Arizona republican., 1896-06-27
HORSE THIEVES CAUGHT The Mad Exploit of Two
 Lads. How They Stole Stock from Otero'S Ranch. Captured in Tonto Basin by the Man
 They Had Tied
 Down.


 dust-covered cowboys rode through Phoenix, escorting two prisoners, who were placed in the county jail, charged with grand larceny. The men were those who held up the Otero ranch be- yond Mcdowell last Tuesday. They had been unmolested with their plum der for just twenty-four hours when they were surprised by party of cow boys and captured.
 Ignacio Uges, an intelligent Mexican, well known in this city, is the hero of the occasion. Uges had been left in charge of the Otero farm and range. Tuesday morning two young men rode up to the house, which is but a few feet from the main travelled road into Tonto Basin by way of Reno Pass. They dismounted and entered into conversation as travellers on the lonely road often do and stayed the day with Uges. The rancher during the after noon rode out on short trip around the range and on his return found the young men still lying about the house. He invited them to take supper with him and prepared the meal. As Uges was concluding his share of the repast, he became aware of a sudden change in the demeanor of his two guests, who had their revolvers leveled upon him before he had any idea of any hos tile intentions on their part.
 sr o1 hi hands. The two then bound his arms behind him. The younger fellow sug gested that his legs be also bound, but the elder thought him safely enough secured. Then the place was ran- sacked. Uges was robbed of his re- volver and rife and. of $22 in cash. The thieves then placed a bucket of water where he could reach it and de- camped, taking with them the saddle horse that Uges had ridden and ten head of horses that were in the pas ture near by.
 As soon as he was sure the others had gone the cowboy got on his feet and hunted up a butcher knife ill the kitchen. By little contortion he sue ceeded in cutting the cords that bound
 
 He found a horse and arms at a ranch few miles away. and also found that the thieves were taking the regular Tonto road eastward. Being well ac- quainted with the region he took a short cut that saved him dozen miles travel and by morning was In Tonto Basin. Here he secured help, includ- ing Bob Schell, Alex Cline and cow boy from Moore's ranch. The fugu- tives were soon located. They had crossed at Reno Gap and were having trouble in driving the horses. The an- imals had just been turned out, after the conclusion of the roundup. All were in poor condition and many were unshod and sore footed.
 The pursuers rode around their quar- " and established themselves in a clump of sycamore trees, in a small canyon, through which the road passed, not far from Tonto creek. The two thieves came slowly along, urging the tired horses with difficulty and were under the rifles of the four cowboys before they were aware of amy danger impending. One of them showed fight, but the situation was hopeless and they surrendered. With them was all the stolen property and money and none of the horses had been dropped. One of the horses was so tired, how ever, that he had to be left behind on the return ride.
 Three of the party brought the fel- lows to Jeff Adams ranch on the lower l Sunfower, three miles above McDow- ell, where they were joined by Deputy Sheriff Billy Moore and by Leopold Otero, who had started to join in the i chase, but who had occasion only to enlist in the guard of the captured.
 The evening of their capture the young men were downcast at the non- success of their venture, and sullen, ! but in the morning unbent to degree. i They said they were brothers, named Hannigan, aged respectively 20 and i 16 and that they were from California though originally from Washington They would not tell where they had come from to Otero's, but Mexican seen by young Otero ayers he saw the men when they passed McDowell Tuesday morning. He was riding g gray mare, the other a pinto horse. Ii seems certain that the lads came from Phoenix, but they are not recognized
 by any who have seen them here.
 The deed was one of recklessness
 such as only youth, would have beer
 guilty. The horses were only an in
 cumbrance to them in their flight and
 furnished the cowboys with tracl
 that could not be lost. The country
 into which they ignorantly headed i:
 one that is not sparsely settled and b!
 men who hate a horsethief above al
 other vermin. It is generally consid