Mohave County miner., 1899-02-04
Horrible Butehery.

y ~ 'p"'eieu feUaln6 OF J0hn
b'eak and James Dowd in the big wash ,
at blackberry, within a few hundred
yards OF the railroad depot. The finder
OF the greSsome objects gave the alarm
and the whole town hurried to the scene
The sight was An awful one. The re-.
mains OF Dowd lay in the wash with the
head almost severed from the body. HI.
mad apparently been struck in the he ,d
with rock which broke the bvnes of the
nose and crushed in the forehead and
while he lay on the ground was beaten
into insensibility with large rocks. The
cruel murderer then drew his chin up
and cut his threat clean into the neck
bone. Many other wounds were found
on the body. After bis throat had been
cut and all the blood had run from the
body, it was pulled into the wash and
there apparently robbed. Bleak's body
lay about twenty feet away and show ed
signs OF mighty struggle for lie, the
ground being all tramped up for a spac.
OF twenty feet square. Blesk's body was
horribly mutilsted. He had been stab
bed In the shoulder and twice in the
back Of the head. The knife pressed
through his hat and into the head pierc
ing the skull through which wounds the
brains oozed out. The murderers then
attempted to cut his throa but made q
bungling job Of ii. His face MAS slashed
tn three places aud his throat cut in four
or five places. The jneular vein was
severed and the blood q Iwed out over hi,
beard. He had evidently been rolled
over IN the sand, as clotted blood ana
sand covered his face. HIS hands we're
cut as II In an effort to guard himself
from the knife OF his assailsnt. Several
blood stained rocks we're iound in bush
near by and within hundred feet OF the
bodies the murderers had burned up y
blood stained coat or a portion Of one.
A small piece OF Spanish newspaper
was found in the ashes Of the fire. An
inquest was held Monday and Tuesda,
but nothing definite could be learned re-
gsrdinR the perpetrators OF the coward,
murder From all that could be l,arnei )
the deduction is made that D,wd and
Bleak, who had been drinking, had
fallen In with two Mexicans and having
a bottle Of whIskey drank the contents
while going toward the bridge camp and
that l'leak went back to town to yet
another bottle While he was gone the
Mexicsns fell upon Dowd and murdered
him. When Bleak returned and cav
what had been dooe to Dowd he started
to run when he wan followed and stabbed
in the shoulder and then 10 the head.
In stsbbiug him in the head the hard
bones turned the point Of the knife.
Bleak when stabbed fell to the ground,
but still struggled for life. The knife
having been bent could not be made to
DO as god a Job as that done on Dowd,
as the cuts all show ,pged. The two
men were buried in Hackberry. Sheriff
Hubrs and D.puty Lovin arrested Two
men named Jose Martinez aud Ffiso
Costello and charged them with the
crime. From Costello was taken an ugly
looking pocket knife Of the dirk pattern.
A half inch Of the point was bent over
and on il was spot Of blood. 1t also
showed evidence OF having recently been
secured. The point was bent but short
time as the inside showed no evidence
Of the blade having been opened only
lew times. Had It been opened oftener
. groove would have been cut In the lin
ing Of the handle. On preliminary ex
animation the men called in many Mex!
cans to prove that they we're In Thurber's
camp, about nine miles east Of Kingman
Thursday night to late hour, but their
alibi is controverted by the time book
and time keeper at the camp and by
many witnesses at blackberry. The ex
animation is in progress before Judge b.
ker today and the chances are the two
men will be held tor the murder. At the
the knite taken from Cos
lilo was fitted into the cut In Bleak's hat
and |, fitted the hole exactly. The officers
are still working on clue that may forge
,be chain Of circumstsntial evidence
,till tighter.
John Bleak leaves wife and eight
.hildren /, St. George, Utah. He has
Desn team,ng aud mining IN this county
,ver ten years. James Dowd is miner
nd In veil known On the coast. No