A man found work in Ajo and left his wife behind in Tucson. Then he sent for her once he found a place for them to live; not an unusual thing to do. The response he received was cryptic to say the least.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Saturday, July 15, 1916:
Woman’s Disappearance Remains Mystery After All-Day Investigation
Strangely Worded Telegram Brings Husband Home to Find Wife Gone
George McCoy enlisted the aid of both the police department and the sheriff’s office yesterday in his search for his wife, who has disappeared under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Up to last evening their efforts had been in vain. McCoy, who also spent all of yesterday in following every available clue, had not located his wife last evening.
McCoy arrived Thursday from Ajo, where he had gone sometime ago to accept a position, and when he had prepared a home there he telegraphed his wife early this week to come to Ajo at once.
A short time later McCoy received a telegram that brought him post haste to Tucson, where he reported the matter to Sheriff Forbes and Chief of Police Cullen.
The telegram that McCoy received was signed by “Mabel Davis,” a person unknown to either the officers or to McCoy. The author of it took McCoy to task for sending for his wife to come to Ajo but was more or less cryptic to the officers.
“Brace up and be a man if you can,” it said. “Your wide is in a highly nervous condition. You should be ashamed of yourself.” The latter part of the message it is believed might have referred to McCoy’s insistence upon his wife joining him at Ajo.
After an investigation officers declared that they believed that “Mabel Davis” was a fictitious name, and further they doubt, from the wording of the telegram, that it was written by a woman. McCoy said that he knew of no reason why his wife should leave home and he suspected that she might be held under duress.
The police disposed of the theory that she might be ill at one of the local hospitals when they made an investigation at each place and found that no patient was registered under the name of McCoy.
Mrs. McCoy was formerly Mrs. Harrington, her first husband having been a railroad man of that name.
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The County Attorney went to Ajo investigating when a sold clerk shot another man.
GUNMAN SHOT BY SODA CLERK IN AJO DUEL
L. L. Buck in Hospital as Result of an Encounter With Jack Ellison, Who Is Being Held; Hilzinger Is on the Scene
After receiving advices from Deputy Sheriff Keith, at Ajo, that L. L. Buck had been shot and perhaps mortally wounded in a gun encounter with Jack Ellison, proprietor of a pool hall and soft drink place, County Attorney Hilzinger, accompanied by his stenographer, Archie Connor, left for Ajo last evening. Sheriff Forbes himself will leave for the mining camp today. Buck is in a hospital and Ellison is being held.
Only the fact that Buck had been shot by an unnamed man, who was being held, was received by the sheriff, but The Star received the following from its Ajo correspondent, giving the details of the shooting:
Between 11 and 12 o’clock Thursday night L. L. Buck entered the pool hall of Ellison and Frederickson, in the building formerly occupied by the alley Lumber company, in Clarkston, accompanied by Jerry Green. He is said to have been in an intoxicated condition and demanded of Jack Ellison, in charge of the soft drink and cigar stand, a drink of whiskey.
Ellison replied that he was not selling whiskey. Buck then struck Ellison, called him a liar and various other names and dared him to come out and fight, it is said. Ellison told him he did not want to fight, as he knew Buck could lick him. Buck then asked him how he wanted to fight, and started to leave but turned around and made as if to draw a gun from inside his shirt.
Ellison at once drew a 45-caliber gun and started shooting, firing, in all, five shots. Buck jumped out of a window and staggered to a waiting auto, into which he was assisted by Jerry green and a Mexican who whom he had spent the greater part of the evening, and was taken to the New Cornelia hospital, where he was given attention by Doctor O. B. Patton.
Ellison was taken into custody by Deputy Sheriff Al Keith, in whose custody he is at present. County Attorney Hilzinger was communicated with and us expected in town tonight, accompanied by Sheriff Forbes. Ellison has retained C. T. Reddington, attorney of Ajo, as his counsel. Buck was formerly employed in the delicatessen shot of Brown & Miller at Ajo.
