Arizona republican., 1906-03-22
IN THE WOODY DAYS
 AN ARIZONA OFFICER.
Tom wOrden Who was Lately Killed
 at SelignaB.

The death of Tom Worden at Se- ligman a short time ago was mention ed in the territorial papers, but tho following dispatch to the Globe Dem ocrat of March Y contains some in formation that may be new to most Arizonians and that has some local interest:
 Tom Worden. who met a tragic death at this place a few days ago was noted throughout tle southwest as a peace officer. He belonged to the old school, who derived it's power and influence over desperate outlaws and bad men generally through liberal and timely use of the gun. He me. his death in the discharge of hIs duty and his prediction tnat he would die with his boots on" came true, al though it was the locomotive ot a r;tii- road train that brought him co his end instead of the bullet of enc of his enemies, as he expected 1t would oe. Worden was in the detective service of the Atchison. Topeka. and Santa Fe railroad. and he was in pursuit of a car thief when he was run down by d train and killed
 His death is peculiarly sal, in view of the fact that he had just sold out his interest in the Silver King mine al Calico for $4O.00O. and his resignation as detective was in the hands of tne railroad officials, and was to have gone into effect on the day after he met with the fatal accident. Worden had dreamed of being wealthy for years and years and when the rich strike was made in the Silver King. and the value of the mine jumped from a few hundred dollars to $l6O- D., ,F With his share of S4O.OO0 placed safe ly in a bank Worden wrote out and forwarded his resignation as railroad detective, to take effect on March I. He decided 5hat he would take things easy for the remainder of his life. He and his wife had planned to take an extended trip to Mexico and to spend the coming summer in visiting the eastern pleasure resorts of the Unit ed States.
 "W-orden made his big reputation as a peace officer during the riotous boom days of Tombstone. He was marshal of that town wacu it was mo- Jorious as one of ;he toughest places in the southwest He killed six men during his first term as marshal. His ready use of the gun caused a whole some fear or the law to enter into the
 
 had been running things with a high hand in Tombstone. and the town was comparatively orderly after he had killed the fourth or fifth man. The Earp boys, who afterward became mo- torious throughout this part of the southwest, received their early train ing under Wordep. They served as deputy marshals of Tombstone while Worden was marshal.
 Worden was one of the first peac" officers of Phoenix A.riz. He had to use his gun pretty freely in that place until his authority came to be recOg- nized by the lawless element. II is said of Worden that he got every criminal he ever went after. This was true at least in the case Of Jose Or tega, d Mexican, who escaped after committing a cold -blooded murder few years ago. Worden went on the nunt of Ortega. lie struck his trail and followed the fugitive into Mexico for a distance Of sixty miles from the border He overhauled his man in stretch of desert country, and bore down upon him with a pistol. After disarming the fugitive. he forced the man to walk the entire sixty miles back to the boundary line. where he was turned over to otner officers while Worden laid up for needed rest.