The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-07
TgE AsSAsSINs OF ARIZONA.
-vpFRIENCE or THE EARLY
~ SEVENTIES IN TUCSON.

nan Inn-TwO of the Track
party kiIIed-The Third Shot
an His Horse.
r,,ro the Chicago Inter Ocean.
...--,.. first ten years following the close
civil war Arizona seemed given
o. ,,4 -peciai jurisdiction of the devil,
,,,,-fn C. Taylor of San Francisco.
san, r'.- win friends in the cafe of the
a.. House last night. 1t wasn't the
~, Itself that was at fault, for there
t.ao that goes 10 make up Arizona
-.4ss hot sun and sand hills 1t was
r.onle. There had always been
..,,r ropulation of Apaches, desperadoes,
,.-,,r.d rattlesnazes and ella monsters.
,.,f, 90, tougher when the war ended and
49, men for whom peace had no charms
s-,s,a5 mo the far Southwest. Tuscon,
Ma f. psso. was a convenient place for
.ssro 5eing near the Mexican border, so
,,,t ii things got hot for them on one
.de of the line they could skip across
:, ar short notice and get beyond reacn
dearest.
vaz living at Tuscon in the early '7O's
ENGAGED n the practice of law, but de-
voting more of my time to the acquiring
If land grant rights and the development
and sale of mining property. 1t was to
s,rsfv myself as to the location of a
and grant boundary that l left Tuscoh
e9rjv one morning, alone on horseback,
taking the trail southwark down the San
"a cruz valley. In the middle of the fore
noon I overlook Francisco Garcia riding
soberlv along the trail with all of his
nersonal beiOngings-they consisted of u
noncho and a parcel tied upV in large
handkerchief, with his sheathed sword
thrust ctosswse beneath the knot-fast-
ened 90 The saddle behind him. Garcia
was a toeador-an espada, in fact, the
leading nan in the bun ring, who plays
The final act in each encounter by a face
to face duel armed only with a naked
sword with the bull. There had been a
bull fight at Tucson, as part of the ceie-
batioa of the birthday of that city's pat
ron saint, in which Garcia had distin-
gushed himself. But he had dalled al
the monte table afterward and left there
the silver dollars that he had gained by
his professional skill and bravery. Now
he was OH his way to Hermosillo, in So
rora, in hopes to secure a star engagement
there for the Christmas holiday celebra-
lions.
We greeted each other cordially and rode
on together for a stretch. But as l had
much the better horse, and knew I must
make the most of my time that day,
presently handed him a package of ciga-
rettes said adiOs, and rode on away from
him. Several miles ahead l turned off the
trail to make my Investigations of the
landmark. 1t was late in the afternoon
before I was ready to go back TO the trail
50 late that l decided I would not try to
return to Tucson that night, but go further
down the valley and sleep at San Pablo,
where an American named Clumb kept
posada, or inn.
A circumstance that helped me to come
to this decision was a feeling which had
been growing upon me through the day
that / was being followed. 1t had begun
in the morning, when, after leaving Tue
SON looking back from high hill five
miles away, I had seen three men in the
distance riding in the same direction 1 was
taking Two or three times while making
my explorations I had caught a glimpse
of some one watching me from conceal
ment behind some hill crest-and above
this, l felt strongly that instinct that I
was being Swallowed" which a man liv-
ING amid dangers is likely to learn not TO
disregard.
To go to San Pablo I took a different
route from that by which I had left the
through a range of hills, 1 saw a man
holding three horses at the entrance of the
canon through which 1 should have passed
mad ! started back for Tucson. As soon as
J. appeared in view ne led the horses into
me canon out of sight, and l had no doubt
NAT ne was one of the three men whom 1
mad seen riding that morning from Tue
son. and that the other two were ambush
ed III The canon waiting for me. An hour
later ] rode through the plaza to the inn
mere the first person that my eyes fell
on Was Francisco Garcia sitting upon a
tnud bench built along the front of the
house
hunted up the landlord. I knew that
ne was a thorough scoundral as ever
Went unhung, that has house had the
worst sort of reputation as a haunt ana
qealng place for thieves and robbers. But
Aad a guarantee of my own safety here
~ 'He TACT that | had been retained as
,OuHsei by the landlord in a case where
u.e integrity of his neck depended on nv
TEorjs. He Joined me at my supper ana
asked him if Garcia, the bull fighter,
nag mad Lis supper
Not here, anyway" he said HE had
his horse"
=, Can him in" I said. "I will pay for
ms supper and breakfast
90 Narcia, too proud to beg, came in 10
supper on my invitation. l did not sit up
,'IS 9Rer supper being tired from nv
,o.S p'y ride. Before going to bed 1
'lH Garcia that he might spread his pom
.o on the floor in my room if he wished.
Wy, nG' me- SAID that he preferred to sleep
"Ae'e ne could guard his horse In the
'.s-S'orled adobe house my room. OF
curse was on the ground floor. and A.
,7H'' upon the placita or court yarc.
l.1l mere was no lock on the door was
matter for complaint I'm a country
~"'Ie every man at that period was ex-
pss'e1 10 protect himself against iniruG-
"'h his firearms Tired as / was.
N' Hot 60 al once to sleep. and the
st,3UEAl Of the way in which l had been
,O'.oWoa by the three men that day re-
oe '.,' 20 me, and This time with a theory
~, ,'i''F motive other than that Of mere
In land grant case then in
'.''' before the courts there would be
advantage to the contestants on
S'Ne g | We're out of the way-if the
WIZ i'anon that possessed could be per
Nh ~ suppressed-and the one effect
t,. way 70 bring this about would be to
b,a WIG killed. | was dropping asleep,
but instantly reused myself as
avl ne latch of the door softly lifted.
10 40 t9'f I