ELMER E. MILLER
June 1, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Copper Queen Mine -- About midnight Wednesday night Elmer E.
Miller was fatally burned by hot slag in the converter here,
says the Bisbee Review. He died Thursday afternoon at
5:48 o'clock, after being unconscious for an hour and a
half.
Miller's sufferings for several hours before becoming
unconscious were awful. His body was burned from head
to foot, the only places uninjured being his face and
feet. When first brought to the hospital Miller laughed
and joked, feeling confident of recovery.
The accident is the result of one of the cars, which
carry the hot slag to the dump, overturning and the
molten contents falling over Miller's body. The train
was being pulled by the small engine, which in order to
get the train under way has to start with a sudden
jerk. This released the hook which holds the slag
pot in place, allowing it to tip over.
The remaining details of the terrible accident are
given by Miller, who told it to the nurses shortly
after he was hurt. He said, "I was standing just
below the car when it tipped and saw the hot slag
coming toward me. I tried to crawl under the
converter, but the slag caught me about the back,
throwing me down. The hot slag poured over me but
at the time I did not feel any pain."
When Miller rose to his feet for he was able to do
so, there was not a stitch of clothing left on his
body except the wristband of one of his shirtsleeves.
ROSA MILLER
August 24, 1902
One of the saddest events of recent occurrence was the
death of Miss Rosa Miller, last Thursday at the home
of her sister Mrs. M. Pinching. Miss Miller came here
(Congress) from Florence about six weeks ago to visit
her sister, hoping also to improve her health which had
been impaired for some time. She was attacked with
inflammatory rheumatism which lingered until complications
arose.
The deceased was a bright young lady of scarcely
seventeen years old and a large concourse of friends
followed her remains to their last resting place in
the Congress cemetery.
SAMUEL E. MINER
October 25, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Samuel Edsall Miner, who died on the morning of the 22nd
at the home of his son, Ricardo E. Miner, on North Center
Street was well known and honored by many friends in Arizona.
He was born near Syracuse, in Onondaga County, N.Y. and
came to this territory in 1879, residing for a time in
Prescott and afterwards engaging in the mercantile
business t Big Bug, Yavapai County. In 1879 he came
to Phoenix and was married to Azenath Darrow, loved and
honored by all who knew her, who died November 22, 1899.
They were both members of the Harding Baptist Church in
the town of Freedom, near Ottawa, Ill. A daughter, Mrs.
R.M. Woods died at Joliet, Ill. Two grandchildren reside
at Englewood, Ill.
Mr. Miner was a noble specimen of American manhood, and a
man of many friends. Eight years ago he suffered a stroke
of paralysis, and since that time has been a invalid. He
was a descendant of Thomas Miner, who emigrated from
England to Connecticut in 1680. Mr. Miner was for many
years a member of the Masonic Fraternity.
Politically Mr. Miner was a life long republican. His first
vote for president was cast for James G. Birney.
An usually large number of friends attended the funeral
services held at the parlors of Mohr and Dorris and
conducted by Rev. D. Lewis Halsey, pastor of the Baptist
church, who paid affectionate tribute to the memory of
his friend. The choir sang, "Nearer My God to Thee and
other sons. The casket was covered with floral tributes.
MOLLIE MONROE
November 21, 1902
Mollie Monroe died yesterday in the Arizona hospital
for the Insane. Way back in the days when Arizona had
no such institution for the care of the unfortunates on
the 18th of May 1877 she was adjudged insane at Prescott
and was sent to the asylum at Stockton, Cal. She was in
fact one of the first people ever placed in any institution
of that character from Arizona for the first patient sent
to the Stockton asylum from this territory was Wesley
Ricketts who was sent there May 12, 1876, and sent back
when the Arizona institution was completed. He is now a
very old man and an inmate of the asylum.
Mollie Monroe after her first confinement recovered
sufficiently to be released but was returned to the
territorial hospital January 14, 1887.
With the passing of Mollie Monroe ends the career of
one of the historical and in many ways picturesque
characters of the southwest. Her birthplace could not
be learned definitely yesterday but it is said she
originally came from Mississippi and at her death
she was well along toward eighty years old. She
was a wonderfully well preserved woman in all
respects except her mental weakness and till very
recent years loved to join in the dances given for
the patients at the asylum. It is said she was
active as a girl and derived real pleasure from
the diversion. She is also remembered many former
acquaintances and greeted them cheerily when they
called to see her or other unfortunates confined
there. She is said to have been in her early life
a remarkably handsome woman and that her affairs of
the heart in days now forgotten have been the
foundation of jealousies that laid more than one
man in his coffin through the deadly work of knife
or bullet. Even in her old age she had a bright and
winsome eye and unusual good nature for one so
desperately afflicted.
Mollie Monroe whose previous names have not been learned,
came to Arizona in the very early pioneer days, dressed
as a man, riding the range with cowboys or consorting
with the miners in the gold diggings. Though not of
unblemished character she followed business pursuits
and her sins were those of a reckless abandon for legal
proprieties in the matter of martial affairs. When she
tired of one husband she could find another and society
in those days did not demand an appeal to the divorce
courts when affection grew fickle or the services of a
minister when new interests were to be united.
Mollie lived the greater part of the time in Yavapai
County, Prescott then being the center of civilization
in the southwest and her visits to that city were always
events of some public interest. She was open hearted,
liberal almost to a fault and loved children. Whenever
she came to town about the first thing she did was to
buy large quantities of candy and provide every child
she met with a supply that made them think Christmas
had come again. She nearly always wore men's clothes
more for the reason that they were easier to ride in
than anything else and was in this respect probably
Arizona's first "new" woman.
The incident with which her name will perhaps be longest
connected was the discovery of the Castle Creek Hot
Springs in which she is entitled to at least half the
honors. Sometime before she had become the wife of
George Monroe either regularly or by mutual arrangement
which in those days would probably have held good in
law and who name she has since borne. Together they
were riding the range bent on prospecting or rounding
up cattle, when they found the Castle Creek Hot Springs
and located them. It may be a novel and possibly a
pleasing thought to the many ladies of wealth and
refinement who have since visited that beautiful
resort to know that its discovery was made by a
woman, even though like most pioneers she was fond
of tobacco and good whiskey. In her later life,
she was, of course, by the necessity of her
surroundings, denied excesses in these luxuries
so called. Now that her book has been finished,
the veil of charity will hide her faults while
those who knew her will cherish alone, her many
virtues.
George Monroe, with whom she was probably longer
associated than any other person during her life in
Arizona died six or eight years ago in Wickenburg.
