Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1921-12-01
ARREST ONE OF.
8 CHARGED WITH
KNIGHT MURDER
Other Seven Are Expected
To Be In Custody Before
Noon Today = Hot On
Trail Of The Slayers Of
Wealthy Texan

wealthy IeXan
One man of eight persons who have
been charged with the murder of
John ]. Knight, wealthy Wichita
Falls, Texas. business man, who dis
appeared on the night of July after
leaving Buckeye, has been arrested
and the other seven are expected to
be arrested before noon today.
The warrants were issued late yes
terday afternoon following an in
vestigation of the case which has
been in progress since knights
Franklin car was found stalled in
the sand along the Hassayampa
river 10 miles north OF the HASA
yampa garage, on July 81, IL days
after Knight had disappeared.
Several days ago a skull and
charred bones were found buried in
a shallow grave in an arroyo about
three miles north of the Hassayampa
garage and seven miles south of the
| spot where the car was stalled. From
| descriptions of dental work done on
Knights teeth. the skull and par
1 TALLY burned bones have been al
most certainly identified as the re-
mains of knights body. The bones
were found by Albert Ebersole and
! Tom Houck following a systematic
| search of three weeks.
Pick Up the Threads
Since the finding of the bones,
/ which the officers say were buried
in the arroyo less than 60 days ago.
numerous threads of evidence uncov-
| cred by the officers IN their investi-
| cation have been together with the
result that eight warrants charging
| murder have been drawn. The Of
| ficers refuse to divulge the names
! of the persons charged with the
/ murder of the missing man ard re-
| fuse to make public the name of the
one man under arrest.
According to the evidence secured
| by the officers, the plot to do away
/ with knight for the purpose of rob-
berry began in Texas and was car
ried to a successful climax several
days later on the desert along the
| Hassayampa river. Members of the
| gang, the evidence shows, working
in Texas sent word to Phoenix con-
| corning knight and notifying men,
| bers of the gang here of the ap-
| proximate time Knight would arrive
| in this city.
Through a clever ruse. the evil
dence shows. Knight was lured to
the desert and murdered. His Frank
l lin car, the evidence shows, was
stalled by members of the gang in
the sand on a long-unused. and par
TALLY hidden trail leading from the
| main road down into the bed of the
Hassayampa river for the purpose
of making it appear that Knight had
become lost. had abandoned the car
when it became stalled, and persisted
on the desert.
Boys Find Car
Two boys, travelling along the
river, found the car and lowed It
into Buckeye on July 81. when il
was first known knight had dis
j apneared. The disposition OF
knights body before it was removed
to the arroyo where the skull ana
charred bones were found remains
unknown to the officers. but because
of the length of the grass growing
about the shallow grave the officers
are of the opinion the body was
placed in the grave and burned sew
eral weeks after the floods in August.
The officers working on the case
| refuse TO make known the clues
which connect the eight persons with
the murder of Knight. or 70 make
known the part each OF the eight
PLAYED in the crime.
knight accoring to his relatives In
Dallas. Texas. wore a three and one
half carat diamond ring on his rlghi
| hand and also a large diamond scarf
!. pin. the two valued st $4,000. The
exact amount of money carried by
knight is NOT known but 1t is known
that he drew $500 from a bank be
fore leaving FL Paso. Texas, Ioi
Phoenix. 1t is believed he had be-
, tween $500 and $1,000 with him wher
. he disappeared. His murder. the or
ffcers believe, was planned 10 secure
> the diamonds and money
Leaves Phoenix July 9.
knight was about IS years old ane
> sold his brokerage business in Texas
in June. leaving for FL Paso. where
he remained until July y when M
started to drive overland in a Frank
lin chummy roadster for Los An
geles where he expected to enter th'
, automobile brokerage business. III
came into Phoenix on the morning
, of July and left the Franklin gar
j age here at 1880 o'clock the sans
) afternoon to drive through to Parker
that night. He ate supper in Buckey'
and left about 1880 o'clock toi
Parker. ~.
since It was first learned on july
81 that he was missing. every 100
t of the desert north of Palo VERGE
! has been searched many times pu
! the body was not found until seVera
DAYS ago. A reward of S5,ooO Tor 'h'
recovery of the body was offered OF
5 october Is by James McNab, the al
: ministrator of the estate winch