Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1907-08-28
RIOTER AT ASH FORK BOUND
 OVER.
(rrsn Thursdays nsay.)


 Ash Fork, "Spcck" Shoot was arraign- cd in the justice court there yesterday on the charge of shooting into the office of the Postal Telegraph company at an carly hour Tuesday morning, and held to appear before the grand jury under $500 bonds.
 Charles B. Dimmick and n man named Smith, formerly night operator in the Western Union office at that place, who were arrested on the charge of being implicated in the affair, were released from custody, no evidence being intro duced connecting them in any way with the affair. Shoot was brought here last night by Sheriff Lowry and lodged. in the county jail.
 Residents of Ash Fork aver that oth. CTS arc guilty of firing some of the shots which wrecked the fronts of the Postal office and the Pitts store, and every effort is being made by the officers to secure information sufficient Co warrant the arrest of the suspected parties When arraigncd, Shoot, with Dim. mick and Smith, entered a plea of not guilty. The defense was represented by Attorney Stevens, of Williams, and the prosecution by Assistant District Attorney J. C. Forest. Smith proved that he was acting in tho capacity of bartender in the old Van Alcn saloon when the shooting took place, and Dim. mick, who Is said to be m inofYcnsivc man, also established m alibi.
 According to the evidence introduced by General Manager Swain and Opcr. ator Sutton, of the Postal, which was in part corroborated by another wit. ness, Smoot fired the first several shots from shotgun into the fronts of the Postal and Pitts buildings. breaking almost all the glass and damaging the Winchester bullets were found imbcd. dcd in the walls adds color to the theory that one, or perhaps, two, others fired some of the shots.
 Smoot was drunk when the shooting occurred. He is n familiar figure on the ranges around Ash Fork, where he works as n cowboy. He is known to have no interest in the Photographers strike and all familiar with the cir. cumstanccs of the shooting are of the opinion that he did it while intoxicated I and on mischief bent.
 He served term in tho Territorial pcnitentiary on the charge of man. slaughter, for shooting n man in Win. jams, some years ago, in dispute over n woman of the red light district. He was paroled but on his arrival in Will. jams succeeded in getting into a serious quarrel when he was returned Co Yuma. He was afterwards pardoncd short time before his term expired.
 The affair at Ash Fork seems to have been used as prctcxt by the telegraph companies to invoke Federal interference, for yesterday Attorney General Clark received n message stat. ing that both companies had united in n request to President Roosevelt to send troops to that point. Mir. Clark at once communicated with the shcriff's office and learned that all was quiet at Ash Fork and that several men were under arrest. Fearing lest such an unwarrnnt. ed request of the President might be construed throughout the United States that lawlcssness existed in Arizona, and that the governor was unable to suppress it.. Mir. Clark authorized q statement of the plain facts to be sen, through the Associated Press to tn, people of the country. In this message he stated that the shooting was only done by a couple of drunken cowboys and that there was no danger of further trouble. His message concluded witt these words; "sueh request (fo, troops) is positively absurd"
 MT. Clark was inclined to be vexed over the foolish action taken by tn, telegraph companies for he remarked to JournalMiner representative
 "There was violence and bloodsbei nearly every day during the ear strik, in san Francisco, but even there tn, situation did not warrant tho callin, out of the Federal troops. What a spec tacle it would bc to have troop ot soldiers ordered to guard town agains poor drunken cowboy"