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About Roseburg news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1920-1948 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1936)
mn mm i vuui i ujivot ri .4 VK. v.'MHHua, t aujr i i uuuvi icoci vcs ail Vlli Graham-Tewksbury Glans Wage Grim War Old Rock Score in Pleasant , Valley Where Feudists Fought Is Still Standing. Left: Rev. Hamiicar Pool, Going Into Action. i Uz A: Dan O'CarrolI, Now Dead, Was a Partici pant in the Bloody Pleasant Valley War Between Sheep Owners and Cattlemen, THIS It the second and final chapter In the vindictive "Vengeance Valley" feud, fought between cattlemen and sheep owner two famlllea sworn to detroy each other, and who ucceeded o well that only one member was left alive. Mr. Arnold tell the tory in full detail for the first time. Edl tor" note. Part 2. By Oren Arnold UP TO this point in the Pleasant Valley War, the Graham and the Tewksbury families had been fighting each other for four or five years engaged in the bloodiest, most vindictive feud western America ever knew. Theirs was an enmity so fierce that the law Itself could not halt the fighting, and vivid recollections of it are still heard about northern Arizona, scene of the trouble, to this day. This despite the fact that "the last man" of the losing side was killed more than 30 years ago. The trouble started, as I have told, in an argument over rich green pasturage In Pleas- , ant Valley. Cattlemen who first settled there claimed a monopoly, and established the pic turesque Mogollon Rim, a cliff formation 150 miles long, as the "dead line" below which sheep raisers might not bring their animals. When sheep herds did come down, the fighting began. The Grahams were cattlemen, the Tewks burys were defending sheep. Actually there was grass in abundance for all, but the "prin ciple" of the thing (as in most fights!) caused the trouble. Big Tom Graham, leader of his family and their friends, was a hard and vin dictive man. And the Tcwksburys were half Indian by breeding, which made tljem a fierce group, too. After the horrible Incident In which the hogs partly devoured two human bodies, under cover of rifle fire, and widows of the slain men braved bullets to bury -their dead, a lull came In the fighting. This cessation of hostilities extended over several months. Then some foolish Tewks bury partisan again brought a herd of sheep below the Rim. IN THE dead of night, while the woolics were all bedded down In tranquil sleep, several Graham horsemen rode up. "Whoo-o-o-p eeya-a-a-ah!" they shouted and screamed, and so stampeded the animals with their noise. They had planned It so a to drive . the valuable beasts toward a rock cliff some 600 feet high. ' There in the dead of night they rove the sheep right to this cliff rim (not Mogollon Rim, which was much higher and longer) with such stampeding speed and fright that the animals Just plunged over by the hundreds and piled up dead below. Then the horsemen concealed themselves to wait In a short time the expected happened. Two of the Tewksburys, awakened by the stampede, had grabbed their rifles and followed the herd. They easily tracked the beasts right to the cliff. "By God. I believe they went over!" one of the men exclaimed, cursing In anger. Together the two Tewksburys went to the rim and peered down, leaning away out over the edge In their anger and anxiety, to see their sheep. Crack! Crack! From the darkness came two quick rifle shot. And the two Tewksburys joined their sheep In death below! NEWS of this dramatic and tragic event spread like a forest fire and in a day or two all of Pleasant Valley was in arms again, swearing to kill enemies on sight. In spite of themselves, many disinterested persons were drawn Into the family feud. That was" the trag edy of this war in Isolated Pleasant Valley, away up in the mountains of northern Arizona. The Grahams and the Tewksburys might have fought It out In a few months and been done with it, but all their friends and many casual acquaintance were dragged into It a well. A Tewksbury was accused of poisoning some of the Graham cattle one day. and forthwith a search was started for him. The man was nit off from his friends bv some ruse, and had to One Family Raised Cattle, The Other Brought In Sheep, And Because The Tewksburys Were Partly Indian, The Fued Ended When Only One Man. Lived flee alone with a half dozen or so mounted Gr aha mi tea - pursuing. But, as we know, the Tewksburys were half Indian of blood, and had been reared in the wilda anyway. They were therefore .skilled trailers, and skilled at concealing their own trails when necessity arose. This fellow led his pursuers a merry chase, knowing that his life depended on it, but he was on foot and the Grahamites were on horsea. John Henry Blcvin, so I was told, headed this pursuing party, but I am not sure. I talked with Mr. Blevins and photographed him a short time ago, for he is one of the few living men who were actually combatants in that feud, but he is a fierce and stern old man and I learned nothing from him dire. I was a little bit awed by his manner, and other residents in Pleasant Valley warned me that he was a dangerous man even today. AT ANY rate, the fleeing Tewksbury was brought home by a horse, a few hours lalr, or a part of him was! The horse was -tied to one end of a rope, and the man's body to the other! Yes, it's a grewsome picture, but this was a terrible feud. Still the Tewksburys got even, got revenge. They did so not by a counter-attack them selves, but by a peculiar and bloody circum stance which they themselves did not control, but which must have given them immense satis faction. The law, in the person of Sheriff Com modore Owens, one of their faction, stepped in dramatically to set another high mark in west ern violence. , A tough member of the Graham army named Andy Cooper had been stealing, and people complained to the sheriff about it. This sheriff Owens had headquarters at Holbrook, in Apache County, Arlzqna. He was a strong and fearless man, with a certain sense .of justice, even if he were allied with the Tewksburys. Owens' plan, as he himself explained it later, was to "lay low" for a time until he could actually get evidence of Cooper's thievery, then pounce onto him for the arrest. As matters stood at first, he had a warrant but no proof of guilt, and it was likely that any Jury would free him. Sure of his guilt, Sheriff Owens did not want him to go free. And so Owens waited, and watched. He appeared to be disinterested. So much so, in fact, that loafers and hangers-on about the saloons In Holbrook began to taunt him and bait him unmercifully. "Wa'al, too bad we got a sheriff who's ascairt of a rustler," one loafer would remark to another, in the sheriff's hearing. "Ya'ap, too bad. Reckon's he's been milk fed. He'd oughter have raw meat fed to him, haw-haw-haw!" was the answer, usually. One rough wag even composed a little ditty which he sang to music: "We got a sheriff with plenty of brains, But he ain't got nerve to back 'em; We got rustlers on dur plains, But sheriff's afeared to track 'em!" SHERIFF OWENS heard several of the other Insults and was aloof and contemptuous of them. But after awhile a man's pride will weaken in the face of ridicule, deserved or not. When Owens first heard that silly little ditty, he saw red. "By th' eternal I'll show you scum who's afraid!" he roared at the men baiting him, with an oath. They laughed, as he mounted his horse and rode away. Andy Cooper, the outlaw in question, was known to be staying in a cabin with his mother, Mrs. John Blevins (a relative of the John Henry Blevins now living, mentioned herein), located a short distance from the village of Holbrook. Sheriff Owens didn't know whether anybody else would be in the cabin or not and didn'l care. He just rode out In the front yard he dismounted, dropped his horse's reins, and took his repeating rifle from Its saddle holster. Nobody was In sight He went to the front door and knocked. Presently Cooper himself stuck his head out the door. "Whatta you want here?" Cooper snarled. "I've got a warrant for your arrest" said Mr. Owens. "You'll have to come with me." Cooper glared at him a moment then finally said, "AH right let me get my hat" He went back inside and closed the door. After a few seconds Owens backed away, hold ing his rifle at his hip. In a flash the door was jerked open and a pistol shot fired from within. Owens safely ducked, and the bullet killed his horse behind him. But in the same breath he also fired his own gun, striking his would be assassin in the chest, causing a mortal wound. A moment later, so Owens told, his alert eye caught slight motion of a curtain or something at a window to the left Instantly the rifle swung over and put a bullet just 'below the window sill, through the cabin boards. That shot struck Andy Cooper himself in the ab domen and killed him. BEFORE the clock could have ticked twice more, a man named Mose Roberts suddenly appeared around ah outside comer of the cabin, to Owens' right. Roberts carried a big pistol, already leveled and drawing a bead on the sheriff's head. Roberts never pulled his pistol trigger. With his rifle still at bis hip, Owens shot through the man's brain. Thus were three attackers slain In almost as few seconds. Sheriff Owens had no Idea how many others were in the cabin. He could hear sundry wails and groaning and a commotion of some sort Then the front door popped open again and a boy ran out. Clinging to him and pleading tearfully was Mrs. Blevins, the boy's mother. The lad was not more than 16 years of age. He had seen the other three men shot down when they would have killed the sheriff. He was a Blevin, and his family was allied with the Grahams, whereas the sheriff was a Tewks bury partisan. He was blind with fury. Mrs. Blevins evidently knew that death threatened her son, so she begged htm and tried to hold him in. He carried a pistol, and he fought to free his arm. This little drama continued there for almost a minute, with Sheriff Owens tense and alert, holding his rifle in readiness for anything. Sud denly he fired, again from the hip position. "I shore hated to kill that boy, he was such a youngster," the sheriff told later, "But still It was my life or his'n. With a pistol he could shoot like a man. He jerked away from his mammy and aimed at me. There wasn't noth ing else I could do." NOBODY else came out, and after a bit Mr. Owens backed awsy then walked on back to town. "Wa'al. sheriff, whar's yore prisoner? Did he scare you off ag'ln? Haw-haw-haw!" the " loafers resumed their taunts. The sheriff remained calm. "Some qf you men better go out there and clean up" he suggested. "It's a mite messy in that cabin." And messy it was! The place was a shambles. Four dead and bloody men, blood on the bed, the floor, the walls, even on the ceiling, the worst sight ever they had beheld, said those townsmen ( with the woman squatting in the midst of it hysterical -and practically insane, crying and sobbing wildly. Loss of those four men weakened the Gra ham forces materially. All had been desperate fighters, thus valuable partisans In any feud. Tom Graham, their leader, was naturally infuri- ated, but there seemed little he could do. He dared not ride In and shoot down the sheriff. First of all, the sheriff had demonstrated an Uncanny ability to protect his own life, and certainly Tom Graham could not hope to catch him napping now. Second, he was the sheriff, - an authorized arm of the law, and to murder him would bring more than normal resentment probably outside militia and so great trouble Indeed. Tom therefore bided his time. TOM didn't have long to lay his plans for revenge, however. News of this and other exciting and bloody episodes of the feud had spread, and there was a growing demand for putting a stop to It The reader will under stand, of course, that these events occurred in the 1890 s, when very few white people lived In all of Arizona, and the established courts and' machinery of civilization were only In their Infancy. Distances were very great, communi cation was limited to horse travel, and Pleasants Valley, scene of the feud, was very Isolated any way. In fact It still is far from anywhere, so to speak. The postofnee there, now cnlled Young, Is 75 miles from any rniltoad. The villagers around It get snowed In each winter snow blocking the trails and roads nnd break ing telephone lines so that they are cut off from the rest of the world, save for radio recep tion, for weeks at a time. About them is a beautiful, wild, virgin forest, little changed, like the people themselves, since the days of the feud. Nevertheless, resentment against so much bloodshed was spreading. Hence Sheriff William Mulvernon of Yavapai County, Arizona, one week led a posse of determined men across the mountain trails Into Pleasant Valley to bring whatever force was necessary Into play to stop the feud. Sheriff Mulvernon learned that two Graham ites, Charlie Blevins and John Graham himself, were hiding from the posse In a cabin. The cabin was situated near a store. So the sheriff concocted a little ruse. OSTENTATIOUSLY he and his posse gal loped up to the store. Inquired loudly for Blevins and Graham Told that the two men were not there, the horsemen rode noisily away. But - instead of riding off. they halted a short distance down the trail and all crept back. j f Jfe ftrar scif Jfe' I . , - ' " .ft 'Tiff V;C:''-;-r'T; "if. m1: The Old Tewksbury Cabin Is Little Changed Since the Day It X'a Attacked by the Grahams, and Hogs Partly Devoured the Bodies of 2 Men Killed in Gun Battle. Edward Tewksbury, Who Escaped. Punish - mcnt in the Murder Trial, Was the Last ' Man Left Alive in Long Feud. very quietly. Each man concealed himself be hind a rock, part of an old wall, or other con venient breastwork, and settled down to wait. The trickery worked. Presently Graham and Blevins came from their cabin, mounted and rode out to the store. Each was heavily armed, but evidently suspicious of no immediate danger. They rode right into the line of the possemen's Are. , In a flash each man ducked low on his horse, drew his pistol and fired in the direction from which the sheriff's command had come, and spurred their mount into a dash meanwhile. But it didn't save them. A number of rifles barked, and both Graham and Blevins toppled off dead. Quietly the posse returned to its horses and rode away, leaving the dead where they lay. Nor did the sheriff and his men accomplish anything more. After a few days of hunting around, they went on back to Prescott, whence they had come. The feud then settled Into an other spell of ambushing and sniping and mur dering and such, until only two Grahams were left alive. One of these, James, died from natural cause. That left only' big Tom, the leader, who miraculously had been through most of the fighting and had escaped any injury at all. But he wbs licked, now. Fed up with scrap ping. Disgusted at the terrible toll. Getting along in years also. Therefore, ho announced publicly that he wa done that he would give up the feuding and hating and lay down his gun. He swore he would never go armed again. And he kept hi word. HE MARRIED a young woman, and moved entirely away from the Pleasant Valley community, dropped his old profession of cattle raising and settled 175 miles to the southward near the town of Tempe, Arizona, 10 miles from the present state capita city of Phoenix. There he began farming. He lived peacefully for al most a year, and Arizona citizens thought the old blood feud was ended for good. But Fate decreed that it must thrust Its ugly head up one more time. Tom Graham was riding on a wagon of hay one morning, from his farm toward the market in Phoenix. Ho was nearing the Twin Butte school, when a shot from ambush suddenly struck him between the shoulders, and he fell backward, dead. Two little school children had witnessed the dastardly act. They said that John Rhodes and Edward Tewksbury had been hiding in the bushes whence the fatal shot had come, and they believed Rhodes did tho actual firing. Horsemen formed a posse, and In a few hours both men were In custody. They were hailed before a Justice, and the sobbing young widow of Tom Graham faced them there nt the official hearing. Testimony was being taken, and the Justice was making a little talk on the legnl procedure. Nobody observed Mrs. Graham as she quietly edged over toward Rhodes. Suddenly she Jerked a pistol from her shawl, stuck Its muzzle In Rhodes' ribs and pulled tha trigger. SOMK sort of a miracle must have saved him. Rome spectators to that event declare that ilstol hammer was fouled In the woman' rh- I Others Insist that the cartridge Just il'd-i'l fire. At any rate Rhodes' life was saved, and Mr, 'irahnm was taken away, hysterical. Excitement about this murder and about tha episode in the Justice' room spread all over the southwest. Nobody wanted to see the old Graham-Tewksbury feud revived, but everybody wanted to see Justice done. Rhodes and Tewk nury were tried, then giving a change of venue 'or a accond trial. A prolonged legal battle en siled, ending finally with both racs, going scot free. Rhodes died later of tuberculosis. Thus, with Tom Graham murdered, the Gra ham family was wiped out. Some of their henrh , men remained, among them John Henry Blcv in who still lives, but' no actual member of the family. And it happened also that Edward Tewks bury, who escaped punishment In these last trials, was the last of hi family clan. The last man therefore victorious! If vic tory can be called uch, at o tremendous a price. PAGE THHEE-B
