Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-11
THE STORY GRAPHICALLY TOLD
BY SHERIFF CAMERON.
He Led the Posse That Tracked the
Notorious Desperate and Finally
Placed Him on Scaffold

cameron this gang was e1ecuVeiy broken
up and dispersed, and where few years
ago murderers, robbers and other desperate
men held unquestioned sway peaceful
droves of sheep and herds of cattle now
feed unmolested
Ralph H. Cameron, Flagstaff, Arizona"
is the record In the register of the New
Willard Hotel, and a reporter of The Star
hunted out this man, whose signal daring
in the capture of the notorious Jim Parker,
the train robber, and Juan Lopez, the Mexi-
can murderer, brought him fame in the
west some years ago. Mr.. Cameron Is
modest, unassuming man, and would De
the last one a person would PICK out In
crowd a determined and brave officer
He is of medium height, Inclined to be
slender. and wears a mustache. His face
shows the ruggedness of western life ana
his eyes are small and keen.
The Chase of Juan Lopez.
It was some time before The Star man
could get Mr.. Cameron to talk, and then
he told the story of Juan Lopez, the Mexi-
can. Lopez, a cattle herder, 1t appears,
became angered at his employer, and, after
stealing his gun, shot him dead from a
thcket near by.
The Mexican made good his escape, and
for six weeks, day and night, Cameron
was on his trail. The story of the hard
chance, he discovered the rifle of the muir
dered man in a camp of Navajo Indians,
and how he learned that the murderer had
traded this gun for an Indian pony, are
thrilling details of a long and interesting
narrative, which is fierce enough to take
it's place in the dime-novel literature OF
"Old Sleuth." Lopez was finally located
and taken in New Mexico from among his
family of seven brothers and hustled away
to Flagstaff before any one realized what
was going on. The evidence against Lopez
was SO conclusively that no one dreamed
for moment that he would not be con-
victed. During the discussion of the case
by the jury. however, newspaper was
handed in the window of the jury room,
and the attorney for Lopez made the point
that the jury had been tempered with. 1t
was sufficient TO save his neck, but he was
sentenced to life imprisonment and is now
serving his term.
But thrilling as this story is, and it has
not been told in any part Of its fullness
here, 1t pales into insignificance with the
story of Jim Parker, who single handed
and alone, his partner having been killed,
held up the Santa Fee train and calmly and
deliberately robbed 1t. THAT was perhaps
the most thrilling experience of my life"
said Mr.. Cameron, and his eyes twtnkled
in recollection Of the long chase Jim Parker
gave the officers of Arizona.
Notorious Jim Parker.
Jim Parker was not bad man at heart.
Like many other young men, he began
wrong and developed rapidly. The police
first became acquainted with Parker In
versalia county, California where he was
caught while still a boy, stealing grain
from the fields during harvest time. He
was sent to San Quentin prison and served
a term of five years. In the early sos Jim
Parker made his first appearance in Art-
IONA as a cattle thief, and was the recog
nized chief Of what was then known as the
Thompson gang. whose headquarters were
ROBBERS RooSt This band consisted of
Abe Thompson, Kid Marvin, and several
half-breeds and Mexicans, whose names
were never known. Thompson had been
railroad engineer, and furnished the me-
chanical part of the plan to rob the Sante
Fe train. For several weeks Thompson, by
drawings and Illustrations coached Parker
in the management of a locomotive. 1t was
the first chapter in a we'll Reconstructed plot
to hold up an express train, a job that re-
quired great deliberation and daring. Jim
Parker furnished all of this, for though
small man, with kindly face he was the
most determined man when he set out to do
a job I ever saw. Parker told me after
ward that he planned the robbery. Some
time before the hold-up Parker went to
Pete Springs and purchased a ticket to
California, taking with him his saddle and
gun, giving 1t out generally that he was
tired of the country and was going home.
Three weeks after he left he returned on
horseback riding through the country and
joined the band in Robbers Roost.
Planning a Hold-Up.
1.-The scheme which they had planned was
to hold up the train at Nelson, about eight
miles from Pete Springs. Parker was to
have one man with him to help him
in the work, and as soon as they
had secured the booty they were to
go into southwestern Nevada and es-
cape Thompson and Marvin, as soon
as they started on the expedition were to
go to Pete Springs, take room in promi
hot rxyIn
raised Thompson's gang would not be sus-
pected, and Jim Parker according to last
accounts being in California, suspicion
would be diverted from Robbers Roost.
But the best laid plans of mice and man
oft gang agee,' as 1 will explain. The train
slowed up for Nelson In a box canyon and
Parker swung himself. aboard the engine
and held up the engineer and fireman and
stopped the train. His partner was to
couple the express car from the passenger
coaches and signal by two shots, when
Parker would take the train up the canyon
and they would dynamite the express car.
When the train slowed up the express mes
senger fearing something wrong grab
bed his revolver and jumped from the train.
He saw the cars uncoupled and was climb
ing back onz HE platform when he came
face to face with the train robber. He shot
him dead, and Jim Parker hearing the two
shots, concluded 1T was the signal, and
pulled the throttla open and took the en-
CINE and mail car off. The mail car was
y
usual but the mistake fortunately saved
the Wells-Fargo people a large sum of
money. for the express car was left stand
ing with the passenger coaches.
'SThree miles frem where the train stopped
Parker brought the engine to a standstill
and marched the, engineer and fireman off,
while he proceeded to rifle the registered
mail pouch He Was expecting his partner
every rninute,A buti he did not materialize,
and so. singlelhaliAed and alone, he calmly
went through tthe mail. selecting the letters
containing msney land valuables. He then
directed the engineer and fireman to go
back and get the train, and he made for the
hush. He came back, however, and hid
along the railroad track as the train went
by. and then hurried back to the place where
he had left his partner, wondering in the
meantime what had become of him. He
found not a trace Of him, and, taking the
horses. rode off to deserted cabin, where
he spent the night The next morning he
returned to the scene. and. not finding his
partner, made off for Nevada.
Posse in Pursuit.
"a posse was Immediately called, and 1
was placed in charge of It, 1t included the
sheriffs of Mojave and Yavapi counties and
myself, the sheriff Of Coconino county and
seven deputies We took up the trail from
the place where the train had been held up
and followed it for two days. Parker was
great cigarette smoker, and we found a