Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-06-21
Five Lives for a Bag Of Gold.

Five Lives for Bag of Gold.
From 1850 until recently Arizo-
ma has been the favorite resort of
bandits and highwaymen. Both
Mexicans and Americans INDUCED
in the practice, and it is said that
many snug fortune now belong
ing to respected citizens was found
ed i'll that way. But be that as it
may, many bar of bullion started
from the mines to the railroad and
failed to reach it's destination.
Years afterward the bones of its
custodian would be found bleach
ing in the sand, but they could
tell no tales and the robbers went
unknown, unless the sudden rise of
some struggling citizen from pov-
erty to atfiuence directed suspicion,
in which case the matter was al
lowed to drop.
One of the latest and boldest of
these robberies occurred in 1888, a
little way out from Phoenix, and
it's result has deferred the Mexicans
from any attempt at its repetition.
The Vulture mine, the property of
Senator Tabor, was at that time
worked by an English syndicate,
with a man named Gribble as su-
perintendent. In taking away the
bullion an armed guard of five to
ten men usually accompanied it,
riding far enough ahead and be-
hind to prevent all being killed by
single fire from ambush. One
morning in August of 1888, Gribble,
with one companion in buggy,
started to the Phoenix with forty
two pounds of gold bullion. His
guard consisted of two men on
horseback, who were supposed to
ride one 200 yards in advance and
the other 200 yards to the rear, but
it afterwards developed that they
were riding together. When the
cavalcade reached lonely place in
the desert near Negro Wells, the
road made an abrupt turn to the
right, and directly facing the turn,
about ten rods distant, was a clump
of grease-wood. From behind
these bushes a deadly fire was pour
ed in on them by three Mexicans.
They had selected their targets, and
Gribble and two others were killed at
the first fire. The other man who
was mounted OH thoroughbred
horse, attempted to make his escape,
but the bullets from the Winches-
ters overlook him and he fell dead
about 800 yards distant. One of
the Mexicans took his horse, and
strapping the bullion before him
on the saddle, the three made across
the desert toward Mexico.
Late in the day the stage from
Prescott came by and the driver,
discovering the bodies, brought the
news into Phoenix. BY daylight
next morning a posse of white men
with Indian trailers were on the
ground and began the pursuit.
Late in the day four of them came
upon the robbers while they were
trying to cut the piece of bullion
to divide it, they evidently wishing
to separate. They showed fight
and the whites returned to Vulture
for re-enforcements, and going
back as rapidly as possible, found
that the robbers had separated, and
two of the trails were lost in the
mail pass of the Eagle Tail Noun
tains. Pressing on the trail Of the
other they reached the Gila on the
evening of the next day. Here
they found the fugative's horse
mired in the quicksand, with leg
broken, his rider having taken his
blankets and the bullion, which he
still had in his possession, and start
ed down the river on foot. He had
ridden the horse more than 100
miles without food or water, and in
trying to rush him across the river,
which was swollen, he had become
mired, and in frantic effort to free
himself had broken his leg. The
pursuers shot him and followed the
bank of the river to ferry a few
miles below, where Gov. Powers
had some Mexicans at work on
boat. Riding up to the fence they
asked him if he had seen such a man
describing the one they wanted.
Before Powers could reply, the
Mexican, who was sitting on his
blankets in the shade of the house
and within hearing of the CONVEX
sation, started to run up the hill
and toward the brush. The whites
men began shooting and he fell
dead. He had come to the house
few hours before, and had obtained
permission to rest there until they
had repaired the boat so they could
put him across the river. In his
roll of blankets they found the
piece of bullion with Gribble's
blood dried upon it. The thieves
had tried to cut it in two, but had
failed, and they had separated, the
leader doubtless having given the
other two the slip. The dead rob-
Der was found to be Ynocinte VAL
enzula, trusted Mexican, employed
at the mine. The other two rob
bers were never discovered, nor were