Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-04-09
A FEARLESS OFFICER
Deputy Sheriff George Scarborough,
of Grant County, Was a Terror
to Outlaws.
KILLED TWO MEN AT Ell PAS0
he Was a Type of the Early Southwest
erner-Many Incidents In His Exciting
Life Were More Romantic
Than Fiction.

A writer who knew George Scarbor-
ough well relates the following Incl
dents in an FL Paso paper:
George A. Scarborough, who died at
Deming, the victim of an assassin's
bullet, was we'll known. He was in the
discharge of his duty as an officer when
cowardly outlaws shot him from m
bush. And though their victim was
wounded unto death, his assassins did
not dare conn out in the open to finish
their work her and there,
George A. Scarborough was born in
Jones county, Tex, in 1860. His father.
as the deceased once expressed it, was
the first white man to stick a pillow in
the ground in Jones county" George
Scarborough was four years sheriff of
that county, and there made a reputa-
ton for being one of the coolest and
most fearless officers in Texas.
In 1898 he came to Ell Paso to locate
as United States deputy marshal under
Marshal Dick Ware, and Mr.. Ware fire.
ouently remarked that Mr.. Scarborough
was the most active deputy on his staff.
He mad. numerous important captures,
and was the terror of evil doors.
Early in 1895, several months before
the noted John Wesley Hardin was
killed by John Sellman, it vas reported
to Scarborough that Hardin had abused
him to the police. Scarborough an
nounced to a couple of friends that he
intended to make Hardin retract. His
friends pleaded with him to pay no at
tention to the matter. Hardin was
known to be reckless and unacquainted
with fear. and swift as lightning with
and demanded a retraction. Hardin said
if he had made any such remarks about
Scarborough as We're attributed to him
they were made while he was drunk
and We're false.
Hardin agreed to publish a statement
to this effect. and wrote out the state
ment and authorized it's publication.
Liz l"o llCH d6lCCu Aiiol thS
should take charge of the written state
ment and not allow either of them to
have it. Hardin knew he either had to
retract or kill Scarborough in case he
was in the wrong, he made the apology.
A couple of months after this incident
George Scarborough killed Martin Nc
Rose near the Mexican Central bridge
in this city. McRose was wanted in
New Mexico on the charge of cattle
stealing. He was a giant in stature and
physical strength, and was stopping in
Juarez, while his wife was in Ell Paso
flirting with John Wesley Hardin.
When Scarborough was tried for the
killing of McRose the testimony showed
that Scarborough, who was anxious to
get McRose on this side of the river to
capture him, induced him to come over
to meet his wife. Scarborough and Nc
Rose crossed on the Mexican Central
bridge and had walked to within a short
distance of the levee when Scarborough
stepped to one side away from his a
to be out of his reach when he called on
him to surrender. McRose. noting the
movement and thinking no doubt he
had been walked into a trap. drew his
gun and opened fire on Scarborough.
one bullet passing through the latter's
hat. Scarborough had his gun out in a
flash, and his first shot went through
McRose's breast and was fatal.
Capt. J. D. Milton, Frank Mcmahon
and another officer. who had been sta
toned heal to assist in trying to cap
ture McRose alive, saw the flash of his
gun when he opened fire on Scarbor-
ough, and they shot at the man. But
the duel was over before the other off,
GERS fired. The jury was out but a short
time. when it returned a verdict ac-
quitting Scarborough.
A few months later, in April, 1896,
John Sellman, while drinking one night,
called Scarborough into the alley west
of the Wigwam, and the evidence ad-
duced at the trial showed that Sellman
threatened to kill Scarborough then and
there, but that Scarborough shot first,
and the slayer of John Wesley Hardin
fell mortally wounded.
In 1897 George Scarborough went to
Arizona and went to work as a cowboy.
An effort was made by him to organize
a ranch force for Arizona, fashioned
after the Texas Rangers. But the legis-
lators of the territory would make no
appropriation for it. Then the stock
men of Grant county, New Mexico, en-
ployed Scarborough and his son Ed as
special officers to break up cattle
thieving on the border and to look after
rustlers in hat county.
George Scarborough entered upon his
new duties with that energy which
made him such a valuable man to cat
tlemen. and in the vernacular of the
street he made cattle thieves hard to
catch. He soon filled the jails with
them, and between times he managed to
kill a few train robbers and cripple a
few rustlers. He also captured Pearl
HART, the notorious stage rObber
Scarborough became such a terror to
outlaws that they decided to get rid of
him, and with that object in view led
him into the ambush where he received
his death wound last Tuesday after
loon. The same gang has also marked
for death j. d. Milton. Scarborough's
running mate.
Charles b. Dowd, former chief Of po-
lice of Ell Paso, and now inspector in
the custom service, said yesterday:
IT claim to know something about
men. and 7 want to say that George
Scarborough was the most fearless nan
I ever knew. He was absolutely without
fear of anything on earth. He had more
enarpv than most anv man I ever mot "