Arizona republican., 1903-04-06

Sheriff Roberts of Yavapai county believes he has in his possession the men who murdered Charles E. Goddard and Frank Cooke at Goddard sta tion on the night Of February l. His opinion is shared by all who have seen the prisoners and who had read the de scriptions of the murderers.
 The sheriff accompanied by Deputy Sheriff Frank Ruiz arrived from Naco with the suspects yesterday morning and left for Prescott this morning. One of the men is Francisco Ranteria and the other is Elijo Hidalgo.
 The descriptions of the murderers furnished by Goddards brother and Milton Turnbull and corroborated by the Mexican who talked with the mur- derers in the afternoon before the slaughter were &s follows:
 Mexican. 90 years old: feet. 3 inches: weight about 15O or 160 pounds; complexion light for q Mexican; light ly pitted with small pOX; small black moustache and kinky hair; looks Vefy much like a mulatto; has appearance of a Mexican tin-horn; has habit C. biting off finger nails.
 Mexican, 26 years old: feet, | inches; weight about 140 pounds; com pieXion rather dark: scar running par allel with nose and down face under right eye; about 1E inches long by S3 inch wide: has small black moustache." "
 The first is an exact description of Hidalgo and the latter of Ranteria. Both men admit that they were in the neighborhood of the murder, that is. as near as Prescott. They said they had left camp not far from Prescott on the day before the murder and on that day left Prescott for Phoenix arriving here on February 7. They said they had travelled on d freight train, having made arrangements with q brakeman. They did not stop long in Phoenix but pushed on south reaching Benson on February :. They then went to Naco and found employment on railI oad section on the Mexican side of the line. Their arrest was brought about by the descriptions which had been sent broad cast. The men were suspected for d long time before they were arrested but could not be induced to cross the line The officers did not want to ar rest them in Mexico on account of the difficulty if not imposslbility of secur- ing their extradition. A close watch was kept upon them. however, that they might not get out Of sigGt.
 The officers a2d the l.sai>t.HrH ,: I.sf- .ecIion ooss 9 nd one d]y h. i.ls naS SsG to Siis; HIdalgo @crCzs tse !'.-e .F''I-- he thought he was still in Mexico He was quietly arrested. It happened also that that was payday. When Banter ia's check was given to him he was told that he would have to go to the bank on the American side to get Il cashed. He was told to be there at o'clock. He deml.rred to crossing the line but he finally did so and arrived at the bank little refore s. The bank was closed and the officer who was to arrest him had not yet arrived. He had so far acted upon the instruc- tions of Mexican who he believed was his friend but when he found the bank closed he suspected q trap and hurried back across the line and stayed near it awaiting developments. When everything was in readiness his friend gave him q sign and he returned cail- tiously. The bank had been opened in the meantime and Ranteria was given cash for his check. As he was leaving the bank he was arrested and Billy Blankenship who had managed the af- fair telegraphed Sheriff Roberts Of Iha capture.
  general story but they vary as to i'm portant details. On the way back they were questioned by Deputy Sheriff Ruiz as to all their movements after leaving Prescott. He asked Hidalgo how long they had stayed at Benson. Hidalgo replied that they had been there over night and had supper and breakfast there at q Chinese restaur- ant. This statement was made out of the hearing of Ranteria soon after the train left Naco. When the train reach ed q little station on the Fl Paso 6 South Western not far from Benson Ranteria remarked to Hidalgo that that was the place where they had eat en supper and breakfast On February on their way down. By saying Feb ruary - Ranteria recalled to the off cers what they had noticed before. the