The Arizona sentinel., 1903-04-15
TRAGEDY AT PICACHO.
Deputy Constable Burke Shot Through the Head by Raphael Lopez
TO AVENGE DEATH or HIS FRIEND
The Unnecessary Killing of Santiago Lopez by Burke Precipitates Riot and Results in the Death of Burke and Woundlng of J. E. Ridgeway.

l PicachO, Cal, had it's first seriou tragedy last Saturday in it's early his 7 tory as big gold mining camp, and a , result Deputy Constable Pete Burk and Santiago Lopez are dead, Assistan ? Mine Superintendent Ridgeway is sui fering from painful flesh wound ant three men are fugitives in Mexican . territory.
 The fatal affray began in Billy Ho ran's saloon. Authenticated report are to the effect that Horan, who is
 constable of that precinct, was cleaning
 his revolver, when it was accidentally
 discharged, the ball piercing the cell
 ing and doing no harm. Deputy Con
 stable Pete Burke, hearing the shot
 rushed into the room wildly and heed
 lessly fiourishing his gun and fired sev
 eral shots prCmiscuously, one going
 through thin board partition anC
 striking Santiago Lopez in the
 back of the head, killing him in. stantly. Constable Horan at once placed Burke under arrest and dis armed him. There was intense excite ment and Burke was hustled away from the angry crowd of Mexicans who were bent on revenge of their countryman's s death. Horan and Superintendent Ridgeway took Burke in a wagon to the office of Justice of the Peace Geo. TrumbO, where he was to have pre- liminary examination. A crowd of in- 1 furiated MeXicans gathered about the place, their actions very threatening. Suddenly brother of Burke's victim stepped from the mob and with cooked revolver in his hand advanced quickly toward his brothers slayer. Burke threw up his hands, exclaiming, For Gods sake, don't kill mel" But his appeal fell on deaf ears. Lopez fired, the ball striking Burke in the right shoulder. He jumped from the wagon and started run, but was instantly GOV cred with twenty or thirty guns in the hands of as many MeXicans, and sever al shots were fired, one of them hitting Ridgeway, who attempted to stop the mob. This shot fortunately inflicted only flesh wound in the thigh. It was fired by Mexican known as ''Indian Jim."
 Raphael Lopez, no relative, but an intimate friend of Burke's victim, then ran up to Burke from behind and shot him through the head, killing him in- stantly.
 It is said that Horan did what he could to protect his prisoner, but the frenzied mob paid no. attention to the firing of his pistol over their heads and his efforts were futile. They were de- termined to kill Burke, and kill him they did. The outcome can be better understood when it is known that 80 per cent of the camps population is Mexican, and many of them have ''had it in'' for Burke for long time.
 Picacho is probably the most com pletely isolated from it's county seat of any place in California, and before any organized effort could be made the Mexican who did the killing and the two most closely implicated have, it is feared, escaped into Old Mexico, and their capture in that event is extremely uncertain.
 Sheriff Broadnax, Deputy Sheriff Trotter and Judge Andrews, assistant district attorney, of San Diego county, arrived in Yuma on the 4:4O train Monday evening and immediately left for Picacho to investigate the affray. Mrs. M. A. Wupperman accompanied the officers to act as stenographer.
 Pete Burke was born in Yuma, and at different periods had been consta- ble, deputy sheriff and city marshal; he was at one time constable at Hedges, Cal. During his career he had especially incurred the ehmity of the Mexican population by having killed several of their number, and in a few cases, it is claimed, without justi- ficatiOn. Consequently the manner of his taking of, especially in view of the immediate circumstances, created no surprise here.
 The remains of the dead deputy con- stable were brought to Yuma Sunday for burial and the funeral took place from the residence of his brother-in- law, J. T.. Balz, at o'clock p. m.