John Phillips, the keeper of the station at Winters' Wells
whose dead body was found there on Monday committed suicide.
His body was brought in by John Wiggins last night and is
now at Mohn and Dorris undertaking rooms. An inquest will
be held this morning by Justice Burdette. Mr. Wiggins says
that the death of Phillips was as clear a case of suicide
as was ever seen. The rifle was between the feet of the
dead man and there was a crotched stick with which he had
pulled the trigger. Found in Phillips' pockets was about
$40.
Phillips came to Phoenix in what is regarded as an early
day. He was employed for seven years in a corral and
after quitting that place worked at other jobs about
town until five years ago he took charge of the interests
of E.F. Winters at the wells. He was well liked by all
and was born in Kansas City.. His father was a very
wealthy man, the owner of a great tract of land in one
of the suburbs of the city. On his death it passed to
his sons. At that time Phillips was living here and so
far as is known he never went back to Kansas. A street
car line was built from Troost Avenue along Vine Street
to the suburban property he owned. Frank Phillips, his
brother is president of the People's Street Railway in
Kansas City. Nobody in the Arizona territory lived a
lonelier life that Phillips has for the last five years.
He stayed at the wells where for days and sometimes for
weeks he saw no man. He came to Phoenix about once a
year.
Inquest of John Philips
March 23, 1904
An inquest concerning the death of John Phillips was held
yesterday by Acting Coroner Bennett. The members of the
jury were N.C. Webster, Dr. L.M. Swikerath, P.B. Champagne,
J.T. Boyd, S.R. Hughes and R.B. Dawson. The only witness
appearing was James E. Pawley, the man who found the body,
W.A. Evans who sent word of the tragedy to Phoenix and
Deputy Sheriff Oscar Roberts. Perhaps the most important
witness was Mr. Evans who told of a couple of men who had
stopped at Winters Wells about a week ago and reported of
the curious actions of Phillips. He was clearly out of
his head. He told them that he had been suffering for a
long time with rheumatism and that he had bought a galvanic
battery thinking that it would give him relief. He
believed that it was robbing him of his brain. Mexicans
who regularly stopped at the Wells refused to stop there
any more. Accordingly a verdict was rendered that a
murder had not been committed but that the victim had
shot himself in a fit of mental aberration.
W.A. PLACE
Arizona Republican Newspaper
August 15, 1904
W.A. Place, well known all over Arizona was fatally injured
by a blast in Minaca, Chihuahua, Mexico on August 5, dying
the next day. The Solomonville Bulletin, speaking of the
accident says:
It appears that Mr. Place had a railway construction contract
in that section and was working in a cut at the time of the
accident. Several blasts had been loaded and one exploded
prematurely, hurling him about sixty feet over the bluff.
The accident occurred on Wednesday and death occurred on
Friday night.
W.A. Place came to Phoenix in the eighties, having formerly
lived in Missouri and Kentucky and other eastern states.
He spent some time in the earlier years of his life in the
study of the law but when he came here began ranching, west
of Phoenix and in other parts of the valley for some years.
He finally went to graham County, settling in the Upper
Gila Valley, where he was variously occupied, part of
the time in farming, it is understood and a part of the
time in the practice of law. From the story of his death
it seems that he was latterly engaged in contracting for
railroad work.
During the many years of his residence in Arizona he was
prominent in the work of the Independent Order of Good
Templars and was quite frequently heard in public in
defense of the principles of that fraternity. The
Bulletin says he was the father of Mrs. W.A. Wilson
of Solomonville and Mrs. J.H. Richards of Clifton.
Mrs. Place was with her husband in Mexico and is
expected to return to Solomonville shortly.
MISS ELENOR POOCK
Arizona Republican Newspaper
January 19, 1904
At her home on University Street, Mrs. Elenor Poock departed
this life yesterday morning at 9 o'clock. More than a year
ago Miss Poock came to Phoenix in search of health. She was
accompanied by two sisters, who with her brother in law, Mr.
Honnecker, were at her bedside when she breathed her last.
The body will be shipped back to the old home in Ohio for
interment. Miss Poock was a beautiful character and
during her short residence in the city had won many warm
friends. Throughout her long illness she was ever patient
and cheerful and when the summons came it found her ready.
Peacefully and quietly the gentle spirit took its flight
to a better world. The remains can be viewed at the
undertaker's parlors this afternoon.
M.H. PORTER
Arizona Republican Newspaper
March 23, 1904
M.H. Porter died last night. Mr. Porter had been a resident
of the valley for fourteen years. He was sixty five years
of age and a native of England. When he came to the valley
he purchased a ranch on the Christy Road where he lived
until a few years ago. He leaves a family of five children:
Mrs. Will Heflin, Mrs. G.W. Carr, Mrs. S.P. Wayne, Mrs. C.M.
Stearns and Stanley Porter. The funeral conducted by Rev.
A.M. Gibbons of the First Methodist Church will take place
at 4 o'clock this afternoon from the family residence, 232
East Adams Street. Mr. Porter was one of the pioneers in
bringing fine horses to the valley having imported the
famous Durango.
W.H. POUNDS
Arizona Republican Newspaper
March 17, 1904
The funeral of W.H. Pounds took place on Tuesday morning
from St. Mary's church. Mr. Pounds who was well known in
Phoenix died the mooring before at the Sisters Hospital
after a long illness. He came to Phoenix about four years
ago and for a long time was employed by Buxton and Company,
as bookkeeper. A couple of years ago he left Phoenix and
went to the coast. He afterward lived at Prescott for a
short time and then returned to Phoenix. His illness
dates from about a year ago but for the four months
preceding his death he had been confined for the most
part to the house. He leaves a wife and children. Mr.
Pounds leaves many friends in Phoenix who regret his death.
Hugh Price
December 27, 1904
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Hon. Hugh H. Price, former surveyor general of Arizona
died on Sunday morning at Denver. This sad intelligence
was not unexpected for when he was taken away from Phoenix
last spring his friends believed that they were looking
upon him for the last time. The announcement of his death
was softened by the statement that the end was quiet and
peaceful. The funeral will take place today at Denver.
Mr. Price was forty five years of age. He was born at
Black River Falls Wisconsin and was the son of Hon. W.T.
Price, one of the foremost men of the state and who had
taken a front rank in the commerce and politics of the
state. The son was graduated from the Black River High
School in 1876 and entered the University of Wisconsin
but before finishing the course left to enter an active
business life. He was engaged in some years with his
father in the lumber business and took an active part
in public affairs.
Mr. Price left Wisconsin in 1894 and went to New Mexico
where he engaged in mining on an extensive scale. Five
years later he came to Phoenix and soon after assisted in
the organization of the Home Savings Bank and Trust Company
acting as its treasurer until his appointment by President
McKinley to the office of surveyor general.
After a service of less than two years the disease which
carried him off manifested itself--locomotor ataxia. It
cannot be said that there was at any stage of the disease
a period of improvement. He visited sanitariums in
different parts of the county but without any relief.
Mr. Price married Miss Lydia B. Graham of Chester, who was
educated at Mountain Seminary near Tyrone, Pa. and later
at the Woman's College at Baltimore.
MRS. FRANCES REDEWILL
Arizona Republican Newspaper
January 16, 1904
Mrs. Frances Redewill died last night, Jan. 15 at 11 o'clock
at the residence of her son, A. Redewill on West Washington
Street. She was eighty seven years and six months old and
death was due to the infirmities of old age as she had been
an invalid for three or four years and for some weeks past
had been very seriously ill.
Mrs. Redewill was a native of France, having been born near
Lyons. She went from France to Cuba when a young woman,
Cuba being the birthplace of her son, A. Redewill. After a
residence there of a few years the family moved to Boston
and several years later moved to California. About eighteen
years ago Mr. Redewill moved his family to Phoenix, his
mother accompanying.
Mrs. Redewill was a most estimable woman and was always a
devout member of the Catholic Church. She was of a noble
and charitable disposition and was devotedly attached to
her son and grandchildren, there being five of the latter.
She was a cultured woman, well educated in the languages
and in her earlier life taught classes in the French,
Spanish and Italian languages and also classes in
literature. The funeral will be in the Catholic Church
next Sunday, though the hour is not yet decided upon
and will be duly announced.
