Arizona republican., 1905-04-10
MURDER AT SEA
Crime for Which Arizona
 Man Is Under Arrest
DEPUTY SHERIFF HOBBS
or Graham County Brought to Phoe- nix Yesterday-Whya a British Con- sul General Has Fingered Here. Prisoner Declares His Innocence.

most startling disclosure was made yesterday when Deputy Sheriff Lee Hobbs of Graham county was brought by detachment of Arizona Rangers to the county jail charged with the murder of a British sea captain nearly three years ago. The 2rrest Of Hobbs is the re- suit of the mysterious visit of Court enay Walter Bennett, British consul general at San Francisco and Attorney T. F. K. Carmac who arrived in the city week ago. They are still here The object of their visit was a matter of considerable conjecture to all outside the office of the United States marshal and the United States court Inquir- ies regarding their coming and their prolonged stay brought the answer on- ly that they were seeing the country. It was observed though that their in- vestigations took them more frequent ly into the vicinity of the marshaFs of fee than anywhere else.
 Hobbs, who has been a resident of the territory for several years is a cousin of Sheriff J. V. Parks of Gra- ham. county and most of the time dur ing the several administrations of Sheriff Parks he has acted as his chief deputy. He IS widely connected by marriage in Graham county and it is said $ related to half the families be- tween SolomOnyille and Duncan.
 He has been located at Clifton where. the arrest was made on Friday by a posse of rangers headed by Ranger William Sparks. The greatest secrecy was observed in the movement against Hobbs for f. w2s feared that arrest afrF1 Inc fcfp pA hat aft T,,a haI been taken into custody an attempt at rescue would he made. Precautions against such 2 movement had been , taken. A considerable par of the Ranger force happened to be in Clifton at that time.
 Hobbs happened to be at the station at Clifton when the train bearing the rangers arrived. They were accom- panied by q sailor who had been brought to this country to identify him. As soon as he saw him he pointed him out and he was taken into custody. The rangers were taking no chances. They would not allow him to see his friends or even to change his clothes.
 Hobbs took his arrest cooly and said last night at the county jail that he had no fear of the result The mur- der for which Hobbs is arrested was committed on board the Leicester Gas tie. Sept. ?, 1902. Hobbs said that he would be able to prove by a hundred witnesses that he was in the territory at that time; that he was acting as de- puty sheriff then and that he was not out of the territory at any time longer than a month. He added that he had never been on sea going vessel in his life. That the only maritime exper- fences he had ever had was on the hurricane deck of q bronco on the plains of Texas.
 Soon after he was brought to the city telegram was received here from Charles Solomon. member of the ter rltoriaI board of equalization to a friend directing him to call on Hobbs and inquire if he could be of any ser vice to him.
 Telegrams were received last night stating that Sheriff Parks would ar rive in the city this morning Other friends of Hobbs in Graham and Co., chise counties are also expected. The consul general came here with a warrant of extradition prepared under the convention between this country and Great Britain in 1S42 and subse- quently amended. It began, ''The president of the United States to the marshal of the United States for the territory of Arizona" It recited the terms of the convention and directed | the arrest of Lee Hobbs for a murder committed within the jurisdiction of his Britannic Majesty, that is on board a British vessel the Leicester Castle. within+ten leagues of Pitcairn island. The warrant was signed by Judge Kent and delivered to the United States marshal by whom it was given to the rangers to be served all the of ficers of the marshaPs office being then busily engaged in court
 The warrant was issued on the com plaint of Courtenay Walter Bennett Esquire. Companion of the Most Elm inent Order of the Indian Empire and the highest representative of his ma jesty within this consular Jurisdiction. The complaint was drawn in the usual complete English form. reciting among other things that Lee Hobbs of Cliff ton, Arizona, late of Litchfield, H.. did unlawfully. wilfuly. deliberately and premeditatedly of his malice atore- thought kill and murder one John Ben nett Nixon, a human being in the peace of God and His Britannic Majesty then and there being and committed the crime of murder
 The complaint contained no other circumstances of the crime than the location and the fact that the murder was committed by shooting.
 But it is stated outside of the com plaint that Hobbs signed with the Lei cester Castle and sailed from San Francisco for 9 cruise involving the is lands Of the South Seas. With him were other persons who had no ex- perience at seq and from the time the | vessel left port they resented what to a Iandsmen appeared the tyrannical l manner of the ships officers, this man ner being more marked on a British l vessel than on an American ship. | The mate of the vessel was brought more directly into contact with the dissatisfied sailors and there were