Arizona republican., 1895-12-07
FOUR MORE MEN KILLED. Work of ApaCheS Near
 Fort Thomas. Circumstance Attending the
 Merrill Murder. Shot from Ambush Seemingly for Robbery Alone-PossibIy Done
 by Whites.

to the tale of murder that comes from
 the borders of the Apache reserve in eastern Arizona. Yesterday, through J. $. Bush, the Arizona traveller, it was learned Chat four miners had been killed by Apaches below the abandoned Fort Thomas on the Gila river De- tails are but meager.
 Of one thing there is a certainty Merrill and his daughter and the min CTS were killed by two separate bands. The first murder occurred Tuesday af- ternoon about 5; the second the suc- ceeding day; the two spots are nearly sixty miles apart. The miners must have been killed on the reservation, possibly on the main travelled road Carlos.
 The two main divisions of Graham county comprise the agricultural set tiement on the Gila, wherein lie Sol
 omonville, Pima and Fort Thomas, and the mining region in the north eastern corner, with the thriving mines of Clifton and Morenci. The main road runs east from Solomonville to Duncan on the A. & N M. narrowgauge that connects Lordsburg with Clifton. On this road the Merrill murder oc- cured.
 Ash Springs lie about twenty miles east of Solomonville in an ordinary
 mountain defie, with rocky sides and
 brushy coverts. Up this defile Tues
 day afternoon rode stockman, of the upper GiIa, when he saw before him
 light farm wagon and pair of horses,
 one of them lying on the ground en-
 tangled in the harness, and beneath the wagon pole. About 150 yards from
 the wagon lay the corpse of H. H. Mer- Till, well-known Mormon farmer of Pima. Nearer to The wagon lay the
 body of Merrill's laughter, a girl of Is. The father lad. been shot through the head, the bullet passing through the mouth and through the heart. The
 girl had been shot twice through the
 body. Both corpses still were warm
 and death had assuredly come within
 an hour of the time of discovery.
 The discOverer was riding a poor horse, while the wagon horses were in
 the best of condition. So he hurriedly
 changed his saddle to one of them } and galloped away twelve miles to
 Duncan. There he raised a party of cowboys, and preparations for pursuit were at once made.
 The bodies were taken back to Sol
 omonville for an inquest, and by s } Wednesday morning a strong posse,
 headed by Sheriff Arthur Wight. was on the trail.
 Merrill and his daughter were not in
 the wagon when shot. The vehicle was laden with produce that was be-
 ing taken to Clifton for sale, and the
 two had evidently been walking behind to ease the horses or for exercise } That they were ambushed, there can
 be no doubt, for on the roadside were ! found moccasin tracks that led from
 behind boulders and brush With the
 shots one of the horses. colt, plainly
 had started to bolt, but had become tangled in the harness and had fallen, Ianchoring the wagon.
 There were four mOccaSin tracks . and the tracks of TWO horses that were being ridden. Further than the tracks, } there was no indication of Indian l complicity, and many of the nearby settlers believe the deed was that of renegade Mexicans. Neither were the 7 bodies mutilated or the horses killed, l as is usual in Apache killings. It was l evident that the bodies had been } searched for valuables, but beyond } this no deviltry could be observed. ; A short distance away was found l the hand-satchel that the girl had } taken from home, containing change of underwear and second frock. The clothing and the little finery in which
 the maiden had no doubt felt rustic } pride, were scattered here and there, r torn into little fragments, as though 5 the murderers were wroth at finding } their booty was of such small value. At another point on the trail was picked up Merrill's old-fashioned leather pocketbook. It was empty of } articles of value, for Merrill, though
 near to 60 years, had not accumulated much of the worlds goods. The purse l had evidently been in a left-hand in- r side pocket, for through it was bullet 3 hole made by the shot that had pene- : trated to his heart.
 l The trail, as taken up by the posse
 led north from the road and contin- = ued in that direction for several miles l Then turning, the fugitives passed t around the stony sides of a small g round hill and retraced their steps
 crossing the road at a different point g where there was rocky ground that s showed no sign of their passage. Bu = the cowboys are expert as Indians or f the trail and the hunt was definitely e directed. The fugitives, who plainly
 had a thorough knowledge of tht
 country. had travelled in a southeast