Arizona republican., 1905-08-18
WHOLESALE ARRESTS
St. Johns Residents Charged with
 Violating the Edmunds Act.

For some time past the news has been current that attaches of the United States marShals office were in Apache and Navajo counties for the purpose of apprehending and arresting the men for whom secret indictments had been returned by the grand jury which met at Prescott the 10th of last month. In all nine indictments were returned and only one of the men in dicted was at the time arrested. The indictments were all based on alleged violation of the Edmunds-Tucker act.
 So far only five additional arrests have been made, the officer serving the warrants being Walter Gregory, who makes this city his headquarters. The best known of those arrested is David Udall a former member of the territorial legislature. Other arrests were John w. Brown, principal of the St. Johns high school; Andrew Gib bons, ex-chairman of the board of Su- pervisoTs of Apache county; John Rothlisberger, proprietor of the Val 1ey Flour mills, and Jacob Butler, the owner of lumber yard. All of those arrested are residents of St. Johns. Other arrests, it is understood, will follow in a few days. one of the par ties wanted being a resident of Snow Flake, and another of Pine, Arizona.
 On their arrest they were taken be- for the United States court commis
 sioner and released upon the furnish
 ing of bonds to the amount of $500 in each instance for their appearance at the next term of the fe2eral court at Prescott, in November.
 Considerable delay in securing for the men arrested their release was occasioned by the death of Hon. F. J. Wattron. of HolbroQk, who had been made d. court commissioner that one might be handy to St. Johns when the arrests were m&de. The men were ar rested and taken to HoibroOk but upon
 the arrival of the deputy marshal at
 that point with his prisoners Judge
 WattrOn had suecumbed to the effects of an overdose of Iaudanum- He had been troubled with in somnia for a long time and had been in the habit Of. taking medicines to
 overcome this. Owing to his death it
 was therefore necessary to wait until
 another court commissioner could be appointed and qualify.
 The arrests which it is thought
 would be made under the three re-
 maining indictments it is now thought
 have been abandoned for the present. This surmise is made owing to the fact that MT. Gregory is now on his way back to Phoenix. It is possible that owing to the delay in disposing of the cases of the men first arrested others. who knew that they were pos
 sibly liable to arrest made their way out of the country.
 When the cases come up for trial next November witnesses will be on hand who have been subpOened by the federal authorities from some places
 as far distant as Salt Lake City.
 An unusual course was followed in the prosecution of these cases. The charges were not made before any of the local federal authorities but be- fore the department at Washington. II was not known until long afterward even at the marshaTs office. th2t such complaints had been made. In fact it
 was not until the arrival here some months ago of the congressional com
 mission on irrigation of which L. g. i Senator Fred T.. Dubois was 9 mem Der. While in Phoeniz Nfr. Dubois made inquiry about the progress
 which had been made in /tlie Apache county cases and expressed surprise that they had not been heard of. He intimated that he would stir up the ] department. Not long after that the cases came before he United States grand jury at Prescott.