Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-11-03
SOLEMN FACTS.
A CHAPTER OF INTERESTING LOCAL
 HISTORY.
Outrages Perpetrated Under the Cloak of Official Authority---High Handed
 Abuse of Power.

Abuse of Power.
 A very interesting chapter of local history transpired last fall that has never been duly recorded in the an- nals of current events, which present circumstances demand that the pub lie should become conversant with The plain and solemn facts are recited with a strict regard for the truth, and the records will verify them excepting those of an unwritten character, of which abundant proof can be adduced to substantiate
 At about noon, on the 4th day Of last November, it became apparent that the life of the late J. D. Kitten house WAS rapidly nearing its close and in few hours its sands would run out. But few persons were aware of this sad reality and the people were startled when the announcement was made early the same evening that the will of God was accomplished and the spirit of the good man and kind neigh bor had taken it's flight.
 His death was so sudden and un- expected that no preparation was made in his business affairs to meet such an emergency, and his safe con tained large sums of money, aggregat- ing about nine thousands dollars, de- posted by various individuals without taking receipts therefor, besides the money pertaining to the merchandis- ing establishment.
 Early upon the morning of the fol lowing day, while the tears of grief were still fresh upon the cheeks of the bereaved wife, she was visited by par. ties who sought by every power of per
 suasion and even threats, in the very
 presence of the dead, to induce her tC
 transfer possession of the estate to :
 person they claimed had already
 been appointed administrator It wa
 known to these and undoubtedly tt
 the Probate Judge, Levi Ruggles, tha
 deceased had left a will by which tn,
 disposal of his estate WAS abundant,
 provided for, but this fact was appar
 ently ignored. The keys of the stor
 and warehouses were demanded o
 Mir. F. c. Calderon, the trusted an,
 confideneial clerk of MT. Rittenhouse and when he refused to deliver then excepting upon the command of tn widow, the demand for them was mad } of her. The order for their deliver was issued by Probate Judge Lev Ruggles and the unseemly haste in s
 doing-almost before deaths rigidit : had asserted itself-excited the indig , nation of every one who heard of tn outrageous proceeding But the 1T D dignities perpetrated by this publi : official did not end here.
 :, The funeral took place during Sa ; urday afternoon, November 9th, an |, scarcely had the mourning family r,
 turned to their now desolate home b, : fore warrant of arrest was served O e Mir. Calderon, issued out of the Pr,
 bate court. This gentleman proteste ,- that he did not hold the keys d e manded; had nothing to do with thel d and that Mrs. Rittenhouse was the : custodian In less than an hour lat, Q Probate Judge Levi Ruggles issued
 warrant of arrest for Mrs. Rittenhou. ,f and placed both warrants in Il g hands of the sheriff for executio r. These warrants were received by Il q Sheriff on Saturday afternoon, le n than twenty-four hours after Mir. Ri T. tenhouse died and immediately aft y the burial of his remains. The sher q was very busy with other matters of the time and did not serve the warrant IS which he considered outrageous. un , the following Monday, when both Nil e. Rittenhouse and Mr. Calderon we d conducted
 n TO THE COUNTY JAILl
 l. Fortunately for them, and unfC ,s tunately for the conspiracy, if SUI,