Bisbee daily review., 1908-03-12
RANGER CAPT. DISPELs WILD
 IDEAS OF ARIz.
Wheeler, in Interview at Phoe- nix, Decries Magazine Idea of Territory-Little Crime Being Committed.

Captain Harry Wheeler of the Ari- zona rangers was visitor in Phoenix Monday for the purpose of conferring with Governor kiD0ey relating to the ranger service in the territory. Al Phoenix reporter landed on the cap tain for an interview and this is what he got:
 No, nothing exciting has happened down in the southern part of the ter ritory for some time. My men are all stantly preventing the commission of crimes. We go on the theory that it is better to prevent one crime than to avenge half a dozen others.
 The boys are all doing good wora and their efforts seem to be appreci- ated. That they are well thought of is evidenced by the fact that eleven out of the twenty-three under my su- pervision are. mentioned for offices in the districts where they are stationed. Some of them are mentioned as con stables, others. as city marshaIs, ecc., while one or two are being spoken of for sheriff. While not all of these will be nominated, and fewer still elected, it is certainty that will lose some of my best men this fall. Whf:e their being mentioned for office is a compliment and makes me feel good, in way, still I shall be sorry 10 lose any of them, for their places could not be easily filled, despite the fact that in the last three years have re- ceived over HOO applications for po- sitions on the force. They are picked men, and to get men as good as they are is hard indeed"
 Captain Wheeler dwelt at great length upon the present order prevail ing within the boundaries of the ter ritory. Whenever he is out of the territory he tries his best to dissipate the impression that this territory is the widest and wooliest place on the map, when in reality it is as orderly as any state in the union and much less crime is committed here in pro portion to the population than any where in the east.
 When I am out of Arizona" he said, q try to tell the good things about this territory instead of the bad. I recall that when l was in Los Angeles last summer was seen by a number of newspaper men, who asked me for a story When I asked them what kind of a story they desired, they said, oh, tell us about your re cent fights
 "I thought a moment and then told them it had been so long since I had had an exciting fight that l had for gotten about it. Then I told hem that 1 nothing would please me more than for them to tell the real truth about this territory and informed them that we had not had a train robbery for the last ten years, that less crime was committed in the whole of Arizona in year than in Los Angeles in week; that this territory is first in mineral production, etc All the reporters said they would be delighted to pub fish articles setting forth the facts as they were recited, but though i looked over all the papers carefully never saw word about it. The newspaper boys wanted something with blood and thunder in 1t.
 And then when I am riding on the train often hear remarks which tend to show that Arizona is popularly sup posed to be country of bad men and Indians Many of these people, when tell them the truth, look at me as much as to say, You're liar T know that some officers, when out of the territory, pose as the repre-
 sentatives of law and order in a coun-
 try where gun fights and killings are an everyday occurrence. l presume l that every officer has had some ex.
 citing experience at one time in his ! life, and many of them, when they gel
 outside our borders, recall these and
 make it appear that such things hap l pen every day or two. believe that a man who will go out and tell such tales as some that are spread broad
 cast by Arizona officers is a traitor to his territory"
 Captain wheeler states that the
 southern part of the territory is gain ing rapidly in population. Particular ly in Sulphur Springs valley has tae l advance been wonderful. Where a year or two ago there was nothing al all but wilderness, now seventy or
 eighty families are settled in comfort able homes.
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