Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
LAST LAWLESS
 ACT OFFAMOUS
 RED JACK BAND
Granville Johnson Tells of Capture and Death of Quartette at the Hands Of a Mob at Florence.

The last act of lawlessness of the desert and over mountains. the cap ture and. ultimately, the death of the quartette at the hands of a mob at Florence were told by Granville $. Johnson. one of the men who took an active part in the apprehension of the four bandits. Mir. Johnson. is now a resident of Phoenix and came to Arizona from Texas in 1868.
 Len Redfield was the leader of the band, he said. and was known as Red Jack because he invariably ap- peared in bright red, sleeveless jacket. Other members of the band were Joe Futile, Carpenter and Hens ley. All four paid the penalty at the | end of the hangman's rope at Flor ence. where they were being held pending removal to Phoenix for safe- keeping.
 Redfield. farmer on the San Pe- 1 dro river, and his men had carefully | planned to rob the stage plying be- i tween Florence and Globe and car rying gold and silver bullion which was to have been used for paying l the miners in the Globe district. The men did not know exactly when the bullion was to arrive in ] Florence so it was agreed that when Red Jeck got on the stage 1t would be a signal that the bullion was on that stage. The three other men, Hensley, Carpenter and Futile. were lying in wait for the signal.
 The bullion finally arrived and, | Red Jack, on the watch in Florence, mounted the stage. His three com
 panicns got the signal and a little
 way out of the station Red Jack
 alishted and joined them. They rode
 ahead of the stage to pre- ar
 ranged spot and there laid in wait. When the stage rounded the corner
 the bandits shot and killed the ex- l press messenger, seated on top as a
 guard for the gold and silver ship
 ment, rifled the strong box and fled into the mountains. They made nc } effort to rob the passengers.
 Possemen immediately took the field and trailed the men far up the 5 San Pedro. After days on the trai they finally succeeded in capturing , Futile, Carpenter and Redfield, but
 Hensley escaped The three men , were taken to Florence where Tut l tie confessed the entire plot, i'm T plicating Red Jack, Carpenter and ' Hensley. In turning states evidenc, he showed where the money haC
 been secreIed and the entire loot wa:
 recovered.
 While awaiting trial in Florence
 a brother of Red Jack, a respectabl
 citizen OF Benson. went before tn p district court in Tucson and secure,
 a writ ordering the removal of Re, d Jack and his two companions to
 Phoenix for safekeeping.
 q During the meantime, the searcl
 for Hensley continued Possemen T learned that he had crossed the Sal
 Pedro river and gone into the Sul s phur Springs valley. For severa
 days he eluded officers. but when hi d provisions began to give out he en
 tered into a pact with a freighter |
 bring him provisions from Wilcox.
 It was decided that the freighte
 would secure a large quantity of food
 stuffs in Wilcox. put them in the req
 of the wagon and sometime durin
 the night Hensley would come an
 get it. T6 all this the freighter read fly agreed while talking with Hens 7 ley or the desert. MT. Johnson said J On his arrival in Wilcox. howeve
 he notified Officed Bob Paul of tn
 agreement with Hensley. Paul a :. once organized a posse. chartered a - engine and started out to meet tn ,r freishter in the valley. Among tn - posseman was George McClarty no . a Phoenix resident. Mir. Johnson sai, The freighter made it's trip as usu ~ al. When it reached the valley th r possemen secreted themselves abol the wagon and lay in wait for Hens l ley to appear. Abotr 10 o'clocl ~ Hensley appeared He had evident sensed that something was wrong fC
 he proceeded cautiously and whe ';s he was ordered to throw up his hand ,'' he immediately opened fire Paul
 horse was shot from under him, bl y Hensley was finally captured ar ' taken to Florence
 It was about this time that tn . court order was issued, directing tn; Q hc fA iu safekeeping. On the order of tn y, court. Joe Evans, Paddy Bark, Lou gu LePage, Redfield a brother of R. is Jack, Ballock and Johnson, were SCI '' from Tucson to act as guards f the men from Florence to Phoenix :" When they arrived in Florence. o'clock in the morning. the und sheriff. on guard. refused to su he render the prisoners in the absen ns of the sheriff. That night the js iu was constantly menaced by mobs, a said. until guardsmen placed abo ei the jail. were in danger On ord
 of Marshal Evans the guard W. ,es withdrawn and in a short time t I men were taken from the jail al 'w hanged.
 sa. Many other interesting stores a early life in Arizona were related II m MT. Johnson who. with his fath, II T, are among the oldest living settle
 VI liie odil IhNeT Naliey. Ills fathi
 NJ. R. Johnson. first visited Arizo , in 1851, en route to California. is now 9S years old and resides
 the old Johnson homestead, 605 Nor Sixteenth street.
 The ambush of Colonel Stone. n $. A, four soldiers and one civili L. by Indians near the Cochise stron
 hold in Cochise county was also I U called by MT. Johnson.
 Colonel Stone and his little detae al ment had started out to rescue -ge party of pioneers surrounded an warning Indians, he said, when tn
 were taken by surprise and, gre. ma ly outnumbered. were killed after est stubborn resistance.
 for This ambush took place just tn, h. days before MT. Johnson and I of party reached the scene enrol he from their former homes in Te, ib- to Arizona, he said, in 1868 T lgs following year he returned to Te, ills. to secure stock. bringing a he ;t's through in 1869.
 of Indians stampeded our cattle a of committed other depredations Il in caused us a great deal of trouble a es- cost us many head of stock" \ of Johnson continued.
 For the greater part howev me they kept their distance from g hat settlement or camp. Their long s
 was waylaying individuals and Il he committed many murders in u di- fashion"
 of Phoenix or the Phoenix they fou ay- upon their arrival here. was loca inst ush 10 ct