While serving their terms, on October 27, 1887, in an attempted outbreak at the prison, in which these men participated, the prisoners succeeded in getting hold of the superintendent of the prison, Thomas Gates, familiarly known as Tommy Gates, and threatened to take his life if he permitted the guards to fire on them. Notwithstanding this, he ordered the guards to fire, when one of the Wheaton convicts, one Puebla, thrust a knife first into his shoulder and then into his back, seriously but not fatally wounding him. Barney Riggs, a life-termer, then succeeded in getting hold of a pistol, shot and killed Puebla, and for this was subsequently pardoned out, in response to the almost unanimous sentiment of the Territory. In the emeute four of the prisoners were killed outright, and Tommy Gates’s display of nerve on the occasion goes into history as a heroic example of self sacrifice in the discharge of duty.
Brutal Murder of Mrs. Peck and Baby.
On April 27, 1886, a band of Indians appeared at the ranch of A. L. Peck, about twenty miles from Oro Blanco, where they found Mrs. Peck, her baby, about eleven months old, and her niece, Jenny, a young girl of about 11 years. Killing Mrs. Peck and the baby, they took the young girl away with them. It was asserted by some at the time, including Peck himself, that the leader of this band was Geronimo, but I think this could hardly have been possible, for the reason that the leader was too young and spoke good English, whereas Geronimo did not speak English. In giving the “Story of His Life” to S. M. Barrett, at Fort Sill, not many years ago, it had to be done through an interpreter. Besides, Geronimo had escaped from General Crook, sixty-five miles south of Fort Bowie and 125 miles east of Oro Blanco, on the night of March 29th, only a month previous, and gone into the Sierra Madre mountains. It is my opinion that Geronimo was never seen in Arizona subsequent to that time until he surrendered to General Miles and was brought to Fort Bowie the following September.
At the time of the killing of Mrs. Peck, Peck and a young man by the name of Charles Owen were a mile or two away from the house, both being mounted but unarmed, and were in the act of catching a steer. The Indians surprising them, Peck’s horse was shot from under him and he was captured and held prisoner. Owen, being well mounted, made a dash for his life, but ran into another part of the same band. His horse was shot from under him, and Owen himself was shot through the neck and arm, killing him instantly. Those that had Peck were apparently waiting for their leader for instructions as to what to do with him. The leader soon coming up, after taking from Peck his boots, knife and tobacco, they released him, telling him, however, not to go home. Before releasing him, one of the Indians, for some unexplainable reason, gave him 65 cents in money. A squaw with this band had little Jenny on a horse with her. Jenny was crying bitterly, and when Peck attempted to talk with her the Indians intervened and prevented his doing so. About six weeks later she was rescued from the Indians by some Mexican cowboys, at a point about forty miles from Magdalena, Sonora, where she was delivered to Peck, who had gone after her. As soon as released, Peck went directly home, where he found his wife and baby lying dead.
Shanahan Killed, “Yank” Bartlett Wounded.
The day following the killing of Mrs. Peck and her baby, John Shanahan, who was unarmed, left “Yank” Bartlett’s ranch in Bear Valley, about eight miles from Oro Blanco, for his own place, about three miles distant, leaving at the ranch with Bartlett his little son Phil, about ten years of age, who was there visiting Johnnie Bartlett, of about the same age. Shanahan had been gone but about ten minutes, when Johnnie ran into the room where his father was, telling him that he had just heard three shots, and that he thought maybe the Indians had shot the “old man”. Bartlett, who had not heard of the Indians being in the vicinity, scouted the idea, but on going outside saw Shanahan approaching, and ran to him and assisted him into the house, Shanahan telling him that the Indians had shot him. Bartlett immediately seized his gun, and on going to the door a bullet fired by one of the Indians whistled past his head. There were but three of the Indians, but having placed themselves in different positions, it was hardly possible for Bartlett to get a shot at them without exposing himself to their fire, and one shot from them passing through his shoulder, only missed the head of Johnnie by about an inch, blinding him from the dust of the adobe wall as the bullet struck it. The fight between Bartlett and the three Indians was kept up until dark. Shanahan, fatally wounded, was constantly calling out for water. Bartlett thinks that in the fight he wounded one of the Indians.
Little Phil Saves Mother and Sisters
Shanahan’s story is that a short time after leaving the house, being totally unconscious of any danger, he was suddenly shot by an Indian, whom he then saw only about thirty feet away. Picking up a rock and starting for the Indian, Shanahan received another shot from behind that knocked him down, but he was immediately up again and ran back for the house, Bartlett meeting and assisting him in. Shanahan saw but two Indians, and said he could have killed both if he had had a gun. During the time Bartlett was keeping the Indians at bay, realizing the danger of Mrs. Shanahan and her two young daughters, at their home three miles away, he told Phil, Shanahan’s little son, to steal out of the house by a back way and go to his home and notify his mother of their danger and of the shooting of his father. Phil demurred at first, wanting to stay with his father, who was suffering intensely, but being told that unless he went his mother and little sisters would surely be killed, the little fellow courageously said he would try to get to them, and good fortune favoring him, he succeeded in doing so. Finding them in the garden, they all, including Phil, immediately started for the mountains, where they concealed themselves until the following day. In the meantime the Indians had come to the house and carried off or wrecked everything in it, and would undoubtedly have killed Mrs. Shanahan and the two little girls had not brave little Phil, at the risk of his life, warned them of the danger.
Brave Little Johnnie Bartlett.
Bartlett kept the Indians off until dark, when it is probable they left, as they were not seen again. Soon after dark, Bartlett told Johnnie that he must go to Oro Blanco and notify the people of the shooting of Shanahan and himself, and that Shanahan was probably dying. When little Johnnie was told that he must do this, like the little hero he was, he simply said: “All right, papa,” and immediately started, first taking off his shoes and going barefoot the first mile or two, to avoid making any sound. Johnnie, on foot, reached Oro Blanco, eight miles away, about two o’clock in the morning and gave the alarm. A posse was immediately made up and started for the scene of the troubles, where they found Shanahan dead and Bartlett wounded, and the Indians evidently gone.