Arizona republican., 1911-07-05
HANGED FOR
STEALING COW
Story Of First lyRchiOg Bee
In Phoenix
WAS PROBABLE MURDERER
An Incident Antedating the
Plaza Event Popularity
Supposed to Be the Only
Illegal Execution in the
County.
WAS PROBABLE MURDERER


labor under the delusion that
Phoenix has never engaged in but
one formal lynching bee, the occasion
when the murderers of Luke Mont
han we're swung from a cottonwood
tree ovcrhanging the street near the
northwest corner of the city hall, in
the early eighties. Not boastfully,
but merely that the record may be
kept straight, the facts are herewith
given of the first and only other
similar event in the history of the
town, occurring almost a decade be
fore. The town was then called Salt
River settlement, not having been
Christened Phoenix. and having no
newspaper. Reference To- the lynch
ing can be found in the Tucson
Citizen of July i, 1873. To the
credit of the people Of those days
il should Ice said that both lynch
ings were carried out in an orderly
way. without brutal demonstration,
and it has never been questioned
but that the men executed deserved
their fate.
The first lynching in Phoenix oc-
CURED on the morning Of July ,,
1873. last Monday being the thirty
eighth anniversary II the day.
Mariana Tisnado was the name of
IA. man who stretched the hemp
and his soul took flight. as near as
can now be located. from a point
about where the front door of the
Porter harness shop now stands. on
Washington street. between Center
and First avenue. The "scailold'
WAS the big beam that ran from the
tops of two posts which held the
heavy swinging gate to the Monlhan
and Starrar corral that occupied the
northwest quarter of the block now
bounded 10y Washington. Center and
Adams streets and First avenue
First avenue was then known ~ I'rtez
street.
The crime for which Tisnado was
hanged was the stealing If COW. Whlch
he admitted but his offcnses rad been
many and in an investigation OF the
coyy stealing incident it became cs-
tablished by Circumstantial evidence
that he was the previously unknown
SLAYER of a highly respected pioneer oil
the valley. y. f. Griffin 1t was felt
that the man should be hanged for the
murder. but If he should by any chance
be innocent of that, his other crimes
were deserving Of rctribution at the
hands of long outraged community
Wednesday. July >. 1873. Il. +. Pat
tcrson. a well known rancher who livcd
about three miles from town, missed his
cow which had been picketed the night
before A short distance from his house.
The COW had evidently been stolen a
the rope was cut and tracks showed
that she had been driven toward the
river bv man on horseback. The COW
and driver were trailcd To Phoenix anu
within 900 Yards Of the butcher shop
Of Refugio Subiate. where the head
and hide Of the Patterson COW were
found together with beef Subiate
said he had bought the cow Of Tisnado
before daylight.
Tisnado'S reputation in the c"mmun-
ity was questionable and a ring had
been found i'm his possession some time
before that had belonged to Griffin
who was killed in February 1873. He
escaped punishment for the murder
through lack Of direct evidence though
ne could give no satisfactory account
If where he got the ring. but the peo-
pie gave him the benefit OF Tire doubt
Tisnado and Subiate were arrested
Immediately and brought before Jus
tice NJ =. Griffin for preliminary eX-
animation. The former was arraigncd
first and confessed that the charge
against him was true, the principal
witnesses being Subiate and his wife
Tisrado was held over to answer Ia
the district court His bond was fixed
at $1,000 which he was unable to give
and was placed in Jail Subiatc's eX-
animation went over until the next day
During the remainder of the day
and until late I'm the evening Of the
second. the streets were unusually
! crowded with men, calm and quiet
yet looking earnest and determined
! The sheriff Of the county, Tom G
HAYES, successor Of Thomas Bar
mum, fearing that an effort would bt
made to lynch the prisoner, slept in
the Jail all night. ON Thursday
morning. July 3. everything was un-
| commonly quiet The only noticeabl,
feature WIS inc great iHliuN VI idi
mcrs from up and down the valley
and from across the river. all heavily
armed. but quiet and well behaved
| making no disturbance. Shortly be
fore 9 o'clock i'm the morning the
mass of the people began moving to-
ward the court house square.
What followed is not described in
detail. but can be surmised by tn,
! following words attributed to a resi-
| dent of the city at the time.
Il again went out and asked what
the excitement was. \ man answer
! ed. Nothing, il is all over ! asked
Where He said Down around Moni-
! Inns cnrral' | tnen DrOceeded e