The oasis. [volume], April 28, 1906, Image 1

About The oasis. [volume] (Arizola, Ariz.) 1893-1920

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

                
AN
AUTHORITY
OH MINES AND
MINING.
THE
BEST WEEKLY
NEWSPAPER
IN ARIZONA,
Second Seriks,
Vol. VI., No. 25
NOG ALES, ARIZONA, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 1906.
Whole No. 676.
HARRIS CAPTURED
LINE CITY OFFICERS MAKE ANOTHER
IMPORTANT CATCH.
Southern Pacific Brakeman Who Killed
Hugh McCullough Arrested in
Nogales Saturday Night.
Homer 0. Harris, the Southern
Pacific brakeman who shot and
killed Hugh McCullough at Dome
station east of Yuma on Friday
night, April 13, was captured in
Nogales last Saturday night by
Sergeant of Hangers William Olds
and Deputy Sheriff Homer Ma pes.
Harris had been in town not more
than an hour and a half before hei
was arrested. Officers Mapes and
Olds met Harris in the alley back
of Morley avenue and recognizing
the man from a photograpti which
had been sent to the sheriffs oilice
here, placed him under arrest. He
offered no resistance and admitted
his identity.
Tuesday night Sheriff Gus Liv
ingston of Yuma arrived in No
gales and Wednesday morning left
for Yuma with the prisoner.
In an interview with The Oasis
reporter in Sheriff Fowler's office
Monday Harris told his storv of
the shooting and appeared to be
lieve he was justified in what he
had done.
He says there were eight or ten
hoboes in a bunch and he first saw
them in the yards at Yuma and
told them to keep off the train.
At Adonde station he again en
countered the gang and there they
proceeded to climb into a box car
while he was endeavoring to pre
vent them. There were more in
the gang than he could handle and
they practically climbed over him
in getting into the car. They told
him they were going to ride and
that he could not put them off.
Harris says he then went to the
caboose, got a revolver and return-
TURN YAQUIS BACK
MUST HEREAFTER HAVE PASSES TO
ENTER AMERICAN TERRITORY.
Step Taken to Prevent Warring Reds
from Crossing International Line
to Secure Ammunition.
the tracks. From where he was
he could see them, but he was him
self protected by the shadow of the
car. Three shots were fired at him
and he shot eight times in return,
that being all the cartridges he
had. He knew he had hit one of
the men, but did not know how
seriously he had injured him. He
says the man he killed was the
man who shot at him.
After the shooting he climbed
again unto the car, secured his
lantern and returned to the ca
boose. He says his fellow-brake-man,
O'Brien, who was arrested
and afterward discharged after ai Mexican Consul' Masearena-i of
preiiminarv hearing at Yuma last 1 this city has just rendered his
week, knew nothing of the shoot-j country and e-peiaJ!y the State
ing and he did not tell him of it. jof Sonora a great service' in con
He says it was because he wasjnection with the Yaqui Indian
alone at the time of the shooting j troubles. AH through ihe Yaqui
that he thought to escape arrest by j war it has been claimed that ihe
flight. He left Dome station with j Indians have crossed the intema
the others, but said nothing of thejtionai line into Arizona and m
cured weapons and ammunition,
which they have smuggled ."into
Mexico for the use of the maraud
ing bands that have committed so
many depredations in Sonora.
Consul Masearetias has been in
communication with the immigra
tion officials in regard to the Ya
quis entering the United States, for
some time and now lias the assur-
there was another Yaqui scare in
Nogales, Sonora. A ' report wa
circulated to the effect that there
were forty Indians within a few
miles of town. A posse was or
ganized in the Mexican town to
scout the surrounding country
under the leadership of Chief of
Police Espinosa, but no Indians
were located. The Oasis reporter
went along in order to be able to
report the expected battle as an
''eye witness" and Sergeant Olds
went along to protect the news
paper man. Later Mexican Con
sul Mascareftas and Judge Gildea
joined the party, so in case inter
national complications should
arise they would be in a position
to state whether or not the affair
had been conducted according to
law.
shooting. At one of the stations
further east he learned a message
had been received telling of the
shooting and staling that the man
who was shot had been killed.
lie then fcaied if he was arrest
ed all the men in the gang would
swear against him, while he had
none to call in his defense, and he
determined to escape by liight if
possible. He threw away the re-' anee of the American
volver from the caboose, while the
train was in motion and when the
east bound passenger train passed
the freight, he boarded it and rode
to Tucson. The officers hunting support.-
for him thought when he left the If there are Yaquis
train he had traveled the other between Sonora and
mi mi "ra
tion officials that hereafter Yaquis i that plac tcll
attempting 10 enier me unneu
States will be treated like other
aliens who are without means of
car,
walking
ed to the
other cars, as the train was
in motion again
Standing
over the
then
on
i . t 1 1
me car wim ins lantern in one
hand and the revolver in the
other, he fired a shot, just as the
train reached Dome station, where
it stopped. Then lying fiat on the
car he leaned over and looked into
the door. The men were still in
the car and laughed at him, one
of them remarking: "That (refer
ring to the shot) sounds like a fiz
zle to us."
He says he again ordered them
out of the car and told them if he
fired again it would not be a
"fizzle." They climbed out of the
car, which was then on a siding,
and crossing the main line stop
ped beside the track. One of the
men, Harris says, then turned and
shot at him. He immediately
dropped his lantern and jumped
from the top of the car to the
ground on the opposite side from
where the men were.
He crouvhed behind one of the
trucks and tired at the men across
way and he was not molested on
the passenger train. He rode into
Tucson, went to breakfast and re
turning later to the depot was
standing in the crowd on the plat
form while the officers weresearch
ing an incoming train for him.
From Tucson he came to Noga
les, but was here only between
trains. He then went south to
Guaymas where he remained a few
days. From Guaymas he return
ed to Nogales Saturday night and
was captured here about an hour
and a half after reaching town.
Harris is young fellow about
twenty-six or tweaty-seven years
old and a native of Memphis,
Tennessee. List November he
came to Nogales and for a couple
of months was on the burro train
between here and Benson. Later
he was on the run from Tucson to
Yuma and in March and the first
part of this month again ran in
and out of Nogales. A few days
before the shooting he was once
more transferred to the Tucson
Yutna run.
During the last couple of years
Nogales officers have made a num
ber of important captures. Sher
iff Fowler has gathered about him
traveling
Arizona
points, to smuggle arms into So
nora, they, of course, do not enter
the United States through the re
gular ports of entry. Special pre
cautions will hereafter be taken to
guard against their entering this
country. When intercepted they
will be returned to Mexico by the
immigration officials and will be
informed that thev will have to
make application at the regular
ports of entry for admission.
The rule does not apply alone to
Arizona, but along the entire
American-Mexican line, as well.
Orders have been issued from
the oilice of Inpector George W.
Webb of T ucsoii, chief of thu im
migration department of Arizona
and New. Mexico, in regard to such
aliens. Ollicers are instructed
that if any of the exempt class of
aliens are apprehended within the
interior of this district, who nave
recently arrived from Mexico, they
should lie detained, and the facts
in such cases submitted to the de
partment headquarters at Tucson,
pending instructions.
Rumors of Indians crossing the
line into Arizona have been excep
tionally numerous during the past
couple of months and as a result
A resilient of Oro Blanco
i week wrote to a friend in Nogales
criticising Tub Oasis for having
denied the report two weeks ago
that there were armed Yaquis
crossing the International line
into Arizona. When Tin: Oasis
made light of the report referred ,
to, it was under the belief, founded
on information gathered, that
there were no Indians in the vicin
ity. The Oro Blanco man, how
ever, saw nine armed Indians at
of another
man who. saw three more. Others
who had riding almit the country,
saw no signs of Indians at that
time and so reported in Nogales.
If there are armed Yaquis passing
back and forth across the line
The Oasis has no desire to mis
represent matters by denying the
fact. The Oasis always endeavors
to learn the truth in such matters
and to publish the truth.
as deputies men who are always ! Mr. Mascareftas has been in cor
respondence with the immigration
officers on the American side, re
questing that the department take
on the lookout and Capt Tom
Rynning's sergeant, "Billy" Olds,
was never known to miss a man
when there was a chance
ting him.
His Wife III.
of get-j action in the matter with a view
I to keeping the Indians from cros-
Monday General Luis E. Torres
came up from Hermosillo and
spent the day with Mexican Con
sul Manuel Mascareftas, in con
ference in regard to the Yaqui
situation. General Torres lias
deployed Mexican soldiers along
the International line, to watch
for Yaquis passing back and forth
between the two countries, Mon
dav night he leturned to Hermosillo.
During the past few days the re
port has been current in Nogale
that General Iguaeio Bravo has
been sent to Hermosillo by Pres
ident Diaz of the Mexican lie
public to assume charge of the af
fairs of the state, both military and
civil, ' he Oasis reporter called
upon Mexican Consul Mascarerias
Wednesday for confirmation of the
rumor, but was assured by that
gentleman that he had no know
ledge of such aii action and was
not inclined to believe there was
any truth in in it.
A Social Gathjring.
Saturday evening Misses Mabel
sing the line, the supposition be-! and Hazel George entertained a
ling that if the messengers are pre- i party of their young friends at the
i 1 . . 1 ! . ' 1 . I t 1
American . lamilv residence on .mmiii .uoriev
in the. Avenue. There fifteen or sixteen
entering
Friday of last week Mr. J. S. ! vented from
Hunter was called to San Antonio, ! territorv, the Yaquis now
Texas, by a message announcing j field in Sonora will soon run short couples present, and the evening
trie dangerous illness ot Mrs. Hun-j of ammunition. was swiftly and pleasantly passes
ter, who is visiting her mother in i 1 with musi- dancing, parlor games,
that city. I Fridav afternoon of last week etc., and refreshments were served.