Vigilantes and Bad Men of Arizona
Arizona, a land of vast deserts, rugged mountains, and vibrant sunsets, holds a history as colorful and complex as its landscape. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the territory, and later the state, wrestled with the challenges of rapid growth, limited law enforcement, and the allure of quick riches. This volatile mix often resulted in justice being meted out in ways that bypassed established legal systems, giving rise to tales of vigilantes and infamous outlaws. This article explores some of the most notable instances of extrajudicial actions and the deeds of some of the "bad men" who roamed Arizona, drawing from historical accounts to paint a picture of a bygone era.
The line between law and lawlessness in early Arizona was often blurred. The vast distances, sparse populations, and the lure of precious metals created an environment where criminal activity could flourish. However, the formal institutions of law enforcement were often stretched thin, leading to a sense of frustration and a desire for immediate justice among the citizenry. This sentiment fueled the rise of vigilante groups who, acting outside the bounds of the law, sought to restore order and punish wrongdoers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of vigilante justice in Arizona occurred in Tucson in 1873. Dissatisfied with what they perceived as lax enforcement by county officials, a group of citizens took matters into their own hands. On August 8th, a mob descended upon the county jail, seized four prisoners – John Willis, Leonard Cordova, Clemente Lopez, and Jesus Saguaripa – and summarily hanged them. A subsequent coroner’s jury, rather than condemning the act, seemed to endorse it, stating that "such extreme measures seem to be the inevitable result of allowing criminals to escape the penalties of their crimes." Willis had been convicted of killing Robert Swoope during a drunken argument, while the three Mexicans were accused of murdering a countryman and his wife for plunder. The execution was public, carried out on a gibbet erected in front of the jail after the condemned were afforded what was described as "the benefit of clergy," likely a last-minute opportunity for religious solace.
Similar acts of vigilante justice unfolded in other nascent settlements across Arizona. In August 1877, the residents of Safford took Oliver P. McCoy, who had confessed to the murder of farmer J.P. Lewis, and hanged him. The motivation stemmed from a fear that McCoy, slated to be transported to Tucson for trial, would somehow evade justice in the courts. Later that same year, in December, the small village of Hackberry witnessed the hanging of Charles Rice, accused of murdering Frank McNeil. Rice’s offense involved disarming Robert White during an altercation where White appeared to be in the wrong. The situation escalated when White, fearing a similar fate, attempted to escape and was killed by his guards.
The fall of 1881 saw a grim event in Saint John’s, where citizens forcibly removed Joseph Waters and William Campbell from jail and hanged them for the murders of David Blanchard and J. Barrett at the Blanchard Ranch. Rumors circulated that the men had been hired assassins seeking to seize the ranch as a trading post, but the alleged instigator was never brought to justice. In April 1885, near Holbrook, two murderers named Lyon and Reed, responsible for the death of a man named Garcia, were ambushed and killed by a posse of citizens led by James D. Houck. These incidents highlight a pattern of communities taking the law into their own hands when they felt the established legal system was inadequate or unresponsive.
While vigilantes sought to impose their own brand of justice, Arizona also produced its share of notorious outlaws. These figures, driven by greed, desperation, or a disregard for the law, left a trail of violence and mayhem across the territory. One such incident occurred in Yuma in early 1901. Mrs. J.J. Burns, a farmer’s wife, was fatally shot by Constable H.H. Alexander while he was serving a legal paper. Alexander was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, but the case took a dramatic turn on April 9th. As he was being escorted from the courthouse to the territorial penitentiary, Alexander was shot dead by a rifle bullet fired from a nearby building. Suspicion fell on a relative of the King family, to which Mrs. Burns belonged, but the matter was never officially resolved.
The story of George Smiley in Holbrook in December 1899 provides a stark example of the complex attitudes toward capital punishment in Arizona. Smiley, convicted of murdering a section foreman named McSweeney, became the subject of a macabre spectacle orchestrated by Sheriff F.J. Wattron. A school teacher and editor by trade, Wattron envisioned the first legal execution in the newly formed Navajo County as a social event. He issued gilt-bordered invitations, promising attendees "the latest improved methods in the art of scientific strangulation" and assuring them that everything would be done to make the surroundings cheerful and the execution a success. The sheriff’s flippancy sparked outrage, drawing hundreds of protesting letters. Governor Murphy, incensed by Wattron’s levity, granted Smiley a month’s reprieve. Smiley was eventually hanged on January 8, 1900.
Among the lawmen who sought to bring order to the turbulent landscape of Arizona, Commodore Perry Owens stands out as a legendary figure. Serving as sheriff in Northeastern Arizona, Owens embodied the image of a frontier lawman with his long hair, large hat, high boots, and prominent revolvers. His reputation was cemented in 1886 by a gunfight in Holbrook in which he killed three cowboys and wounded a fourth. The incident stemmed from an indictment against Andy Cooper, a stockman with a reputation for cattle theft. When Owens hesitated to arrest Cooper, he was goaded into action by onlookers. Owens confronted Cooper at the home of Cooper’s mother, Mrs. Blevins. A confrontation ensued, resulting in the deaths of Cooper, John Blevins (Cooper’s half-brother), and a cowboy named Roberts. Young Blevins, a 16-year-old, also died in the shootout. The event solidified Owens’s image as a fearless and effective lawman.
The ranks of Arizona’s outlaws included figures like Augustine Chacon, a notorious bandit captured by Ex-Captain Mossman of the Arizona Rangers. Chacon had a long list of crimes to his name, including the murder of a Mexican in Morenci in 1895, for which he was sentenced to hang. He escaped from jail and was later implicated in the murders of two prospectors and an old miner. He joined Burt Alvord and other outlaws in Sonora and participated in train robberies. After his capture, Chacon was hanged in Solomonville in December 1902. Another particularly brutal figure was a blacksmith named Rodgers, who in 1861 boasted of having killed 18 people at the Santa Rita mines and presented a string of human ears as proof. He vowed to reach twenty-five kills before stopping. Rodgers later murdered six men in El Paso, where he was captured and subjected to a gruesome punishment: he was hanged by the heels over a slow fire, and his own ears were added to his collection.
The early legal executions in Arizona also shed light on the era’s harsh realities. In 1873, Manuel Fernandez was hanged in Yuma County for the murder of D.A. McCarty, known as "Raw Hide," a crime motivated by the desire to steal McCarty’s goods. Joseph Casey, a deserter from the regular army with a history of murders and other crimes, was hanged in Tucson in 1884. He had been arrested for cattle theft and later broke out of jail, killing jailer A.W. Holbrook during a second escape attempt. And, in Tombstone in 1900, the Halderman brothers were hanged for the murder of Constable Chester Ainsworth and Teddy Moore, whom they shot after being arrested for cattle stealing.
The stories of vigilantes and bad men in Arizona offer a glimpse into a turbulent period in the state’s history. These tales of justice, lawlessness, and violence reflect the challenges of establishing order in a rapidly changing frontier environment. They serve as a reminder of the complex and often contradictory forces that shaped the American West.