The copper era and Morenci leader., 1922-09-15
FATAL SHOOTING AT RANCH NEAR
 PHOENIX

H. ElllOIl, 10 NedES Oltl, NdS Silpl to death by w. R. Collier, 31 at the Elliott ranch, six miles south of Tem- | De, at 600 o'clock Sept. 3rd. The | shooting is said to have been the out growth of long standing ill feeling | between the pair. Both men are well known in and around TcmTe.
 Elliott was shot not less than three l times, twice with a revolver and the third time with a shotgun, the latter i wound being the immediate cause of death, though physicians who exam | ined the body said either one of the i two wounds made by the revolver probably would have resulted fatally. i A post-mortem examination will be conducted today to determine wheth- l CT other bullets entered the body. Mrs. R. c. Elliott, divorced wife of the dead man, and her two small l children witnessed the tragedy. In fact, one of the little girls was seated in the automobile beside her father when Collier fired the shotgun at clese range. The force of the dis | charge blew Elliott out of the car and into an irrigation ditch, Mrs. Elliott | said.
 l Mrs. Eliiott's version of the shoot | ing was related to County Attorney T I. lL SoAcphClu AoSI hi6hS- iiS' l former husband paid her visit Sun [ day morning, she said. The woman | refused to disclose the purpose of the l visit.
 | With Collier and her two children | she said, she dined with her brother 1 and his family at their ranch about two miles away. Returning to the Elliott ranch about 4:30 or o'clock, l she said, they found Elliott there. | Collier was the first to alight from the machine and went into the house | Elliott, supposedly, was in the living room, at least she found him there | when she entered, Mrs. Elliott said Collier passed through the room into the kitchen, presumably for drink of water.
 A little later, Mrs. Elliott said, Elliott. Collier, the two children and herself went on to the front porch. An argument between Collier and Elliott ensued. the nature of which the women refused to disclose. Then it was, she said, that Collier drew a revolver, a .32 calibre automatic from
 his pocket and. started shooting. He
 emptied the gun at close range, the
 woman said, being not more than 1(
 feet away Four of the bullets were l found, one in the window easing, one in a chair and two in the side wal of the front room after passins ' through the screen and wooden iron d doors. How many bullets lodged il l. the mans body physicians were un r. able to determine last night r. While Collier was firing, Mrs. Fl n liott said, her former husband grap s pied with him. They struggled hal
 the Ion07h of tfQ rlOrch and then fQ1
 over the concrete balustrade to tn l. ground.
 9 They scuffled for time on tn d ground. both men being beaten abou
 the head in the hand-to-hand fight . ing.
 Elliott, on arising jumped into tn
 Buick machine near by and starte,
 to leave the place, Mrs. Elliott said
 Collier went into the house and gel
 ting the shotgun, pursued the ma
 in the machine, which stopped rea
 the irrigation ditch as Elliott al tempted to turn it around.
 Collier ran across the front var
 and opened fire with the shotgun I the shot entering the right side jus
 under the ribs. The shot must hay
 been fired at close range, for tn
 wound was about the size of dollar
 The sinister motive behind tn shooting was related by Collier in
 mediately following the shooting an
 after he had given himself into tn
 custody of officers at Tempe.
 Elliott, he said, was respOnsibl
 for the estrangement between hin
 self and wife a little more than
 year ago, resulting in a divorce d.
 cree in October of last year.