDal arrested, to get the reward, and that the party who purchased the bar of bullion had to give up the same, and that he was of the opinion that said party had to pay Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Detective Thack.