The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-10
He FIRED JUST IN TIME
THE KILLING OF CAPT. CAsENOVE,
AN ARIZONA TERROR.
He Was an Ex-COnfederate Who Had
Turned Highway RObber and MUIR
derer-SIain by q Mexican.
New York Sun.


New York Sun.
II had not been long in Arizona. where
went in 1866 to take charge of the Deloro
mine before 1 heard a great deal of the
doings of Captain Casenove," said Luther
d. Ammon, of Los Angeles. ut was re-
vealed at the end that his name was an
assumed one. but simmering down and sift-
ing all that was told of him, it is pretty
certain that he was a Confederate army
officer in the civil war who conducted
guerrilla warfare with such savagery that
at the ending he had no hope of amnesty
and went to Mexico. as many ex-Con-
federates did at that period. In a few
months he reappeared north Of the border,
in Arizona, and at about the same time
there began a series of robberies of stages
and emigrant trains that made the epoch
memorable one in the young Territory's
history. Northerners and Southerners alike
were plundered, but in case Of the former,
outrages and unprovoked, cold-blooded muir
der often accompanied the robbery. Gradu-
ally suspicion ripened into certainty that
Captain Casenove had a hand in these rob-
berries, and with the inquiry raised by this
discovery the captain kept away from the
settlements and stayed pretty much in the
mountains except when business called him
down TO the stage and wagon trails. The
robberies went on and, of course, every one
now was laid TO him.
There were warrants in plenty out
against him soon, and then came rewards
for his capture by the Territory, by the
counties in which crimes had been COM
mitted that were laid to him, and by the
express and stage companies. But there
were not so many men trying to get those
rewards as one might expect for there was
a good deal of risk in the undertaking. Inc
captain had the name of being absolutely
desperate, cool and ready with weapons, ana
determined never to be taken alive. In ms
gang of followers, which never exceeded
four or five in number, there was SAID TO be
one or two of the guerrillas who had served
in his command during the war, ana had
the same reasons for never suffering them
selves to be taken alive that he nad.
His robbery of the Mexican diligencia
between Tucson and Hemosillo, in Sonora.
will give an idea of the worthy captain
ethods. With two followers he stopped
the diligencia, and, standing the passen-
gers, three Americans and two MeXicanS,
up by the roadside disarmed and robbed
them. Then, as the robbers started away.
one of the Mexicans, who had secreted q
pistol in some way, fired after them AT
once they returned and shot the live pas
sengers down in the roadway, leaving them
for dead. But one of the five, an American,
survived his wounds to tell the story.
DANGEROUS COMPANY.
on horseback alone to ride to the Deloro
mine in the Juarica mountains. 1t was a
long days ride, and in trying to make
short cut to the camp lost my way. Night
came on and found me following a bride
path along a canyon on very tired horse.
The night was cold and frosty. as the Oc-
tober nights always are in the Arizona
mountains, and 1 had no grub or blankets,
hlt I 10 mind down
build a fire and pass the night the best
could, as soon as l should come to place
where there was grass enough for my
horse to pick up a feed. 1t was o'clock
and the stars were bright in the sky when
l came to where the canyon opened into
little grassy valley and near the center of
the valley stood a jacal, as the Mexicans
call the one-room huts which they. build.
where timber is plentiful, OF upright posts
chinked with mud. Near the hut three
horses were feeding about their picket pins.
Through the one unglazed window and
the door, partly open, streamed light, and
l knew ! had struck place where white
people of some sort were staying. Without
hesitation | rode up near the jacal and
gave call. Instantly the sound of voices
ceased within, the light was extinguished
and there was clicking of gun hammers.
Through the doorway came the words,
sharp and stern:
Who are you? What are you doing
I'm the superintendent of the Deloro
NINE, / answered. saw your light and
'TThe door was flung wide open and 1 saw
a man standing in the doorway a carbine
in his hand. Behind him, ! could see in
distinctly, were others, and was sure that
ali of them were ready, at the least sus-
picion, to turn loose with their firearms on
me. l began to wish that had not been
in such a hurry to let my presence be
known There was a whispered consulta-
ton in the doorway, and then the man in
view called to me:
'All right Take the saddle on your
horse and come in
''They watched me from the doorway as
| unsaddled my horse and picketed him out
to Craze. Then with my saddle and bride
in my arm | approached the cabin and the
man in the door made way for me to enter.
The light, pine. knot stuck in the chinking
of the wall, had been relighted, and showed
me the bare interior of the hut and the
faces of three Misunderstanding men as
1t ever has been my luck TO see TWO or
hardened, desperate-looking fellows of the
way low down variety, who live by rob-
or are rounded up by lynching party. The
third man, plainly the leader and of much
higher type than the others, was the most
dangerous looking man or the three. lie
was little above the medium height, erect
and slender, evidently very muscular and
he carried himself with an air that sug
gested a military training. His eyes were
cold and piercing, his features fine and
regular and his clean-shaven face revealed
determined. -, cruel mouth with thin,
orable and remorseless in the lines of his
face deepIv tanned by exposure to sun and
wind and although / never had seen him
before | knew that he was Captain Case
move But l was in for it now and there
was nothing to do save to make the best
of the situation.
TAKEN PRISONER.
"a little fire was smoldering in the stone
fireplace At signal from the leader one
of the men put coffee pot on the embers
and pointed to a piece of bacon hanging
against the wall. I cut off slice with my
pocket knife, broiled it in the embers, and
with this and a piece of bread made my
supper, which / ate with far less appetite
than / had had an hour before. l knew
that my only chance of pulling through was
to appear confident and uncoucerned, and,
my supper eaten, / seated myself on the
foor-there were no chairs or benches in
the hut-lighted my pipe, and waited for
what might come. NO one had spoken to
me while | was cooking and eating my sup
per, but the three had gone outside. Now
as they came back, l caught these words
from the captain:
:. There's no hurry. We've plenty of
time for that. There are some things to
find out first
SEATED on a roll of blankets opposite me,
the captain began to question me about
myself and about what was going in the
settlements. There was no evading his re-
lentless eye and keen interrogatories, and
answered him promptly and frankly. On one
point only / tried to deceive him, telling
him that our paymaster would so next
week to the mine to pay off the hands
This was to get him off from any idea that
| was likely to have a considerable amount
seven Mexican dollars, nothing more. He
listened to all i said with no EXPRESSION