There was an accidental explosion in the White Mine,
fourteen miles northeast of Wickenburg at 10:20 o'clock
this morning, resulting in the instant killing of Irving
S. Barnes. No one else was injured, though George
McDonald who was working with Mr. Barnes, had a very
narrow escape being in the drift with him and only
about twenty feet away.
Justice of the Peace Gilbert, acting coroner, will
hold an inquest and Mr. Barnes will be buried here
tomorrow, the body having been brought to Wickenburg.
At this time there seems to be no clear and reliable
explanation of how the accident occurred. Barnes was
drilling in the fact of the drift and it is supposed
in a hole that had mis-fired, though most of the
powder was burned out of it and he thought it was clear.
The explosion tore off an arm and broke his neck.
Mr. Barnes was well known in Phoenix having lived
there many years until recently.
Mrs. Delores Barragan
Arizona Republican Newspaper
August 14, 1905
In a terrific storm that visited Nogales last Thursday
afternoon, Mrs. Delores Barragan was struck by lightning
and killed instantly. She was the wife of a well known
business man of Nogales, Sonora. The Nogales News says:
Deceased, with a party of friends, had gone on a picnic
in the vicinity of Bayze's Ranch in the Potero. when
the storm came up the party took refuge in a neighboring
house. Mrs. Barragan was standing in the doorway, eating
a slice of melon, when a bolt struck her, killing her
instantly. The others present were greatly shocked but
no injury was caused to any of them. The physicians
state that not a mark appeared upon the body to indicate
the cause of death.
MISS KATE BAUM
Arizona Republican Newspaper
April 5, 1905
Miss Kate Baum, a daughter of C.M. Baum died Monday morning at
3:30 o'clock. The funeral service will be held this afternoon
at 3 o'clock at the parlors of Easterling and Whitney. Rev.
Lapsley A. McAfee will officiate.
Jenny Bauters
Arizona Republican Newspaper
September 7, 1905
News comes from Kingman of the second awful tragedy to be
enacted in that vicinity within a few days. Jennie Bauter,
a woman well known in northern Arizona, was shot four times
and instantly killed by a man named Leigh who was posing as
her husband. The shots were all well armed and any one of
them night have proved fatal. Leigh then turned the gun
on himself and fired once, the bullet penetrating his lungs
and it is supposed fatally injuring.
It is said the woman was employed in a saloon probably as a
singer or to encourage the selling of drinks. Leigh had
approached her and asked for money which she declined to
advance to him and they quarreled for sometime when he
became desperate and began shooting.
His victim lived in Jerome previous to a couple of years ago
and owned considerable property there when she was killed.
November 2, 1905
There was received at the Governor's office yesterday,
a transcript of the court proceedings in Mohave County
in which C.C. Leigh was convicted of murder in the first
degree and sentenced to be hanged on December 8 of this
year. There was no other offering but it is supposed the
document was intended for perusal by the governor, pending
an application for a commutation of the sentence. This
supposition is based on an article in a Prescott paper
which states that Mrs. D.B. Leigh and Mrs. E.H. Stephens
of Visila, California, mother and aunt, respectively of
the condemned man are now in Prescott, preliminary to making
an application for commutation of sentence. Their visit there
was to confer with Leroy Anderson, the attorney who defended
Leigh in his trial for murder.
The crime was a brutal one, but the friends of the murderer
believe there was some measure of justification, or rather
that there were some mitigating circumstances by reason of
which they think the sentence was too severe and that the
ends of justice might be satisfied with a lesser penalty
than expiation in the gallows.
The victim was Jennie Bauters who had lived in Jerome for
several years and was a person of notorious character.
Leigh had lived with her for some time in Jerome and later
at Acme Camp near Gold Road in Mohave County where the
killing took place. It was alleged that on the morning
of the shooting, September 3 of this year, they had
quarreled over money matters and that Leigh had shot the
woman down and that while she lay, probably mortally
wounded on the ground, he reloaded his weapon and standing
over her fired again killing her instantly. He then
turned the weapon on himself and sent a bullet into his
left breast but the wound did not prove a serious one.
Leigh's story differs somewhat in respect of the most
brutal details though there is a frank admission of the
murder. He says he was passing a tent in which the woman
lived (there being nothing but tent houses in the camp)
when she called to him to give her a cigarette. He did
so and entering the tent they began quarreling about
another man with whom the woman desired to live in
preference to Leigh. The end of it was that she called
him a vile name and started to run away saying she was
going after a gun to kill him. Instantly he became
uncontrollably angered and shot her. He does not know
for sure how many times he shot her but he says he was
at least fifteen feet away when the last shot was fired.
He then shot himself partly because he thought he had
got into serious trouble by killing her and partly
because he did not care to live after she was dead and
so decided he would made a good job of it.
LEON BENHAM
Arizona Republican Newspaper
March 29, 1905
News has been received here of the death of Leon Benham at his
home in Memphis Tennessee about two weeks ago. He was a young
man of about twenty five years of age and came here several years
ago, residing for two or three years then leaving for a time and
returning for another stay of several months. He was at one
time employed by the Wakelin Grocery Company and had a wide
friendship. He went from here to Denver and from there back
to Memphis where his father conducts a large furniture store.
PEDRO BENITAS
Arizona Republican Newspaper
April 25, 1905
A murder was committed at Tempe last night. meager details
of the affair were received at the office of the sheriff
shortly before 1 o'clock this morning and Deputies Cunningham
and Davis left for the south side. The killing took place in
the saloon of Joe Encinas in the Mexican quarter of the town
about 11 o'clock. The victim was a Mexican whose name could
not be learned and it is said that the slayer was a man by the
name of Orlando Douglass. It was also said in the telephone
message to the office of the sheriff that Douglass shot the
Mexican in cold blood and without provocation. The murderer
is understood to have been arrested at once.
The officers left here in a buggy a little after 1 o'clock
with instructions to report the details of the affair on their
arrival. They could drive only as far as the bridge and from
there would have to walk. At a late hour this morning no word
had been received from them.
Douglass, the slayer is well known in Phoenix and Tempe. He
is a California Mexican but until he reached manhood the
greater part of his life was spent at Florence. He was a
paper hanger by trade and generally enjoyed a good reputation.
He was engaged at work in his trade in this city within the
last week. Those who knew him said this morning that they
had never heard of his ever having had a quarrel nor was he
given to drinking.
More on the Tempe Tragedy
April 27, 1905
Additional details of the killing at Tempe Tuesday night were
received early yesterday morning when Deputy Cunningham and
Davis brought to the county jail Orlando Douglass, the slayer
of Pedro Benitas. A woman, Fanny Ludeke, was at the bottom of
it. She and Douglass had lived together for ten years and
would have married but for the inability of the woman to secure
a divorce. Douglass did not care to say much about the affair
until after his preliminary examination which will be arranged
for today. Douglass is a brother-in-law of Attorney W.F.
Cooper of Tucson, former district attorney of Pima County.
Mr. Cooper was informed of the killing yesterday morning and
a telephone message was received from him saying that he
would arrive in the city this morning. The preliminary
examination will take place before Justice Neilsen at Tempe
tomorrow. Douglass says the killing was purely in self
defense and that is the view of the officers from what they
have so far been able to gather. There was only one eye
witness and she is the woman. It is surmised on account of
her great display of grief at the death of Benitas that her
testimony will be against Douglass.
Benitas had for a short time displaced Douglass in the favor
of the woman. The latter about 11 o'clock went to the house
of the woman opposite the saloon of Joe Encinas and called
her out. Benitas who was there told her not to go but said
he would meet Douglass. He did so and struck him on the head
with a loaded quirt. Douglass immediately fired and shot
Benitas through the heart. Douglass said that he did not
know that he had killed him. He heard him cry and he himself
frightened by the sound of the shot threw the gun away and
fled. He offered to surrender himself to Marshal Brown who
declined to accept his surrender telling him that the county
authorities would be there shortly. The Deputy Sheriffs
arrived there before 3 o'clock but Douglass was not found
until after 5. He could not be immediately located but it
was certain that he would not make an effort to escape.
Those who knew Douglass well said that he was the last man
on the south side that they would have guessed would kill a man.
In support of his theory of self defense Douglass showed a
great lump on the side of the head where he said he was
struck by Benitas. In the story of the killing it was stated
that it had taken place in Joe Encinas' saloon. That was an
error traceable to the fact that Encinas had telephoned to
the sheriff's office about the shooting which actually
occurred across the street.
More on the Murder
April 28, 1905
The facts of the case, learned by the writer is a pretty
dirty story and one hardly fit for publication. The writer
after questioning a number of people who were near at the
time of the shooting and who were on hand shortly after are:
For a good many years Douglass, the slayer, has kept and
lived with a woman by the name of Mrs. Ludeke whenever he was
in Tempe. Occasionally they had trouble and once she had him
arrested for striking her but they usually effected a
reconciliation. Some weeks ago they had another row and
Douglass left this part of the country for a time. While
he was absent, Pedro Benitas, the murdered man, took the
place of Douglass in the woman's affections and lived with
her part of the time as Douglas had done. When Douglass
returned to Tempe he tried to win the woman back again and
was partly successful. In so doing, he incurred the enmity
of Benitas and a few weeks ago the two came to blows with
the result that Douglass was pretty badly used up by a quirt
in the hands of Pedro. Bad blood remained between the two
men and a few nights ago Douglass so far progressed in his
suit that the woman went the night with him in Tempe and
had promised to do so again Tuesday night. Douglass went
around town until late in the evening played billiards in
the Tempe house. He was sober and in his usual good nature.
About 11 when the woman did not put in an appearance he
started for east Tempe to investigate. He says that on the
way out he took a gun.
Douglass pleaded not guilty at the hearing today. Pedro
Benitas the murdered man, did not enjoy the best reputation.
It is said upon good authority that he has served a term in
Yuma for killing a man in the northern part of the territory
several years ago under similar circumstances to those which
resulted in his death. It is also said that he is the father
of two illegitimate children. His remains were taken in
charge by relatives and the funeral will be held today.
