The funeral of George U. Collins was held yesterday afternoon
at 3 o'clock at the parlors of Easterling and Whitney.
Altogether it was one of the largest funerals seen here
for many days, the double line formed by the fraternities
in open rank, through which passed the cortege, extending
for the distance of a block.
Mr. Collins was one of the early settlers of this valley
and was one of the most prosperous ranchers. He was a
quiet and unassuming citizen well respected by those
who knew him and known widely throughout Arizona. A
native of Maine, he went first to California coming
form there to this valley. He had those sterling qualities
of thrift and industry which with careful business
judgment made his life successful in a practical way.
Acquiring a competence in the early days through
agriculture and its associate industries, when a
shortage of water followed the reclamation of an
expanding acreage in this locality, he was among
the first to experiment in the matter of developing
irrigation water by pumping and his experiment was
well rewarded so that with his canal rights, he had
the best watered piece of ground in the valley.
BIAS CONTERAS
Arizona Republican Newspaper
July 29, 1904
A telephone message to The Republican last night announced
the finding of the body of a Mexican yesterday afternoon
in the suburbs of the town of Wickenburg. The man had
evidently been dead a couple of days. His name was unknown
but he was recognized as a man who had been seen around the
town. On Monday night he was seen to enter the house of a
woman of ill repute named Barnarda Valdez and sometime
later emerge from the same place with a bloody wound on
one side of his head. So far as is now known he was not
seen alive since then. The Valdez woman was arrested on
suspicion of having fatally wounded the man of having
knowledge of what caused his death and her preliminary
examination was set for today.
Murder Mystery
August 1, 1904
In the matter of the inquisition held on the body of the
Mexican found dead near the Santa Fe tracks in Wickenburg,
the Jury found that his name was Bias Contreras, a native
of Mexico, about 62 years of age and that his death was
caused by a fracture of the skull. Contreras came in
Monday from the railroad construction camp near here and
was going to Phoenix and then to the Tonto dam to work.
He was drinking most of the day and about 8 o'clock in
the evening was seen going to a house of ill repute.
When next seen about 5 o'clock his head was bleeding and
he seemed to be in a rather bad way but people did not
realize he was in a bad way. The woman who was arrested
testified that he had not been in her house at all.
More on the Murder
August 2, 1904
The Wickenburg murder mystery is still unsolved. An
interesting incident of the case is the tender of the
boys suspected of the murder. The eldest is fourteen
years of age and the younger is only nine. Within a
day of two of finding the body, suspicion was directed
toward these boys. The boys had been seen with the old
man on the night of his disappearance. The old man had
been lying drunk near the railroad water tank. That
night there was a noise about the house of a Mrs. Nolan,
who lives between the town and the tank. She heard loud
calls and what seemed to her to be the throwing of
stones. She looked out and saw two boys about the size
of the Gomez boys leading the old man away. A lodger
by the name of Linn heard her and looking out saw the
boys and the old man but he could only testify that the
boys were of about the same size as the Gomez boys. It
was learned that these boys had spent silver in the
amount of $1.50 at the store of a man named Reed. A
day or two later Mr. .Reed bought some ice of Constable
Ike Ford and paid him in silver. One of the pieces, a
half dollar had a bloodstain on it. The storekeeper was
unable to say that this was one of the pieces he had
received from the boys. Another half dollar similarly
marked was found near the body of the old man.
One of the articles the boys bought of the storekeeper
was a watermelon which they took to the house of a couple
of girls. They were accompanied by an older boy named
Delgado. During the eating of the watermelon, the girls
made fun of Delgado for being unable to treat them while
these two boys so much younger were prosperous enough to
buy a watermelon. The boys said that an old man had been
killed the night before and that the man who had killed
him gave them a dollar a piece to say nothing about it.
There is little moral doubt about Wickenburg of the boys'
guilt and if they are not guilty it is quite certain that
they know who killed the old man. One of the boys assisted
in the burial of the victim.
HAZEL CREECH
November 27, 1904
Hazel Creech, the nine year old daughter of Mrs. John T.
Creech, died about 5 o'clock last evening at the family
home on north Ninth Avenue after a long illness. The
funeral will be held this afternoon at the residence at
3:30 o'clock. The family has been deeply bereaved since
coming to this city about four years ago for the health
of Mr. Creech who did not live long. Little Hazel is the
second daughter who has answered the final summons since
the death of her father.
HAROLD DARLINGTON
Arizona Republican Newspaper
January 13, 1904
It is with deep regret that the news comes to Tempe describing
the death of Harold Darlington in a railroad wreck at Godfrey
Kansas on December 21. Mr. Darlington was one of the
students of the normal school where during his two years
of attendance, he was one of the brightest young men.
His mother in the family home in Oklahoma City, O.T.
writes one of his chums here describing his death as follows:
"I must tell you of the terrible accident that caused
Harold's death for I know you will feel an interest in him.
He quit the post office last spring and entered the railway
mail service on May 13. He had to "sub" six months, he was
sent on service on different roads. When the time was up
he was appointed to run from Caldwell Kansas to Fort Worth
Texas and he was formally transferred Dec. 16, running
from here to Kansas City. He was so anxious to be at
home, a part of the time, and would be here one day in
five. He ate his supper at 5 o'clock Sunday, Dec. 20
and said "Goodbye, I will be back the 24th." The next
morning at Godfrey, a station six miles this side of
Fort Scott, Kansas, the train ran into a switch. A long
freight train was on the main line with a dead engine.
The passengers were not warned. The baggage car jumped
over the engine, but the mail car was broken into
kindling wood. Harold was hurt internally but not
burned as badly as many others were. He died on
Sunday morning Dec. 21 at 4:30. He had just received
word from the head mail clerk that his salary was
raised from $900 to $1000."
Mr. Darlington was a grandson of Mr. S.N. Phillips formerly
of Phoenix and a councilman from the third ward.
While at school in Tempe, he became very popular with his
schoolmates, because of his great amiability and his
talents with the pen. For two years he kept his many
comrades supplied with continued stories, often writing
as many as thirty sheets in a day. They always sparkled
with rich wit of local appreciation.
He was one of the best read boys of his age and had a
marvelous memory. It is with deep regret that his many
friends here learn of his untimely death.
W.H. DENNISON
Arizona Republican Newspaper
October 12, 1904
Late Monday evening Dr. Charles H. Jones received a telegram
from Mrs. Dennison form Tucson informing him of the death of
her husband at that place that afternoon. The night before
Mr. and Mrs. Dennison left for the south intending to go to
Bisbee and Douglas and to stop over at Tucson for a few days
en route. For years Mr. Dennison has been in ill health
but the past four weeks his health has been much improved
and his object in going to Bisbee was to look up work at
his trade as a paper hanger and painter.
The telegram was very meager in details and simply stated
that he died that afternoon from a hemorrhage giving no
particulars whatever. Nothing was said about funeral
arrangements and it is not known where the interment
will take place or when. Mr. and Mrs. Dennison have
been here for some time and had a great many friends
who will be deeply grieved at his untimely departure
and who extend to his wife in her bereavement their
sincerest sympathy.
