On the evening of February 15, 1900, New Mexico & Arizona Railroad Train No. 1 stopped at Fairbank, a small station on the San Pedro River about eighteen miles south of Benson. Three masked men were waiting. According to the first newspaper report, the holdup began at approximately 6:10 that evening. One robber climbed onto …
The Hunt for the Camp Verde Killers
A Hundred Men Take to the Trail Camp Verde, Arizona Territory — July 1899 By the morning of July 3, 1899, R. M. “Mack” Rodgers and Clinton DeWitt Wingfield were dead, Captain John Boyd was wounded, and armed men were already taking to the country around Camp Verde in search of the killers. The first …
Murdered in Camp Verde
The Murder of Rodgers and Wingfield Camp Verde, Arizona Territory — July 2, 1899 On Sunday evening, July 2, 1899, R. M. “Mack” Rodgers and Clinton DeWitt Wingfield were preparing to close their store at Camp Verde when gunfire shattered the evening. Two days later, an Arizona newspaper carried the story beneath a stark headline: …
Gunshots at the Oriental Saloon
James “Jimmy” Coyle, a Tombstone policeman, was standing on Allen Street talking with Dave Cohn. Coyle had his back toward the Oriental Saloon when he heard a gunshot. Turning toward the sound, Coyle saw Buckskin Frank Leslie with a pistol in his hand. Coyle started toward the saloon, and as he did, a second shot …
A Crime Without an Ending
How an Unsolved Stage Murder Became Part of Tombstone’s Larger Conflict The attempted stage robbery near Drew’s Station on March 15, 1881, ended with two dead men and an intact Wells Fargo shipment. The accused gunmen – Bill Leonard, Harry Head, and Jim Crane – were not brought to trial. Luther King, the alleged accomplice …
The Hunt for the Drew’s Station Killers
From a Failed Robbery to a Manhunt Across Arizona Territory Two Men Dead, No Robbers in Custody The men who attacked the Tombstone-to-Benson stage near Drew’s Station on March 15, 1881, escaped without the Wells Fargo treasure. They left something much harder to ignore behind them: the bodies of Bud Philpot and passenger Peter Roerig. …
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A Stage Out of Tombstone
The Murder at Drew’s Station Bud Philpot’s Last Ride On the evening of March 15, 1881, a stagecoach left Tombstone for Benson carrying passengers, express matter, and a valuable Wells Fargo shipment. Before the night was over, two men would be dead, the stage would be racing driverless through the darkness, and a robbery intended …
A Deadly Pistol at the Fashion Saloon
The Killing of James Leavy in Tucson A quarrel over a faro game was supposed to be settled by a duel the following morning. Someone decided not to wait. Seven or eight pistol shots broke the night along Meyer Street in Tucson. A reporter for the Arizona Daily Star was standing nearby with Police Chief …