Bisbee daily review., 1906-01-02
INTERESTING TALK
 Of BIsBfE PIONEER Mr. N8rton Tells of Strong Maine Friendship Fer nj lirz0Ha

' y Apropos of the recent controversy i between the Volunteer Fire Depart ment and other parties as to the owp- ership of the lot on which the fire
 house stands on Main street. som
 facts brought to light through EE C.. l Merton. who HOW resides in Maine. but at present is visiting in Biseee, may be interesting. i Mir Norton came to Bisbee several days ago on business. When asked | b. a representative of the Review for | a statement as to what arrangements
 were made when the Volunteer Fire { 0enartment was established, Hr. Nor
 ton said:
 \ "The Volunteer Fir Dera-tment was II established by citizen -F the Risbee | mining camp The Copp, "''"c7 con- | psny. through Ben Williams. who was ] at that time ude~' of The | e mpany. gaye-. tho .-~-rad on hich I the fire departr-a~t was built. on con | diticn that if it v-~~ --~ve1 the laad | would eo back t0 tha Copper Queen | company. The Inoner for the build- | ing was secured by subscription, the Copper Queen being the heaviest do
 Dator.
 'T was the spokesman of the com
 miltee of three chosen by the cit'zsrs to wait on the company and get dona- ton of land was given the contract for the building and it was erected ur- Ger my supervision. 1 was also the
 first chief of the. Fire Department" MT. Norton left Bisbee four years ago and returned to Maine, where he
 has since resided. This is the second trip to Bisbee since he left. He is
 very enthusiastic over. the rapic
 growth of the city, and believes tha; by 1910 there will be close to 5o.oot
 neap1a here. He stated that the East
 ern ueople are just heginning to wakt
 up to the realization of the vast wealtf of Arizona, and that their eyes arc
 turned westward Mir. Norton was one of the early set tiers of this city. But two or three hundred people were here when hs came. He is we'll known here as 2 contractor. having built a great many
 of the houses. He was here wher Bishen was raided by the six bandits in 1885. He saw the first man killed lin the raid. and graphically describes the i-cident. He said John Taftner
 was the first man shot bv the raiders
 and that he fell through the door
 where the Copper Queen dispensaTl
 aow stands. Several were killed in 'h;e raid. A vigilance committee caught and hung one of the raiders to post
 rear the present site of the Norton House. The other five were arrest 1 ed and hung at Tombstone nine months later
 Mir. Norton states that the senti- ment of the Eastern people Of his state /! in regard to the statehood question is l that if Arizona doesn't want to be join
 ed to New Mexico it ought not to be | joined. He said: rE ..gH I People of my state regard ArizoH-I ans as having the wealth, brains and pTogressiveness. and capable of gov erning themselves without dictation from New Mexico. They know, too. l that the ioiDture scheme is political concoction to benefit a few politi- clans. I believe the sentiment off Maine is that if Arizona don't want tol be hooked onto New Mexico congress- should not compel her by passing theI joint statehood bill Considerable iR- iterest is shown in my state. and thel sentiment is with. Arizona ;n her fight" Mir Norton's brother, S. G. Norton, sheriff of Waldo county, Maine, Is ex- pected here from trip to the coast this week Together they will returnI to their homes in Maine after a short visit here