Killing of Sheriff and Deputy and Escape of Kid
The Indians were handcuffed together, two and two, and had shackles on their ankles. They stopped over night at Riverside, about half-way between Globe and Florence. Leaving Riverside early on the morning of November 2nd, while passing up a heavy sand-wash, the pulling being quite heavy, in order to relieve the team, the two officers and six of the Indians got out to walk, the Indians probably having had their shackles loosened from at least one ankle to enable them to do so; the Kid and one of the Indians still remaining in the stage. Suddenly the six Indians that were walking seized the two officers, whom they overpowered and killed with their own guns. As soon as Middleton discovered what was taking place, drawing his own revolver and covering the Kid and the other Indian still in the stage, he kept them quiet until, on standing up to look back, he was shot through the face by one of the other Indians. In the meantime the Mexican, taking advantage of the opportunity, escaped. Middleton, although badly wounded, was not killed; the Indians, however, evidently thought he was dead. He was, however, sufficiently conscious to realize what was taking place and avoided disabusing their minds of their belief, and in due course was rescued and taken to Globe, where he finally fully recovered.
The eight Indians, now armed with a shot-gun, a Winchester rifle, and three revolvers, partly stripping Middleton and the two officers, hastened to get away. Stories of the manner of their relieving themselves of their shackles do not agree. One story is that, finding a blacksmith-shop near the mouth of the San Pedro river, they succeeded in cutting the shackles loose. Middleton’s statement is that, finding the keys in the pockets of the Sheriff, they easily freed themselves of their irons, and the plausibility of this is quite evident, as the officers must necessarily have had the keys with them. After their escape the Indians are supposed to have come along the west side of the Catalina mountains, and passed near the Half-way House, between Tucson and Fort Lowell, as their tracks were seen there crossing the road, going south.