The St. Johns herald., 1888-07-26
DeSperadOeS as Peace Officers.
Written for the St. Johns Herald.


 your issue of June 7th, has received the unqualified appreciation of tEe entire territorial press; at least, of all those papers whose editors are intelligently posted on the territory and its political history; the excep- tions, are those ignorant of, or who purposely misconstrue the intent and meaning thereof To further illustrate my position Take Tomb stone under the regime of despera- does-the Earp-Clanton gangs-all or nearly all peace-oflicers ofcourse. Matters had arrived at such an in- tolerable pitch in Tombstone, that for self-protectlon and in order to rid themselves of this sort of dis reputable cut-throats, a number of the best citizens concocted a plan to get the two gangs to fighting,  knowing that one side or the other (and to the respectable element, it mattered little which would be wiped out, and it was just as cer- tain that the side doing the wiping would have to pull their freight also. The result of that plan is well known to all
 And again, the recent gun-play at Florence, between Joe Phy and Pete Gabriel, both ex-peace officers, is also well-known to the tender feet" even if their antecedents is not.
 I will carry my illustrations still further, and take a retrospective view of old Yavapai county. Van c. Smith was the first sheriff, ap- pointed such, ad interim, by Gov. John N. Goodwin. At the first elec- ton, Jerome Calkins was installed sheriff, who, immediately after qual flying, appointed John Burk his under-sheriff. At this time, Octo- Der, 1864, one A. G. Dunn was do- ing a mercantile business at Pres colt. During the winter of 1864, a Mir. McMahan, with his Mexican wife, resided in log-cabin on Gran ite creek, about one hundred yards below another log cabin, through courtesy, called the Prescott hotel. A few days previous to the occur rences which l am about to relate, A. G. Dunn and Sol - an Israel itish old-timer, had some words over the ownership, or the posses sion of another Mexican female. Late one evening Sol was visiting McMahan's cabin, and while there one of the inmates reported Dunn coming to the cabin. In those ear ly days, every one carried arms as matter of necessity, and Dunn always carried small Ballard rifle, but no six-shooter. Sol was armed with two regulation-size Colts, also a bowieknife and parties who pro- fessed to know, say Sol had also a derringer pistol in each pocket. Notwithstanding his batteries, but acting on the principle that discre- tion was the better part of valor, Sol crawled under the bed. Dunn entered the cabin, placing his gun in an opposite corner of the room, sat down on a stool with his back against the one and only bed. Me Mahan was uneasy fearing Dunn might discover Sol, and as already a bad odor seemed to permeate the nasal organs of all in the room, he came to the hotel after the peace officers, both of whom were in the hotel in fact, Burk was running the hostelry at that particular time. Entering, Me. spoke to Burk say. ing ''go down to my cabin and cap Dunn away, Sol is there under the, bed, and 1 think in h-l of fix" Sheriff Calkins being present says: ''Yes, you go Burk, and give Dunn some sort of a stiff, get him up here, and we'll tell him about Sol and all get the drinks on him." Accordingly. Burk and McNTaban