Arizona republican., 1920-03-31
WHEELER ADMITS NJ RECORD KEPT IN DEPORTATION
-ross-Examination by Atty. French Brings Verb a l Clashes-Former Sheriff Admits Names of Men Deported Not Taken
IRepubIican A. p. Leased Wirel

TOMBSTONE, Ariz-, March 30.-- Admission that he trusted to luck s to whether the military authorities at Columbus, New Mexico, would ac- cept the men deported under his orders from BiSbee. Arizona, July F, 1917. was made late today by Captain Harry C. Wheeler, former sheriff of Cochise county, during cross exam 1nation in the trial of Harry F. Woot- ton, charged with kidnapping in con nection with the deportations. The cross examination of Captain Wheeler consumed the entire day and was not completed at the time of adjournment. In answer to questions by County At torney Robert N. French, Captain Wheeler also admitted that he took no record of the names of the men who were dcported, that he did not know their marital or other legal status. and that he did not know who paid the expenses of the deportations.
 Did you know that @ of the men shipped out were soldiers and sail draft, that 205 of them had bought Liberty bonds. that 520 were subscrib CTS for Liberty bonds. and that 266 were property owners of Bisbee?" MT. French asked.
 1T did not" Captain Wheeler replied.
 Did you know that 300 of the 1.1S6 men deported were not I. w. w" MT. French persisted.
 The witness replied in the negative Wheeler Tells of Instructions to Aides
 As a matter of fact, Captain Wheeler, was not the only question asked of the men who were rounded up in the Warren baseball park be- fore the deportations, Are you willing to go to work?" The county attorney queried.
 50 far as I was concerned, it was not Captain Wheeler answered.
 'sThe word work was not men, toned by me. I don't know what my deputies might have done" the witness added the vast majority of the men deported were "disloyal'.
 Asked what were his instructions to his deputies. of whom he said he had sworn in about 1900, the witness said:
 T told them we were facing great danger. I informed them that I had made my will. and advised them to wind up their affairs. I instructed them to wear white handkerchiefs around their arms so as to be able to distinguish each other from the fol- lowers of the other side in case there should be shooting in the streets"
 Regarding his reasons for not keep ing the arresetd men in the ball park instead of shipping them out of the state, the witness explained that he could not keep his deputies on guard over the men indefinitely. and that he had been warned that the l. w. w. were planning to pour into the district in great numbers to aid their fellows who had been singled out for deten- ton. There were frequent clashes be- tween Mir. French and Captain Wheeler
 Witness Turns on Prosecution.
 On one occasion, when MT. French referred to the deportation a "fel ony," the witness retorted:
 .I do not stand convicted of a fel- ony. I asked you to try me, but you refused
 When the county attorney pressed a question as to detail, Captain Wheeler replied with some feeling:
 T am only a human being. After three years I cannot remember every thing"
 County Attorney French caused burst of laughter in the court room when, inquiring as to the age of the deporters, he asked whether or not they were .premature'' men.
 Captain Wheeler insisted through out the cross examination that the de- portations were believed by him to be necessary to save lives and property in Bisbee as well as to protect the against the machinations of it's enemy. He testified that he had heard of threats to dynamite buildings and commit other acts of violence, al though he admitted that he knew of no one who had been arrested upon such charges.
 Among other incidents recited by tack made by a group of Finnish women on some men who were on their way to work in the mines. The women tore the mems shirts and put bread crumbs down their backs. the witness said.