Curtis O. Morgan
April 7, 1891
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Curtis O' Morgan died last Sunday morning at 9 o'clock
at the residence of Thomas W. Hine of this city.
Deceased had partly recovered from a three week illness
of pneumonia and while at breakfast Sunday morning was
taken with a severe attack of hemorrhage from which he
died ten minutes afterward.
Deceased came to Phoenix about three years ago and had
been in the employ of the Phoenix Water Company for the
past two years as engineer. He was 40 years old, a
bachelor and a native of Canada. He owned a half
interest in the Smith and Morgan cattle ranch in Tonto
Basin having on the range about 1000 head of cattle and
horses besides about $1600 worth of other property.
His will was made in favor of his single sister, Emma,
who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. W.B. Morgna, a brother
of the deceased, arrived from Coaticook, Canada about a
week ago. He had the body embalmed and started home
with it yesterday morning.
Granville H. Oury
Arizona Republican Newspaper
January 16, 1891
Hon. Granville H. Oury died Sunday morning January 11, in
this city. The deceased was a native of Virginia, 66
years of age and came to Arizona after the war and was
a delegate from Arizona to the Congress of the Southern
Confederacy and afterwards served in the Confederate Army.
After the war he returned to Arizona and has been a citizen
ever since. as stated elsewhere Mr. Oury was honored many
times by the people by political preferment. He had been a
resident of Tucson, Phoenix and Florence of the latter place
for the last eight years, where he was engaged in the
practice of his profession. During the last three years
he had been afflicted with what was by some believed to
be cancer of the throat, brought on, no doubt by smoking.
During the last six months he had lost his voice and only
recently he left for New Orleans for treatment but on
arriving at San Antonio, Texas he concluded to return
and to pass his last days among his friends, but he was
past recovery, and passed away Sunday morning, in the
presence of his wife and daughter. A committee of four
members of the Society of Arizona Pioneers accompanied
the remains to Casa Grande, at which place a delegation
of citizens met them with a private conveyance, who
escorted the remains to his late residence. His wife,
daughter and brother-in-law, A. Sanders also accompanied
the remains to Florence.
Granville H. Oury had some noble traits of character. May
they ever remain green in the memory of those who mourn his
death.
H.N. PALMER Jr.
November 26, 1891
Prescott -- A fatal shooting accident occurred here at noon
today, resulting in the instant killing of the nine year
old boy of H.N. Palmer, the well known mining and mill man.
Mr. Palmer has been employed at a mine about five miles from
Prescott. On Saturday Mrs. Palmer had trouble with a man and
his wife who occupied rooms in her house, and fired two shots
at the former with a 45 caliber Colt's pistol.
Today she got a man who was working for her to remove the
empty shells and reload two chambers. Immediately after
doing so she commenced to oil the pistol, when her son
stooped down in front, remarking that the pistol was not
loaded. Simultaneously with his doing so, the pistol
discharged and the ball entered the forehead above the
right eye, ranging downward and coming out behind the
left ear.
It is supposed that when she received the pistol after
being loaded, the hammer was raised and in turning the
chamber it was discharged.
The mother is frenzied with grief over the sad affair, and
officers took the pistol away to prevent her from killing
herself.
Catherine Louise Petit
Arizona Republican Newspaper
February 4, 1891
Mrs. Catherine Louise Petit, wife of A.P. Petit died at
her home in Phoenix yesterday afternoon after only a short
illness. She came with her husband to California in 1849
leaving there to remove to this city in the early part of
1879. A few years thereafter were spent in Tucson but Mr.
and Mrs. Petit have continuously resided in the Capitol
City for the past six years. The funeral will take place
from the late residence, corner of Center and Jackson
Street at 3 p.m.
Diamond Joe Reynolds
February 27, 1891
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Diamond Joe Reynolds is dead. The news was brought to Phoenix
yesterday by two miners, James Hale and Ralph Ferguson, who
arrived on foot last night from the Congress Mine. Mr.
Reynolds while en route to the mine, contracted a severe
cold which, growing worse resulted in pneumonia causing
his death. He died at 12 o'clock last Saturday night and
at 3 o'clock Frank Murphy and four others started to
Prescott with the remains where they were to be embalmed
and sent East to his home.
Mr. Reynolds had sent to Phoenix for Lawyer Johnson of
Prescott to draw up his will but he did not get to Congress
until several hours after his death. All work on the
Congress mine was suspended for one day out of respect
for the dead.
He had every care during his illness, as the accommodations
of the mine are first class, including the attention of an
excellent physician. Great regret will be felt by the
people of Arizona at Mr. Reynold's demise for his interest
among them has created a strong feeling of friendliness.
His active participation in business in the Territory has
yielded much profit to the territory as well as himself
and it is believed that had he lived his efforts would
have insured a north and south railroad. Mr. Reynolds
has been a n aggressive businessman all his life and
had amassed a large fortune.
February 28, 1891
Col. F.C. Hatch returned to the city yesterday morning from
a ten days trip in the Bradshaw Mountains, during which
time he visited the famous Congress Mine. "I see you
published a special dispatch to the Chronicle this
morning in which it says that Diamond Joe died in a
tent on one of his mining claims in Arizona and gain
that a messenger was hurried off for a physician."
Both these statements in the dispatch are erroneous.
There isn't another mining camp in the country better
fitted up than the one at the Congress Mine. The
buildings are all made of frame and the room in which
Mr. Reynolds died was as well furnished as any hotel
room in the southwest.
A physician Dr. Vickers, is employed regularly at the
mine and he was constant in his attendance on Mr.
Reynolds and besides him Superintendent Frank Murphy,
a great favorite of Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Church and Mr.
Bartlett administered to his every want. A messenger
was dispatched for a lawyer but not for a doctor as
none other than Dr. Vickers were needed.
The entire camp is lighted with electric lights and
most of the story of Mr. Reynolds' death taken from
the Chronicle must have originated in the brain of its
Chicago correspondent.
March 21, 1891
Bisbee -- Do you now the origin of the sobriquet,
"Diamond Joe" as Reynolds died at Congress Camp?"
Years before the war Reynolds was a river man, a
stevedore carpenter. He lived at South McGregor
in the sixties. After the war he bought the old
canal boat with screw propeller and embarked in
the wheat buying and transportation business on
his own hook from Lansing Iowa to Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin, opposite his own home, connecting with
the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. He
then used his own seamless sacks, which were marked
"JO" in a diamond. Railroad clerks as they checked
off, sank out the Diamond Joe.
As business increased and accumulating wealth, he
branched out, buying more boats and extending his
territory. He then established his main office at
Fulton Illinois on a direct air line with Chicago
only 139 miles distant. There he built boatyards
and extended his line to St. Paul. In later years
the city of Dubuque Iowa offered him concessions on
the river front for boatyards, etc.
He moved offices and boatyards and established a boat
store at Dubuque and his business increased. He built
his own boats at Dubuque, extending the line to St.
Louis. His line now has some eight steamers and some
sixty barges which all carry his sobriquet, "JO" in a
diamond. As he accumulated wealth, he established
elevators through Minnesota and at river towns.
Finally he turned his attention to railroads. He built
and owned the narrow gauge running from Malvern on the
Iron Mountain to Hot Springs Arkansas and shortly after
he bought the narrow gauge which was intended to run
from Wabashaw to Faribault, Minn. which was financially
embarrassed when built a few miles out to Zumbrota, a
great wheat and flour mill country. from there he
turned his attention to mines in Gilpin Colorado whose
part owner and manager was the late General John Gilbert
of Burlington Iowa. His successor was John Morrisey
who had charge of his mining ventures until after he
bought the Del Pasco in Yavapai County.
March 26, 1891
The widow of Diamond Joe proposes to carry out his dying
as well as living suggestions. Mrs. Reynolds, the widow,
is a delicate old lady who lives in Aurora. She is 68
years of age and as unlearned in worldly ways as a child.
In stating her plans to her advisors she has told how her
sole desire now is to carry out the plans which her husband
used to discuss but which overestimating his vigor, he
left unformed. To each of the men named by her husband
she will give $50,000.
Diamond Joe's estate comprises real estate, steam packets,
grain elevators, the railroad from Malvern to Hot Springs,
and some of the best mining property in the country
distributed over Colorado, California, Arizona, Iowa,
Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. At his death Diamond
Joe was found not to owe even $1.00.
