A telegram was received at the sheriff's office last night from
Deputy Sheriff George at Wickenburg saying: "I have the man who
did the killing at Munro Mine." Nothing had been heard of any
trouble at the time of the dispatch was received but the Republican
later had information from Hot Springs Junction describing the
tragedy. About noon yesterday William Murphy, superintendent
of the Castello Mine, fifteen miles east of the junction was
attacked by two prospectors named Barnal and Sweninger. They
shot him four times, inflicting serious but not fatal wounds.
Murphy was shot from behind but he returned the fire with
deadly effect. The affray took place near a spring where the
men had been camped for several days. The shooting was heard
by miners at the camp and they hurried to the scene. Reaching
they found Bernal dead and Murphy lying near by. Sweninger escaped
without injury. The cause of the attack on Murphy has not been
learned here. The tragedy took place in Yavapai County and a
telegram was sent to Sheriff Ruffner at Prescott. He was expected
to reach the junction last night. Sweninger made his way from the
place of the killing to Wickenburg, where he was captured by deputy
Sheriff George.
Late last night word was received that Murphy had died of his
wounds. Murphy represented a Buffalo, N.Y. syndicate headed by
J.W. Costello, who was informed by telegraph of the death of his
superintendent.
Word of the shooting was sent to the wife of Superintendent
Murphy, who was at the hot springs and a doctor was summoned
but before either reached him he was dead. Additional information
regarding the affair was received in the following telegram from
Prescott to the Republican before the death of Murphy:
"A general shooting scrape occurred today at the Trilby Mine, in
which Superintendent Murphy, a man named Bernal and two others
participated. Murphy was mortally wounded, Barnal killed and the
other tow slightly wounded. Over twenty shots were exchanged.
The trouble was over locating the boundary lines of the two mining
claims.
WILLIAM QUEENSBURY
February 16, 1898
Application was made for letters of administration upon the state of
William Queensbury. The petitioner is the widow of the
deceased.
JOHN RICHARDS
November 26, 1898
Mrs. Amanda Richards, administratrix of the estate of John L.
Richards, yesterday filed a final account.
MRS. J.C. RIGDEN
January 17, 1898
The funeral of Mrs. J.C. Rigden who died on Saturday night from
an accidental gunshot wound took place yesterday afternoon
from the family residence northeast of town.
Dr. ROLAND LEE ROSSON
Arizona Republican Newspaper
June 21, 1898
The may friends in this city of the late Dr. R.L. Rosson
will be pleased to learn that the inquisition into the
circumstances of his death entirely removes the suspicion
of suicide raised by agents of companies in which he was
heavily insured. The Los Angeles Times says:
"We, the jury find that Dr. Roland Lee Rosson came to his
death on May 12, 1898 from gastro enteritis." The
verdict contains more than the mere fact of the
announcement. It means that the family of Dr. Rosson
will have smooth sailing in the recovery of $34,000
insurance money and the evidence before the coroner's
jury yesterday tends to show that it was not death by
suicide or foul play as was asserted at the time.
On May 14, Coroner Campbell was notified that Dr. R.L.
Rosson living at No. 612 Flower Street had died suddenly
after securing $34000 in insurance from several fraternal
orders, all within the past year. A demand for an
investigation was made on the coroner, who impaneled a
jury, viewed the remains, held and autopsy and
delivered the stomach and intestines to Dr. Bullard,
professor of chemistry of the college of medicine,
University of California.
Yesterday, Mrs. Rosson was examined but outside of giving
a history of the number of times the doctor was ill and
confined to his bed nothing of importance was brought out.
J. GUTHERIE SAVAGE
March 5, 1898
The funeral of the late J. Gutherie Savage took place yesterday
afternoon. It was conducted under the auspices of the Masonic
order and the GAR post of both of which orders he was a foremost
member.
EDITH SCHMIDT
February 22, 1898
Word was received in this city that Miss Edith Schmidt well known
in Phoenix died at her home in Dalles, Oregon on Feb. 10. Miss
Schmidt spent the summer of 1895, the following winter and the
winter of 1896 in this city.
WILLIAM SEYMOUR
January 24, 1898
About 9 o'clock yesterday morning George Roberts coming along
the Yuma Road a mile below town saw the dead body of a man
hanging over a plank in the Salt River canal. The water was
then low, as it had been turned on a few hours before, so that
only the feet and legs of the man were in the water, and they
were covered in mud.
Justice Johnstone was notified and impaneling a jury went out to
the place where the body had been found. It was dragged out
upon the bank of the canal. It was that of a man about 45 years
old and of red complexion and dressed in a coat, a flannel
shirt, overalls and drawers. The pockets contained only a
leather shoe string, a couple of pieces of cord, a pocket
knife, a corkscrew and a patent medicine advertisement.
It was learned later in the day that the drowned man was
William E. Seymour or William O'Brien, for he was known by
both names. He was at Staley's Saloon at Five points about
11 o'clock the night before and was never seen alive after
he left the saloon. About sixty yards west of the saloon
there is a place where the curb on the canal is scraped
away as if by somebody or object slipping into the canal.
It is supposed that Seymour wandered along the ditch and
walked or fell into it not far above the place where his
sodden corpse was discovered.
Little is known of Seymour. He came to the territory as a
soldier and when his term of service expired six years ago
he came to Phoenix. For two years he was employed by James
McCarthy the blacksmith. Lately he was working for William
Metzger.
January 25, 1898
The inquest upon the death of William Seymour, whose body was
found in the Salt River Valley canal on Sunday morning was concluded
before Justice Johnstone yesterday. A verdict of death by
accidental drowning was rendered. Very little more could be
learned of the matter than was known the night before. It was
a matter of conjecture both as to the time when and the place
where Seymour got into the canal. It was about 10 o'clock on
Saturday night and that the place was sixty yards west of
Staley's Saloon at Five Points, as was described in the
Republican yesterday morning.
Nobody knew how old Seymour was or where he came from. He was
a member of the Ninth Infantry at Whipple Barracks twenty five
years ago and had lived in Phoenix six years. His personal
effects consisted of a valise and a lot of old clothes which
he kept in Metzer's stable where he worked. He had a room mate,
Dick Cox who might have known something about his past life,
but he was not in town.
PHOEBE SLOAN
November 30, 1898
The will of Phoebe J. Sloan was admitted to probate yesterday
and J.E. Tannehill, a son-in-law of the testator, was appointed
executor under the will. The property in this county disposed
of amounts to about $1500.
HENRY SMITH
Arizona Republican Newspaper
July 29, 1898
Henry Smith, an old man of sixty, died suddenly late
yesterday afternoon on a porch at the Arizona house.
He had been complaining the evening before of heat and
he continued his complaint yesterday. He lay for sometime
in the sun and then got up and lay on the porch. When he
was next noticed he was dead. Justice Johnstone was
informed and a coroner's jury was impaneled. After
viewing the body and questioning those who had noticed
Smith last when he was alive, decided that death was
the result of prostration by heat. Very little is
known of him except that he came here overland a few
days ago from Prescott. The only thing found in his
pockets was a letter addressed to him at Chaparral last
February. It was written by Attorney H.D. Ross of
Prescott. It evidently related to pension matters.
It stated that the writer had had a letter from the
war department concerning Smith's case but was unable
to do anything for the reason that his statements
regarding his age, date of enlistment and discharge
were inaccurate. The purpose of the application to
the war department seems to have been to obtain a
certificate of discharge. It was also stated that
there was a Henry Smith, a member of Company H,
Forty First regiment of Missouri infantry.
