Sheriff Stout returned yesterday morning from Gila Bend
where he went to take charge of the pursuit of the murderer
of Charles Walsz. He was not captured nor was his identity
discovered or even suspected. It is only known that the
murder was committed by a man on horseback and that he left
in the direction of Sonora or the Papago country. A.A.
Kendrick of Gila Bend, who was a member of the first party
that went to the ruins of Walsz' house said that a strange
track had been discovered and followed by him and others
until it was lost in a cow path. The sheriff said that
the next morning the party returned and took up the
track. It was followed about 200 yards to the top of a
mesa, where a horse had been hitched. It had evidently
got away from the rider, for it was trailed by a rope
dragging for thirty miles. The horse tracks were
followed for a short distance to the top of a rocky
mesa where they vanished. The footprint of the man
was small, the size of his shoe could not have been
more than No. 6.
The only man known to have been traveling in the
neighborhood was an old traveling tinker who had gone
on foot from Phoenix to Gila Bend where he arrived on
Monday morning shortly before the news of the murder
was received here.
Walsz's Relatives
December 14, 1902
Justice Burnett yesterday received a letter from Mrs.
Frederick Stotz of Lancaster, Kansas, the sister of
Charles Walsz who was murdered near Gila Bend two
weeks ago. Mrs. Stotz writes that she was prostrated
by the news of the horrible death of her brother and
she hopes that his murderer may be overtaken and
punished. She and her husband are on their way to
Arizona now to settle up his affairs.
Relative of Walsz
December 15, 1902
Frederick Stutz and Louis Bubb, brothers-in-law of
Charles Walsz who was murdered near Gila Bend just
two weeks ago, arrived in the city yesterday morning
to close up the affairs of Walsz in this county. The
former lives at Lancaster, Kansas, and the latter near
Atchison. They spent the day looking up the records of
property belonging to Walsz and will leave tonight for
Gila Bend, accompanied by Judge Burnett who has been
appointed administrator of the estate. The brothers-
in-law of Walsz will take the remains back with them
for burial.
Judge Burnett yesterday received a letter from E.G.
Caruthers of Gila Bend regarding the killing of the
Indian Mateo by him on Saturday. Mr. Caruthers has no
doubt that the Indian was the murderer of Walsz and
Ross, the pumper at Maricopa Tanks. His story of the
death of Mateo is very much the same as that printed
in the Republican yesterday morning. He said that at
the time he fired the Indian was so near him that the
muzzle of the gun fairly touched his breast. He believed
that if there had been a delay of an instant his head would
have been split open.
JOHN WARD
October 18, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper
John Ward, a rancher living alone northwest of town was
kicked in the stomach by one of his horses, on Monday and
with difficulty he managed to crawl to his home, having
suffered in great agony before he was discovered lying on
the floor of his cabin by a friend who happened along.
Ward lingered in his pitable condition for almost a day.
He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he died in a
short time. Star
LEWIS WARD
October 13,1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Last Thursday evening Lewis Ward and Henry Wilson who were
engaged in hauling wood from the Chiricahuas, camped a
couple of miles from Beady's ranch. After the usual
happy, hearty supper of bacon, bread, potatoes and black
coffee, they indulged in that delightful smoke, known only
to men in their situation, then rolled themselves in their
good camp bedding and slept.
It would appear from the testimony of Wilson, says the
Bisbee Review, who was the only witness before the coroner's
jury, that in the night he was awakened by the dogs and
rising up on his elbow, indistinctly observed what he took
to be a skunk, or pole cat. Old teamsters and prospectors
are naturally imbued with greater fear of these animals
than of a rattle snake, in view of the numerous instances
of hydrophobia arising from that source. Wilson says he
took his gun, which was a 44 Colt and fired at the object,
that his partner did not awake at the report, that he
called to him repeatedly and receiving no reply went over
to him and was shocked to find that he had shot Ward
through the head.
His evidence in substance was to the effect that his name
was Henry Wilson, 27 years of age, that he worked in and
around Bisbee for about two years, that he was a teamster,
principally, that he had known Ward two years and that he
had been with the deceased constantly for the twenty four
hours preceding the inquest, except while going for the
doctor. They camped in Sulphur Spring Valley Thursday
night, intending to come to Bisbee the same night but it
rained and their horses got away. They came in after two
hours of unsuccessful hunting for the horses and he got to
camp about ten minutes ahead of deceased. They made their
beds down promptly. The deceased made his bed down about
six feet from the witness, possibly further. That witness
was awakened by his dog between on and two o'clock and
raised upon his shoulder and something showed up like a
white stripe and the dog kept up the racket. That he
made up his mind that it was a pole cat and to use his
own language, "I never looked further, I just got my six
shooter and took a shot at it." When the witness
discovered the terrible situation he was sick for some
time and unable to do anything. He subsequently took
Ward's horses and went after a boy about two miles from
there and that when they returned the deceased was still
alive but had rolled out of bed. The boy talked the
witness into the notion of coming to town after a doctor
and when he and the doctor got back Ward was
"stone dead." Witness further stated that he always
slept alone and that he did not always carry a gun.
An examination of the body showed the deceased to be light
complected man of apparently thirty years of age, full
faced with a small red moustache. The shot had been
fired from the left side, as evidenced by powder burns
and the ball had entered his right eye. He must have
been unconscious from the instant the shot was fired
and died without a struggle. It seems that the deceased
had a wife and child, who survive him, that some two
years ago he lost a little one and often requested in
the event of his death that he be buried by the side of
his child. In deference to that oft repeated request
his remains are being conveyed to the Swisshelm Mountains,
today where the wild flowers will smile above that poor
relic of an awful tragedy, as the summers come and go
and the snows of winter settle, softly upon his humble
resting place.
The jury in the Ward inquest exonerated Wilson.
Elmer Watkins
February 20, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Elmer Watkins, who fell from a train at Gila Bend and had
both legs cut off, died in the hospital at Tucson. He was
never in a condition to make a clear statement of how the
accident occurred. A sister Mrs. W.D. Campbell of
Los Angeles was sent for, but she did not reach Tucson
till after the death of her brother.
FRED WELLS
August 8, 1902
Fred J. Wells died yesterday in the hospital from
injuries received on July 11 when he was thrown from
some freight cars when they left the shaft between the
Spray shaft and the smelter. He was severely cut and
bruised about the head. A fracture of the skull was
discovered by the doctors who performed an operation
in the afternoon after the accident. Mr. Well's
brother came to him soon after the accident and has
remained there since. He telegraphed to his mother
yesterday at Nevada City, Cal., asking if she desired
the remains of her son shipped there. If not, the
burial will take place here.
