Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1916-02-25

ID. B. Stephens sheriff ni I.nn.
county, and Joe Cranson. who wa
serving II sentence for vagrancy il
the local prison, were killed: an,
deputy sheriff "Buck" Sewer wa,
painfully though not seriously wound
ed in the head, and J. q. Starr an,
{. Schmidt. both burglars. are in jai
~ Las Cruces. IA the result of n .ul
battle fought in IN arroyo mil,
northeast of Rincon. Sunday after
n"on. Starr is wounded. The bai
tie followed daring Jail deliver,
earlier IN the day. W. Dashley. for.
cr and Francisco Acosta. murderer
ar, still at large.
The true facts of the gun battle in
which Sheriff Dwight y. stephens wa :
killed became known only late Mon
day afternoon when those who had
been eye-wiinesses 10 the FIGHT began
to return to Deming. The stories
circulated at Rincon were badly
earblcd. even when contributed b,
those who, under less stress, were IN
II position to furnish the fact.
There were two men actually en-
gagged in the battle whose presence
was unknown to others. who were en-
deaVoring Ia capture the bandits.
These Two men were Wayne Estes aud
jack Arnold. who came upon the
scene Just H. deputy sheriff john
Kelly opened the fight from the top
of the hill
There was no road where the fight
took place. The ear used by the
bandits had been run up q smah
arroyo at the base of u small hll.
which figures largely in the tragedy.
about one mile northeast of Rincon
in III" toolhiil>. The jail breakers
were eating lunch in the arroyo when
they were startled into action hy tn.
-ound of the ears of the pursuing
officers. They sprang to the edge OF
the arroyo and were thereby pro-
lrcted to great extent all during
the battle that followed. John Kel
ley was the first man TO discover the
iugitive> after arriving on top of the
hill. Tie opened fire. Jack Arnold
md Wavne Estes Joined him and so
did j. e. Tabor shortly afterwards.
The four kept up steady fire and
one of this party shot J. q. Starr III
The leg. II was one of this party
also that shot the boy, Joe Cranson.
a. about four hundred wards as he
was attempting to escape from the
arroyo.
The four men on the hill are of
the opinion that the sheriff new
cr saw any of the bandits. being al
most instantly killed as he was skirt
inc the base of the hill. not more
than ten feet from the fugitiveS and
in the same arroyo
The desperate men were simply
waiting for some of the officers to
80 come around the hill They shot
Buck" Sewer in much the same way,
although he was on much higher
ground ground and saw and yelled al
the escaped prisoners before he was
struck. The bandits were above both
Sewer and stephens. This account,
for the fact that the fatal ball pas
.cd through the sheriff's right arm ut
the shoulder, ranging down to the
heart. II is thought that the emmy
shell in his gun was due to u Dis
charge caused by his fall. The
bandits were firing up the hill and
down the arroyo, almost AT right
areles. The sheriff lay in plain sight
oi the party on the hill.
From the hill top they saw Sewer
iall. but could not see his body after
wards and concluded that he was
dead. The bandits could reaoh his
body under cover and this they did.
securing his rifla. He remembers
the bandits standing over MIN aod
remarking: I've have 'sillrl the big
- IL. E,.Ia g.l.,.