Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-03-22
THE WALNUT GROVE DISASTER.
Statement ofDan Burke.
Prescott Courier. 1

ASSNC'N
 Dan Burke, who it will be remem- bered, was arrested by Sheriff O'Neill, and taken before Judge Henry w. Fleury, on the charge of manslaughter, was yesterday discharged from custody and makes the following statement which, in justice to him, should be published by papers that have blamed him for the loss of life and property between the two dams and below.
 The Courier finds that Burke is an old-timer in Arizona, and is well thought of by such prominent pio- neers as Henry Wickenberg, c. B. Genung John White and Stephen G. Condron.
 Here is MT. Burke's statement:
 Ed Courier Not wishing to be misrepresented in the papers of the country, and especially to my friends who have known me here in the Ter ritory since '67, I ask the privilege of a small amount of your space ln ex- plaining the position which l hold to the recent Walnut Grove disaster, in which so many innocent people lost their lives.
 About December 10th, MT. Brown, assistant superintendent of the Walnut Grove water storage company met me as was prospecting q am miner by occupation) and asked me to work for him. The wages, which were $3 per day, being small, he agreed to give me the best job at his disposal, which was blacksmith. Being short of money with which to work my claim, I ac cepted his proposition (which l after ward found to my sorrow), as in so doing gained the enmity of the fore man of lot of railroad laborers, em- ployed in cutting waste way for the escape of all surplus water from the dam. His jealousy got so strong and to such an extent that each and every man who was discharged by him dur ing the time of my employment was given to understand (unknown to mel that it was through me they were dis charged. This very naturally caused the laborers to get down on me. Re garding my being sent to warn the people of the danger of the dam, breaking, is tissue of falsehood, manufactured out of the whole cloth (which can be proven to have origin ated from this man), and substantidted by several well known citizen sof this county. The orders Mir Brown gave me were these: On Friday, February 2lst, about 3 p. m., MT. Brown request ed me to proceed to the lower dam, P niles, and tell whoever was i'll charge that the water was beginning to run through the waste way and to expect lots of water tonight. l told him it was impossible for me as it would be dark before I left the trail and that 1 did not know the country after leaving the trail in the dark and storm. He then asked me if I could make it to Van Buren's house, around by Bob Groom's camp which is 28 or 30 miles I told him I would try, and started in the storm. I got to Cherry Creek about l or miles from the dam and swam the creek with my horse. Ii was running high and l was wet through. Again five miles from the dam I was compelled to swim it once more. got as far as Goodwin's Station and asked the keeper where the Castle ! Creek road turned off from the wagon road and he could not tell me. stayed ten minutes and then followed a trail to the left which run out in about ] miles, being 8 cattle. trail
 The storm was beating in my horses face and he kept to the left for about four miles, when l found I was los and turned back for the station. arrived there wet through and chilled and got beer bottle of whiskey anC followed the wagon road back to Jin Cameron's ranch and stopped tC warm. Charley Taylor was there an( asked me to have supper. I produced the full bottle of whiskey and Cam eron, Taylor and myself had a drinl before and after eating. I was getting ready to start for camp when MT. Arkart came along and offered Cameron $2! to pilot him to the lower dam. Cam eron could not go as he had no horse I told him he could have mine, as
 did not know the trail in the dark, i having been nine years since 1 wa over it. stayed till the next evening to get my horse. Cameron told me i took him until daylight to get to tn dam, from ' 80 o'clock the evenini lefore. He then told me the dam wa gone. I took my horse and went t camp and told the superintendent tn cause of my coming back and wher I had been. MT. Brown then told m this foreman gave him to understan, , in plain words that 1 got drunk an !, did not start at all. I told hin I could get Taylor and Cameron to re flute the report and stamp it as a lie I started for Cameron's ranch and go there about II p. m. told Taylor C . the report and he wrote to Sup ] Brown, and Cameron delivered it nex , morning, stating my condition a , sober when came there and tn , cause of my delay. When Camero } returned he told me to keep away fror the men (meaning the laborers an their foreman), as they might hurt Int so I began to make preparations t l get place of safety, the substance ( 7 of which your readears are familia with.
 l, Very respectfully yours,
 DAN BURKl Prescott. March l2 1890.