The will of the late Guy Bennett was filed in probate court
yesterday and in it his sons-in-law, E.J. Bennitt and D.M.
Barringer are named as executors. The will disposes of
property valued at about $50,000 consisting for the most
part of a ranch in Yavapai County and city property in
Phoenix. The will provides in the first place for the
payment of the debts of the testator, and then leaves
the bulk of the remaining property to his widow. The
children, however are remembered. Each one is curiously
bequeathed some article of personal property, for
instance, a horse, a watch, or some old silver and
after that there is a more valuable gift of real estate.
Baby BERMUDAS
Arizona Republican Newspaper
September 23, 1904
Wednesday evening the four year old girl of Vasquel Bermudas,
living south of San Johnson's ranch was missing. The little
one had not been seen since noon but up to evening no anxiety
was felt as it was thought the little girl was playing with
some other children in the neighborhood. When she did not
return at dark and no trace of her could be found the first
though of her parents was the canal. The family live within
a few feet of the Tempe canal and the supposition now is that
while playing there the child fell in and was carried away by
the water, for at that time there was a fair head running in
the ditch.
As soon as the alarm was given Zanjero Byron Redden shut off
the water above where the accident happened and at once a
party of searchers started out to look for the body. At noon
yesterday no trace of it had been found. By that time all
the water had ceased running and a party started down the
Wormser canal and the Great Eastern. At that time the child
was supposed to have fallen in the water was running in both
of these canals.
There is a bare possibility that something else happened to
the baby and that she did not fall into the canal, if she was
not found last evening that theory is undoubtedly correct.
What else could have happened though is a mystery and it may
be days before it is solved.
WILEY BERRY or Berrie
Arizona Republican Newspaper
January 4, 1904
The Arizona Silver Belt prints the following story of the
preliminary trial of Zack and John Booth for the killing
near Gisela of Wiley Berry and a Mexican boy named Vigil.
The prisoners were taken to Payson where the hearing of
Zack Booth began on Saturday and was concluded on Monday
before Justice J.O. Hill who bound the defendant over
without bail to await the action of the grand jury.
In the absence of the district attorney, Henry Q. Robinson
was retained by Santiago Vigil, father of the murdered
Mexican boy, to prosecute the Booths and J.W. Wentworth
conducted the defense. AT the coroner's inquest Zack
Booth made a confession, assuming the responsibility for
killing both the young men and denying that his brother
John Booth was in any way implicated. There were some
discrepancies in the statement made by Zack Booth which
are discredited. He alleges self defense as the motive
for killing Berry and Vigil claiming that the former shot
at him first, the bullet from Berry's gun striking the
pommel of his saddle whereupon he returned the fire,
killing both young men. He also stated that when he
ordered them to leave the vicinity they were "sassy."
Wiley Berry was the son of W.W. Berry, a prominent citizen
and former sheriff of Apache County. The young man was 20
years of age and is highly spoken of. He was shot twice in
the breast and his body was left lying partly in the fire
where it had fallen. Vigil, the Mexican boy, was the son of
Santiago Vigil, herder for the Berrys. His body was found
some distance from that of Berry and he is supposed to have
been running when shot in the back. The assassin then shot
him twice in the breast and once in the throat under the chin.
District Attorney George R. Hill and under sheriff Pollard
Pearson left here on the afternoon of Christmas and reached
Payson on Sunday. The district attorney found that Mr.
Robertson had conducted the prosecution with good judgment
and ability and requested him to go on with the cases. At
the conclusion of the hearing of Zack Booth the court took
a recess to give time for the exhuming and examination of
the bodies of Berry and Vigil for the purpose of
ascertaining if there was a difference in the caliber
of the bullets with which they were shot.
W.W. Berry, father of Wiley berry and David Lee of Thatcher
arrived here on Tuesday night's train and left for the north
yesterday afternoon. It is Mr. Berry's intention to have
his sons remains removed to St. Johns, Apache County as
soon as possible.
Mr. Berry had stopped at Thatcher to see his wife and
daughters, who were visiting friends there when news of
the sons assassination reached them in a letter from the
Justice of the Peace, Hill, of Payson who found a letter
in young Berry's pocket, form his mother written at
Thatcher. The parents were greatly distressed by the
wholly unexpected announcement of the killing of their
son and the violent manner of his death and the father
had not recovered from the shock when he left here yesterday.
James Bertine
November 21, 1904
Arizona Republican Newspaper
There has been a series of deplorable accidents at the Old
Dominion Mine this week. On Monday afternoon James Bertine,
while working in an open trench near the new shaft, was
crushed to death by a mine car filled with earth and rock
falling on him. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of
accidental death. The deceased was a native of Italy, 34
years of age and leaves a wife and two children. He was a
member of the Knights of Pythias and Globe Miners' Union No.
60. The funeral took place under the auspices of those orders.
P.C. BICKNELL
Arizona Republican Newspaper
April 1, 1904
News has been received from Prescott that Pierpont C.
Bicknell died yesterday in the county hospital at that
place after an extended illness. Though Mr. Bicknell
has lived in Yavapai County for many years, he was formerly
a citizen of Phoenix, and few men were better known among
the old timers in this valley. He was, though, an Arizonian
in the broadest sense of the word, his personal interest in
Arizona affairs not being confined to any particular
section. He traveled all over the territory at one time
or another, was well informed respecting its early history
and was considered an authority as to its physical
resources. He gave particular attention to the mining
industry, and there was little going on in the way of
mineral development that he was not apprised of. He was
a newspaper man by profession, though his later years were
devoted to correspondence for various papers, both at home
and abroad, which correspondence was mainly devoted to
recounting the development of the mining industry. His
special pride was the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in the
vicinity of which he found much of interest in a mineral
way and was largely concerned in the development of
promising properties there.
He had no immediate family and had the faculty of being at
home where ever he chanced to be. His nearest relative in
Arizona was a cousin, P. Minor of this city, his native state
being New York. Financially he had his ups and downs, as did
all the early settlers and he will be remembered not so much
for his achievements in that line as for his pleasing
friendship and his fidelity to every trust.
RICHARD BICKNELL
Arizona Republican Newspaper
April 3, 1904
Mr. and Mrs. M.O. Bicknell are sorely bereaved in the
death at 2 o'clock yesterday morning of their son, Richard
a fourteen months old child. The little fellow had been
ill for a long time with a variety of children's ailments
accompanying the teething period, complicated with
capillary bronchitis to which specific disease death
is attributed. The condition of the patient had been
alarming, even critical for some days, though naturally
hope was maintained almost to the last. Richard was the
only son, the other two children of Mr. and Mrs. Bicknell
both being girls. The funeral service will be held at
the family residence, No. 321 West Jefferson Street at
2:30 o'clock this afternoon, all friends being invited
to attend.
E.H. Bonnett
November 19, 1904
Arizona Republican Newspaper
E.H. Bonnett, a young man quite well known in Phoenix,
died at the Sisters Hospital last night of typhoid
pneumonia. He has for several years been spending the
summers in Colorado and the winters in Phoenix. He was
a friend of Mr. A.W. Lamm and last winter was employed
at the Phoenix news and stationary store. He came here
about two weeks ago. His relatives in New York were
informed of his death this morning.
