STEPHEN TURNER
Arizona Republican Newspaper
September 16, 1904
Stephen H. Turner died yesterday evening at his home on
West Adams Street. He came here from Chicago three years
ago for his health and last year he conducted the Sixth
Avenue Hotel. He was at one time one of the best known
hotel men in the south. He leaves a wife and young
daughter. His interment will take place here but not
funeral arrangements have yet been made.
Flora Vanderhoof
December 3, 1904
Arizona Republican Newspaper
On Monday occurred the death of little Flora Vanderhoof,
youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. V.A. Vanderhoof of
Scottsdale. The child was ill but a few days, the
disease developing rapidly into a complication of
brain and bowel trouble. On Tuesday a service was
held in the home by the M.E. pastor of Tempe and
burial took place in the Double Butte Cemetery.
As a mark of respect for Mr. Vanderhoof, who is
school trustee, the public school closed for the day.
ERNIE VAUGHN
Arizona Republican Newspaper
March 1904
Ernest Vaughan for a long time a resident of Phoenix died
last Tuesday at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.M.
Vaughan at Lockwood Missouri. Mr. Vaughan came to this
city thirteen years ago for the benefit of the health of
their son who was singularly afflicted having lost the
power of speech and almost the power of sight. He never
entirely outgrew these afflictions though there was a
marked improvement in his condition and a couple of years
ago it was thought that he could safely be taken back to
Missouri where his father has extensive property interests.
ADAM VERGES
Arizona Republican Newspaper
July 5, 1904
Adam Verges, a Pima Indian of Sacaton, aged 28 years,
met with a sudden and violent death on Sunday July 3rd at
1:30 pm on the streets of Mesa. Death was due to being
thrown from a bucking horse in front of the Phil Mets
stables. Adam was riding a bronco and leading another.
The rope attached to the lead horse became entangled
with the tail of the one the boy was riding on and the
animal began to buck. At about the fourth jump the
rider went up into the air and came to the hard earth
on the flat of his back. He never moved afterwards.
Coroner Standage impaneled a jury consisting of Ben Randell,
I. Harmon, Joe Lederie, Dr. C.F. Hawley, Roger Palmer and
Royal S. Irwin who viewed the remains and adjourned until
10 o'clock this morning to hear evidence and return their
verdict which was in accordance with the facts as above
stated. The body of Verges was loaded in a wagon and
taken to Sacaton for burial.
JEWELL WALKER
Arizona Republican Newspaper
August 20, 1904
Miss Jewell Walker, the fifteen year old daughter of T.J.
Walker died yesterday at the Iron Springs where she was
spending the summer with relatives. She had been ill only
five days and most of that time she was delirious with a
high fever. The body was brought in this morning and the
funeral will take place at 5 o'clock this afternoon from
the rooms of Mohn and Dorris. About two weeks ago an
aunt of Miss Walker died at the springs.
BERNARD WANDEL
Arizona Republican Newspaper
July 12, 1904
It is almost certain that the body of a suicide is lying
somewhere about this community but at a late hour last
night it had not been found. Last Saturday morning an old
man by the name of Bernard Wandel came to town having walked
all the way from Gila Bend. He was a baker and had been
working in California. He knew one man in Phoenix, Christian
Benzing, a baker employed at the Phoenix Bakery. He applied
there for work but there was no opening at that time and
temporary employment was found for him at Hoghe's Restaurant
where he went to work at once as a dish washer. He put in
one day there. He told his friend on Saturday night that he
believed that he would commit suicide. His friend talked
him out of it but all Saturday evening he seemed very
despondent.
One Sunday morning he did not appear at the restaurant
for work and nothing was seen of him during the day.
Yesterday morning Mr. Benzing received a letter which
had been mailed the day before. It was from Wandel
who said that he had determined to die and he told
Benzing that his body would be found at the foot of
Seventh Avenue at the river. He gave some other
directions regarding his family and said he was utterly
discouraged and there was no use for him to struggle
any longer. He had grown too old and helpless to
work and he had no other means of living.
The letter which was written in German was translated and
taken to the office of the sheriff. Deputies Oscar Roberts
and Dick Newton went on foot to Seventh Avenue but could
find nothing of the body. They found no trail except the
traveled road which leads across the river.
It is known that Wandel was once in business in Baltimore
and that he was very wealthy. His family still resides
there. He lost all of his property and then took up the
trade of baker, out of which he accumulated his wealth.
He traveled all over the country and had been in California
for several years. In his last letter he gave the address
of his wife as Mrs. Justine Wandel, 1357 Carroll Street,
Baltimore.
C.D. WEBB
Arizona Republican Newspaper
November 3, 1904
News comes from Clifton of the murder of C.D. Webb in that
city two or three days ago, as a result of a quarrel of
some kind. There are no details of the tragedy yet, not
even the name of the man who did the shooting. Webb was
a former resident of Bisbee where he was employed as a
credit man by the Copper Queen Store. Webb was in the
employ of the Shannon Company.
Johann Widner
November 14, 1904
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Johann Widner, a hobo, was shot and killed by a brakeman
by the name of Crowder near Gila Bend on Sunday night.
The first word of it received here came in the shape of a
report of the coroner's inquest sent by Justice Coyle of
the Gila Bend precinct to the office of the district
attorney. The justice asked what he should do in the
case and the district attorney wired him to proceed with
the preliminary examination of Crowder.
The main story of the killing was told by a companion of
Widner by the name of Joseph Levy. Levy said that he and
a man by the name of George Schmutzler left the freight
train No. 248 at a little station called Ocapos. They had
evidently been driven from the train by the brakeman.
Levy said that they were fired at by the brakeman and
they ran to a clump of bushes about ninety feet from the
track. Just as they reached the bushes the brakeman
fired again, the ball striking Widner, who had been
following them in their flight. Widner fell to the
ground and Levy and Schmutzler carried him back to the
track where he died almost instantly. Schmutzler
started for Bosque after the section foreman and Levy
remained with the corpse. Levy said that the man who
fired the shot was a short heavy set man. The foreman
accompanied Schmutzler back and caused the train to be
stopped at Bosque and the brakeman was taken off.
Several other persons testified at the inquest, among
them the section foreman and the telegraph operator at
Ocapos, but they were not witnesses of the shooting.
A story told by another man by the name of Joe Anderson
shows that the train was well patronized by hoboes and
that the brakeman was having his hands full in disembarking
them. He said that after the shooting though he did not
know at the time that anyone had been shot. He and
another man were sitting on the side of an oil tank
when the brakeman, Crowder, came along and told them
to get off or he would knock them off. They believed
that he would do it and they sprang from the train
while it was running at a high rate of speed approaching
Bosque. Anderson said that he and his companion started
back toward Ocapos and seeing a fire near the track
approached it. They found three men and a corpse
there. The dead man was Widner and the others were
Levy, Schmurtzler and the section foreman.
It was stated by other witnesses that there had been a
great deal of trouble between the trainmen and hoboes
in various stations along that section of the road
that night and at one place a hobo was badly beaten
up.
The examination of Crowder probably took place
yesterday.
